This is from the MPD group and is an email about a failed mini transplant for MPD. For those considering a transplant it underscores some of the things that patients need to know before making a decision.
---------- Forwarded message ---------- My husband was diagnosed with myelofibrosis (IMF) in November of 2000. He was mostly on thalidomide and other assorted drugs, Procrit as well and the disease had progressed to the point that he became interested in a stem cell transplant. He felt that since his sister was a perfect match and that he was still relatively well he should take the window of opportunity to undergo a "mini-transplant" at xxx xxxx xxxx hospital. It was a disaster. The cells did engraft and he was 99.8% donor cells when they took a blood test two or three weeks after he received the stem cells, but he became filled with fluid, which overwhelmed him and he was in pulmonary distress, put on a respirator in the CCU and although he came off the respirator, he then became engulfed with infection(s) and these could not be resolved. He was placed on a ventilator again and blodd pressure kept dropping etc. etc. He died in the hospital this past Sunday night. He also had severe acute GVH - all in all it was a 45 day stay in the hospital and except for the first 7 days, the remainder of the time was a nightmare. I very much regret that he undertook the transplant, I think it is completely misleading to call it "mini". Nowhere in the booklets, videos etc. given to us by the hospital could we ever have imagined such complications. He was 60 years old and he knew that most indicators were that he could live only a few years from when he was diagnosed at the age of 55 in November of 2000. He was in much pain, had difficulty walking and did not that much energy and he was very hopeful particularly based on the good results that were published a few months ago about 21 people who had transplants. We went to see Dr. xxxx xxxx in xxxx who was very supportive of him getting a transplant and he was also a patient of Dr. xxxx at xxxxx who also encouraged him to "go for it". Well, it was a disaster as I already stated and we are now sitting shiva for him. Sorry to hit you with all this, but I understand how important this information is for you. Regards/xxx xxxxx New! Sign up for local CML support group meetings in your local community at http://cml.meetup.com Apply for Commercial Real Estate loans online and submit your deal to dozens of hungry lenders in just minutes. Loan programs for all types of business and commercial real estate. Apply anytime at http://realestatezoo.com CML (Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Support List) --------------------------------- Part Of CMLHope.Com An International Community Of CML Patients For more information: http://cmlhope.com Post Message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Change To No Mail/Web: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Change To Digest: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Change To Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] List Help: [EMAIL PROTECTED] CML Group Web Site http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CML Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CML/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
