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Question from a newbie
Hi, I have just joined these forums as my son, aged 25, has suffered a relapse of his ALL after four years in remission, and is due to have his transplant on the 27th. He has got a niggly cough at the moment, which his doctor doesn't seem too worried about, but if it turns to a cold, which it hasn't yet, I am worried that his transplant may be put back. I would be grateful if anyone on here could advise me if that would be the case. He is very nervous, and terrified of anything going wrong at the last minute! Thank you in advance.
Comments
Thank you for posting, I am the lead nurse in patient services. The lead up to a transplant can be a very anxious time, your son will have been preparing himself for this both physically and mentally for a while.
Its difficult at this time of year when coughs and colds are more prevalent, the team will keep a close eye on him and if he does develop a temperature or the cough turns in to a full blown cold they will have to consider if he will be well enough to go ahead. They will not do this without discussion with you and they will also be looking at infection markers like CRP in his blood test which can tell the team if he has an infection or not. I completely understand why this would cause anxiety and hopefully it will not come to this but the chemo and transplant will leave your son very vulnerable so he cannot start this process with an infection. He has a couple of weeks so if it does develop anything more he can be treated with antibiotics. If the transplant is delayed it would only hopefully be for a short period, they would not jeopardise his remission by leaving it too long, but it has to be safe.
I realise the next few weeks are going to be hard waiting but the best thing to do between now and the 27th is to eat well and look after himself. If he gets a temperature or feels worse in any way tell the transplant team as soon as possible so they can give him treatment as soon as possible.
I hope it all goes ahead as planned and keep in touch.
BW
Hayley
There’s nothing I can add that Hayley hasn’t said above, but as an ex ALL patient myself I’m rooting for your son and hope that the cough goes away in time for his transplant to go ahead and everything goes smoothly. I’m sure his medical team will be monitoring him closely and will react straight away with any signs of infection to treat it in time to avoid delaying his transplant.
It must be so hard to see him going through all this having been in remission before but hopefully a transplant will prevent the Leukaemia coming back again.
Please keep in touch and let us know how he gets on. We’re here to support him and you through this tough time and we will try to ease any concerns you have during his transplant and recovery.
All the best,
Steve
Hayley has the medical element covered. I can only add that from my experience the doctors would not / will not procedure if they have any concerns with regards the well being of the patient &/or how the success of the transplant could be effected.
I have always found the medical teams very helpful and understanding of a patients and their families concerns, don't be afraid to speak up.
Wishing you, your son and family all the best.
Rachel