We will encourage you to exercise daily and stay out of bed as much as possible. To reduce the duration of low blood counts, you will receive hematopoietic growth factors, which speed engraftment and decrease the risk of infection. You are on an emotional roller coaster because of the changes in your life and that of your family. You will vacillate between hope for cure and fear that every complication may be a potentially fatal set-back. Living with this uncertainty will seem intolerable at times.
People react to stress in many different ways.
Some cry, some keep active physically and mentally, some direct their thoughts and energies to other things, some prefer to sleep all the time. It is important to verbalize your problems and concerns to your physicians, nurses and family members. Do not be afraid to express fear, dissatisfaction or anger. Many patients experience anxiety as they await engraftment. Our BMT Team will try to relieve as much stress and anxiety as possible.