Stella (UK) transplanted one week ago

[ActiveMSers]

Stella from Derby, England, is blogging about her Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) and on August 17 she received back her stem cells. She was scheduled to get ATG (which knocks out the T cells), the roughest of the chemo drugs, the following two days. As of this writing, her last post was transplant day a week ago. I know this is the roughest time of the treatment and I'm sending her and her family my best wishes. Hang in there, Stella!

http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm/fuse...ow/pageid/3181

[ActiveMSers]

Stella is in critical condition. Her kidneys have shut down, she's on sedation, and needs a ventilator. Her temp spiked at 40.7 (105.2) yesterday and her husband is reporting she's stable. They celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary Tuesday. I am hopeful but very worried.

[ActiveMSers]

Stella is doing far better but she is still in the weeds. Her infection(s) are stubborn and they are removing all of her lines in the hopes her temp will come down. Infection is the biggest danger in an HSCT and unfortunately she's had issues in spades. Keep on fighting, Stell!

[ActiveMSers]

The latest from Stella: better, but in baby steps. She's still on a ventilator to breath. Her cog fog appears to be finally rolling out (hopefully!). Unfortunately her hearing is gone and the loss may be permanent (docs think it could be the antibiotics).

She went into the hospital August 11 for the normally 3-week treatment, and she'll be there for the foreseeable future. Stella, you can do this. Keep fighting.

[shucks]

I have been keeping up with her as well, and what a sad situation with her. She is the only person I have read about with such serious complications from this treatment for MS. I am wishing her the best.

[ActiveMSers]

A few more Stella updates. Some good news, some bad news. She is well out of her coma, out of intensive care, and is fully awake and aware. The most life-threatening risks have been tamped down and she is on the mend.

The bad news: her hearing loss is permanent and severe due to the antibiotics. Hearing aids will help some, and without them hearing a conversation would be impossible.

Additionally, sepsis nearly took her life and the drugs used to fight it caused essentially gangrene. Her four fingers on her left hand had to be amputated at the second knuckle as did the tip of her thumb.

The best news: she's alive. Serious infections, in particular sepsis, often kill. And Stella had no immune system. She is seriously a lucky woman. She is seriously a determined fighter. I wish her the best in what will be a long rehab....

[ActiveMSers]

Stella is back to posting on her own, so I'll let her continue her story and I'll pop in every now and again. And it is a crazy story. Her nurses gave her a 1% chance of living while she was in her 2-week coma battling infection. Yikes! Now she's back to talking about losing a gangrene finger in a bowl of cereal. Ah, at least it's clear they didn't have to amputate her funny bone. Welcome back to the world, Stell, welcome back.