Transplant

At last I have found time to tell you about the transplant timetable ...

The transplant is scheduled for Thursday 23rd June. At the end of May/beginning of June I have several tests to make sure I am fit enough for the transplant. One week before it I am admitted to Ambicare for chemo (the 15th June).

It is after the transplant that my problems begin. I will be neutropenic, and have no way of making blood cells for myself, until donor cells have started generating. This normally takes between 6 and 22 days, and the chance of infection is high - for me a racing certainty I expect. This time is spent as an inpatient of course. When my counts recover sufficiently (i.e. my donor cells are working), they will send me home. They say it takes 6 to 12 months to fully recover from a transplant.

For the first three months I will attend a weekly outpatient clinic. This drops to biweekly, then monthly, then quarterly and so on. I don't think we ever say "goodbye"! For the first three months the hospital provides transport to the clinic. It says in the leaflet that it is not unusual to be readmitted to hospital during this time. I also take a drug called Cyclosporine that suppresses the donor immune system. It means that although I will not be neutropenic, and so able to fight bacterial infection, it leaves me more prone to viral infection.

With a fair wind I could be home at the end of July, and then be reasonably OK for the beginning of November. I doubt I will be playing golf in 2011 though :(

I am very excited, and at the same time very nervous. The immediate post-transplant period is surely the highest hurdle I have left to clear. I hope I will be strong enough.

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