F*** You, Cancer! Catch all

How does one test for stem cell compatibility?

MaxShrek wrote:

How does one test for stem cell compatibility?

When my brother was battling leukemia, they sent me a kit to take to my doctor that involved drawing several vials of blood that were then shipped back up to his doctors to test. I think you can also register as a donor at your local blood donation spots but I'm not positive about that.

When I donated, it was multiple rounds of blood tests & then an in-person physical. First round got you onto the donor register, then they only bothered with subsequent rounds when you were a good match for someone who needed it.

Thank you all for your kind words and help.

In Germany there is an organisation called DKMS. https://www.dkms.de/en/become-a-dono...
You can register online and get your kit sent to you. I don't know about procedures in the USA but I'd guess there are similar organisations.

Meanwhile our daughter had to undergo a surgery. A part of her small intestine had to be removed. She's recovering now from the surgery. It's all a nightmare.

Oh Marchantia so sorry to hear you are going through this. It can be a bumpy road sometimes but hopefully things will start going more smoothly.

In the States, you can register with the National Marrow Donor Program. They are part of the international registry so could donate for someone in another part of the world. When I was a fellow, one of our patients received bone marrow from someone in Germany, someone from our transplant team had to fly there to pick it up.

The NMDP is a great organization and located right here in Minneapolis.

http://bethematch.org

^I am on the registry-- it's easy, just a simple cheek swab, you can do it yourself. Just be sure, if you're already on the registry, that your contact information is up to date! Super important.

Marchantia, I am definitely sending positive, hopeful, healing thoughts your way, especially to your sweet little daughter.

I should update my contact info in the registries I'm in.

Marchantia, my prayers are with you and your family.

Given my history of cancer, I am not allowed to be on any type of donation list. I can't even donate blood.

They go to a lot of trouble to make sure that the donor is treated extremely well, so if anyone is prevented from registering they think it might be too much effort/pain/time/etc, please don't be. I would be on the register now if not for living in the UK during the primetime of BSE/vCJD exposure. In the UK, it's the Anthony Nolan register.

They are particularly on the look out for males (bigger bones = more marrow) and ethnic minorities (better donor match).

Merry Christmas to all of you!
Our daughter had the 2nd chemo and was able to return home for 3 days to celebrate christmas with us.
Her brother and her sisters called it the best present ever (and I think they're right)

Right on! Merry Christmas to you too!

That's a terrific Christmas gift Marchantia. Thank you for sharing that with us.

That is truly great to hear, Marchantia. I hope it's a sign of great things to come.

FYI... sad news oin my family today.

My father-inlaw was taken by cancer. While we didn't know it was happening, he was not in any pain or discomfort until he went in because his stomach was distended and he was having "some pain" in his lower abdomen... Vic had had part of his lung removed 12 years ago, and at the time it was diagnosed that all the cancer was gone... Sunday, the doctor imformmed us that he had cancer in his liver, kidneys, pancreas, gall bladder, stomach, lungs... you get the picture... and that the organs were starting to shut down. The family decided to engage the respite care team to make his last few days comfortable, and at 10AM this morning, he passed on peacefully.

While his active battle with cancer was not long, it is poignant and painful to lose him.

I'm sorry for your loss.

Sorry ulath7. I'm glad to hear you all had the extra twelve years from the earlier scare but I know that doesn't make the loss now any easier.

Sorry for the loss in your family, ulath.

Stinks, ulath. Sorry for you and your family.

My mom had her 6-month check last week. Nothing new growing in there!

That's great news Wordsmythe. Hopefully the start of many more clean checks.

Sorry for your loss ulath7. I lost my mom to thyroid cancer on 09/28/2001. She was only 62. It seems like a single day never passes without me thinking about her at least once.

Terribly sorry for your loss ulath

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That's great Wordsmythe, may she have a long and healthy life of non-recurrence/non-progression ahead.

My sister has melanoma under the fingernail of her pinky. She's probably going to lose that section of her finger. Could be a LOT worse, but her 6 year old daughter isn't taking it well at all.

I'm sorry to hear about your loss, ulath. That's horrible. :/

And sorry to hear about your sister, Grenn. I can understand why her daughter's not taking it well, though. Hell, I wouldn't take it well if it were me.

Haven't shared anything about my dad here in a long time. Over the past year, he's been in Bangkok the entire time. Not the best place in the world to be, but the hospital there has done amazing work.

He had intense rounds of chemotherapy (so much that stomach ulcers nearly killed him) which eradicated tumors in his liver, and did a serious job on the remaining post-op cancer on his pancreas. His goal was to survive for long enough to bring his wife and baby to the US, where they want to live. She's Filipino and not a citizen.

Well, he's made it so far. He's back in Durham NC as of this week. She has just received permanent resident status and is joining him in Durham today. The baby, however, is in the Philippines with her family due to visa issues. It's a crazy situation which I hope gets resolved soon.

Now for the grim part: Cancer-wise he has stomach tumors which will kill him. What's in his pancreas is really of no concern anymore. Right now he has an opening about the size of a straw for nutrients to get through. He's on a liquid diet, and if that opening closes he'll have about a week to ten days before he starves as water will still be absorbed through the stomach. On Monday he's meeting with specialists at Duke to discuss possible procedures which could add on more time - weeks to maybe a couple of months. They'll weigh the options, risks, recovery time, etc and will decide where to go from there.

The strangest thing in all of this is his current health from an overall perspective. He's still mobile, alert, and can drive. Pain from the tumors can get severe; However, he's managing. The doctors at Duke are mystified that he survived through last summer, and that he isn't in a wheelchair right now. He's maintaining his weight (low but stable) very well too.

We all know where things are leading to from a basic perspective, and we've had time to get used to the idea. The time right now is being spent focusing on how to spend what's left. I already hashed out any grievances with dad a year and a half ago before cancer, so there's no baggage there. My brother and I had a long talk with him over coffee and tea yesterday. Suffice to say, everyone appears to be on the same page now for the first time... well... ever. We have no expectations from him, he has none from us, and we've agreed to walk together through what's ahead.

I wish you the best of luck in dealing with all this LouZiffer. Losing a loved one, even when you all are expecting it, is never an easy pill to swallow.

Oh wow, that is some serious treatment to be going through but it's clear he had a purpose and a reason. I'm glad you guys all seem to be reaching a place of peace and completion.

Thank you, guys. We're taking it a day at a time. The toughest parts at present are going to be getting to know a stepmother I've never met (who is younger than me), and a half sister nearly 42 years my junior. Part one of that begins today. Things are... complex.

Yow. Good luck to you and your family, Lou.

good luck Lou... stay positive.

My daughter just started her 5th chemotherapy. This is the one ending with the transplantation. I'm very scared since we saw another 3 year old dying some weeks ago under similar circumstances. We became friends with the parents at the hospital and the death of their child hit us very hard.
My daughter had her ups and downs, she was able to stay at home several times and she enjoyed it so much to play with her brother and sisters. The oldest sister is going to be the donor.