Why might I have a bone marrow transplant in Kolkata? — You might have a bone marrow transplant to help treat a cancer, such as leukemia or lymphoma, or another medical condition that affects your bone marrow.
Are there different types of bone marrow transplant in Kolkata? — Yes. There are different types of bone marrow transplant, depending on:
- Where the donor cells come from. Donor cells can come from:
- You
- People who are related to you and whose blood matches yours
- People who are not related to you but whose blood matches yours
- Blood that matches yours) from a newborn baby’s umbilical cord
- What treatment you have to prepare your body for the transplant
The right type of bone marrow transplant for you will depend on your cancer, age, other health conditions, and possible donors.
What happens before a bone marrow transplant in Kolkata? — Your doctor will do an exam and tests. He or she will talk with you and your family about what to expect during and after the procedure.
Your doctor will put a thin tube into a blood vessel in your upper chest. This tube, called a “central line,” will stay in place during your hospital stay. Your doctor will use it to give you treatments, as well as take blood for tests.
Your doctor will also need to collect stem cells if the donor cells are coming from you. (If the donor cells are coming from someone else, another doctor will collect those.)
What happens during a bone marrow transplant in Kolkata? — First, your doctor will give you one or both of the following treatments to kill the cells in your bone marrow:
- Chemotherapy — Chemotherapy is the term doctors use to describe a group of medicines that kill cancer cells.
- Radiation therapy — Radiation kills cancer cells.
After this, your doctor will put the donor cells into your body through your central line or another vein. The stem cells will find their way to your bone marrow. There, they can start making normal blood cells.
What happens after a bone marrow transplant in Kolkata? — Most people stay in the hospital for weeks to months after a bone marrow transplant.
Right after a bone marrow transplant, your body has a higher chance than usual of getting an infection. Because of this, you will need to stay in a special hospital room and get certain medicines.
Your doctor might give you other treatments, depending on your symptoms. He or she will also do blood tests each day to check that your bone marrow transplant worked.
Once your bone marrow is working normally and you return home, you will need to see your doctor for regular follow-ups.
What are the side effects of a bone marrow transplant in Kolkata? — The side effects depend on where your donor cells came from, as well as which treatment you have before the transplant.
The most common short-term side effects include:
- Mouth sores and diarrhea
- Nausea and vomiting
- Hair loss (from the head, face, and body)
- Lung, liver, or bone problems
- A condition called “graft versus host disease” (GVHD) — In GVHD, the donor cells can attack organs in your body. This can cause a skin rash, diarrhea, and liver problems. GVHD can only happen in people who get donor cells from someone else.
People can also have long-term side effects that include:
- Trouble getting pregnant — If you want to have a baby in the future, talk with your doctor before your bone marrow transplant.
- Other cancers that can happen years later
- Long-lasting GVHD
