Hello Marilyn,
This past Friday I got my results back from Fish and BMB and both stand at THE BIG ZERO.
[Cheryl-Anne Simoneau] Congratulations to you!
I am one happy girl, Thank you GOD. My Onc. says that Stem Cell
harvest may be our next step. I would really appreciate what to
expect next as far as this harvest goes.
[Cheryl-Anne Simoneau] I have had my stem cells harvested twice. My Doctor here (Montreal, QC) had the foresight to have my cells harvested about a week after diagnosis (Nov. 2000)- just in case. Those CML infested cells are still on ice somewhere in the cryogenics lab of the hospital. I am happy about this, who knows maybe one day they will figure out how to make a vaccine out of them and I'll be cured! However, that first harvesting went very well. Both my arms were used for the catheters that are hooked up to the aphresis machine. It was a bit uncomfortable to sit for four hours without the use of your arms but well worth it. Of course my nose was very itchy - go figure! The second harvest was started last spring. I say started because I wasn't able to mobilize enough cells on the first attempt. My situation is a bit different from yours as I have been on either IFN or Gleevec for close to 4 years now (it was 3 and a bit in the spring). So harvesting is a bit trickier for me. I would advise that the sooner you do it the better and since you are achieving such marvellous results after having been dxed only in March of this year I would guess that your harvest should go quite well. For what it is worth, I'll share some of my experience with this. I stopped taking IM (Gleevec) for 5 days before starting Neupogen injections to mobilize my stem cells. On the fifth day we started harvesting - we being me and the wonderful aphresis nurse. However, this time the difference was that we could not use the veins in my arms and I had a femoral vein catheter put in. Slightly uncomfortable, but from what I hear less disturbing than having one inserted in the neck which seems to be the popular spot. However, your arms might just work nicely for you. Keep up with your calcium supplements prior to and certainly after the harvest. I find the procedure a bit monotonous so bring a CD player with your favorite music of if you have the use of your arms bring a book. I also took and ativan - I wouldn't be surprised if I am just a little ADHD so sitting for four hours or more in a chair ain't my cuppa ;>) I free lance write for the McGill University Health care centre and they recently published my short story on my stem cell harvest. Follow this link for the article:http://www.muhc.ca/media/ensemble/2004july/leukemia/ The article is titled "Spring Harvest, Innovative Options for Leukemia Patients".I will be making a second attempt probably sometime this fall.Please do not hesitate to write if you have any questions.Cheers and best of luck for your harvestCheryl-Anne
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