Friday March 27 Day +2

All went well with the stem cell transplant.  As part of the procedure they filled me with fluid - LOTS of fluids - so I've been a bit uncomfortable for the last couple days.  Beyond that, feeling strong and healthy.

So a quick recap - on Thursday March 19 I came back to Beth Israel for a week of conditioning prior to the transplant.   The conditioning regimen used two types of chemotherapy to destroy any remaining cancer cells (even though I have been in remission, the conditioning is protocol for any patient going through a bone marrow stem cell transplant).

On Wednesday March 25 I was given a stem cell transfusion from an unrelated donor (an angel from Germany who  donated her cells).  The healthy immune cells from the donor can recognize cancer cells and destroy them.  This is called graft vs. disease (or tumor).  

A possible problem after stem cell transplant is graft verses host disease (graft being the donor and host being me).  GVHD is a complication of transplantation where the donor graft cells attack and damage some of my tissues - this can cause skin rash, nausea, vomiting and may also damage my liver.

Paradoxically we want graft vs disease to get rid of any latent leukemia cells BUT we want to avoid graft versus host.  I am currently taking prophylactic medications and immunosuppressants to prevent GVHD.  The amount of the medications is a delicate balance and I have frequent blood draws to make sure I have the right dosage.  An art and a science I guess.

Over the next couple weeks my own platelets and disease fighting white blood cells (compromised because of the leukemia) will continue to drop until the new donor stem cells engraft and my new immune system kicks in.  We are probably looking at 4 weeks or so for this process to run it's course.

Kate is in this week and it is great to have the company.  She saw Jim, Joseph and Emma yesterday and was able to get to one of Emma's volleyball games.

That's it for now - thanks for checking in

Love Maureen