Romy was admitted for her third stem cell harvest attempt. Attempt one back in February had gained some of the stem cells needed, attempt two in April had been aborted and with high dose chemo approaching this was our third and final shot. Romy went through having a vas cath inserted in her neck again, under a general anaesthetic, and then had one day to harvest as many stem cells as possible. An extra injection of a drug called plerixoflor on top of the daily injections of GCSF (a growth factor that makes the bone marrow produce blood cells and mobilise stem cells into the blood) was given in the middle of the night to boost the mobilisation of stem cells further. The next day they managed to harvest almost the target number of cells, a satisfactory result even though it fell just under target.
Helen & Tom
