5 Tips That My Friend Shared With Me For Life After a Stem Cell Transplant

Sophia was diagnosed with stage III myeloma, which is a type of blood cancer. She was working as a teacher in an engineering college. The diagnosis came as a shock for her. She needed a stem cell transplant to produce blood in her body and also some other components for her immune system to work. Her own stem cells were recovered and harvested in a system. These cells were then put back into her body intravenously. After a 3-weeks hospital stay, she returned to her home to face a new set of challenges. Here are 5 tips that she shared with me to recover from the transplant.

1.Read the post-transplant manual

Ignorance is bliss, but it can be pretty dangerous for you if you have just returned home after a transplant. There is no substitute for staying updated about the post-transplant care. Get help for readying your home. Nothing could be better than a disinfected, and clutter-free home. Let your family and friends take up the task of dusting, organizing, laundry, and vacuuming. And you enjoy the break from the household work!

2.Keep talking and laughing - even in isolation

Infection is a major concern for the patient. Sophia had to limit face to face interactions with her family and friends for 2-3 weeks. During this period, they would wear masks and gloves.

However, you can always talk and laugh with your near and dear ones using Skype and other video chatting technologies. Sophia had to wait for about 30 days before her first public outing.

3.Do not attempt to do everything on your own; recognize your limitations

Managing 3 small children can be a tough job. So, Sophia would take a nap in the afternoon before her 3 school going kids would come back. This would energize and prepare her for the late afternoon and early evening rush.

Her husband would take over the household tasks once he arrived from his office.

4.Build up your strength

After the bone marrow transplant, you may feel as weak a new born baby. And you'll have to start all over again. Sophia started walking in her small garden the first few days, and then went on increasing distance and time outside. She gradually but continuously built up her strength.

5.If you have kids, adapt to stay safe

Sophia could be around her kids as long as they were not sick. Kids too didn't mind wearing masks and gloves during the first few weeks. Safety was the top-most priority, at least during the first 100 days after transplant. So when the kids would jump off their school bus and reach home, hand wash and cloth changing were the first requirement.

Sophia is pretty well these days. And she always takes out time to pray, love, and be loved. The message that Sophia gives is clear: there is life after stem cell or bone marrow transplant.

Don't give up if you have been diagnosed with cancer. Bone marrow transplant /stem cell transplant is a life-saving procedure, and with the tips shared above you can recover quickly after the transplant. Don't give up. Live your life to the fullest.

By Aaditya Sardwal

Causes of High White Blood Cell Count

There are several possible causes for a high white blood cell count. This count is high when there are more disease-fighting cells in your body. The technical term for this condition is leukocytosis.

Different medical practices may have different limits by which they define high white blood cell count. A count of 10,500 leukocytes in one microliter of blood is widely accepted as a high count. The threshold may vary between sex and age.

White blood cells are categorized by five subtypes, and each type has a different activity in fighting disease. When you get the results of your white blood cell count, they will usually specify what the levels are of all the different types. Usually, a high count is only caused by an increase in one type of white blood cells.

A high white blood cell count is indicative of an immune system problem that increases their production; a disease in your bone marrow that causes high blood cell production; a reaction to some drug that is used to enhance cell production; or the increase expected when your body is fighting off an infection.

There are some more specific reasons why your white blood cell count may be high:

Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer that lives in the bone marrow and blood. This disease is a rapidly progressive one. Children are more affected by this than any other type of cancer, although adults can develop the disease as well.

Drugs like epinephrine and corticosteroids can affect your white cell count.

Measles is an infection that affects mainly the respiratory tract. It is very contagious. The signs include skin rash, fever, sore throat, inflamed eyes, runny nose and cough. The measles vaccine is an excellent way to protect children against this disease, but outside of the civilized countries, many children are not vaccinated. This disease will spread rapidly among people who have not had the vaccination.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a serious type of arthritis from which you will experience joint damage and pain. It attacks your joints' lining and this causes swelling. In turn, that leads to throbbing, aching pain and possibly eventual deformity. Rheumatoid arthritis, also called RA, can make even the easiest of normal activities hard to accomplish.

Some of the other causes of high white blood cell count include:

Stress, be it emotional or physical
Smoking
Tuberculosis
Tissue damage, like one receives with burns
Acute or chronic myelogenous leukemia
Chronic or acute lymphocytic leukemia
Whooping cough
Severe allergic reactions
Myelofibrosis
Polycythemia vera
Other viral infections
Other bacterial infections

By Sara Le

Blood Cancer - Causes and Treatment

Blood is a part of the body. Blood has different components sch as red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma. The red blood cells (RBC), platelets also called monocytes because it is belong to the "myeloid" group and other white blood cells belong to the "lymphoid" group. Lymphoid cells are affected. Disease progresses quickly. This is most common among children. Blood cancer or Leukemia is actually a group of diseases, each of which impede with the normal functioning of blood cells and progressively weaken the system. Leukemia is classified as either Acute or Chronic. Blood and urine samples may also be tested for various substances, called tumor markers, which may indicate cancer.
Causes
A weakened immune system - this may be a result of drugs that suppress the immune system (such as those used for organ transplants), high doses of radiation (such as in radiotherapy for another cancer), or diseases that affect the immune system (such as HIV).
Contact with a chemical called benzene, one of the chemicals in petrol and a solvent used in the rubber and plastics industry.
Genetic disorders like Fanconi anemia, Schwachman-Diamond syndrome and Down syndrome.
Treatment
In radio immunotherapy, an immunotoxin--a hybrid molecule formed by coupling an antibody molecule to a toxin--is injected into the patient. The antibody locks onto a signature protein the cancerous cells express and delivers the toxic dose to the cancer cells. Because the treatment is precision-guided, adverse effects to the rest of the body are minimized. Preliminary results with the new drug are extremely promising--completely eradicating the human cancer cells grafted to mice.
Your doctor may prescribe medications, sometimes called "growth factors," that encourage your body to produce more blood cells. Medications are also used to prevent low blood cell counts in people who have a high probability of experiencing complications of cancer treatment. Medications have benefits and risks, so talk to your doctor about the possible side effects of drugs used to boost blood cell counts.
Most people feel confused and overwhelmed when they are told they have leukaemia. It's a very distressing time both for them and their families. An important part of cancer treatment is learning how to talk about how you are feeling, and getting support with the physical and emotional symptoms you are experiencing.
For more advanced cancer, you can receive extra support, known as palliative care. Doctors and nurses based in hospitals, hospices and pain clinics specialize in providing the support you need, and can also visit you at home.
Many everyday activities put you at risk of cuts and scrapes. A low platelet count makes even minor abrasions serious. A low white blood cell count can turn a small cut into a starting point for a serious infection. Use an electric shaver rather than a razor to avoid nicks. Ask someone else to cut up food in the kitchen. Be gentle when brushing your teeth and blowing your nose.
Biological therapy uses special immune system cells and proteins to stimulate the body's immune system to kill cancer cells. Biological agents such as interferons, interleukins, monoclonal antibodies, tumor necrosis factors and colony-stimulating factors are natural substances found in the body that help alter the way the immune system reacts to cancer. Researchers are now able to create reproductions of some of these biological agents in laboratories, imitating the natural immune agents. These agents are used to augment the anti-tumor immune response of the patient.

By Corwin Brown