The process of bone transplant does appear to be a long one. It deals with the planning to the final stage of follow up care. The BMT cost in India stands out to be lowest in the world. When you visit a clinic they do go on to follow certain procedures that are explained below.
- The health care team is going to explain the process of transplant and give answers to all the questions before the process of transplant takes off
- You are going to avail a detailed manual guide on how to prepare for the process of transplant
- Once the treatment begins, the medical team will help your family members in navigating through the process with relative ease
- Once the treatment is over the medical team will be there in providing you with support for the rest of your life.
Initial consultation
For most of the people the process starts off with an initial consultation at the clinic which is going to discuss the possibility of a transplant
- You are going to meet an expert oncologist who specialises in the treatment of blood cancer disorders with stem cell transplantation.
- They are going to view your medical records and make suitable recommendations to your original doctor
Planning
Once the transplant team recommends a transplant you have to organize your personal affairs. You need to plan in a proper way sot that you can devote all your time for recovery.
- Selection of a responsible family member to help you physically coping up with the process. During the course of the procedure you can expect emotional support that contributes to the process of recovery. The care giver needs to be with you for most of the time during this phase of recovery
- Taking caring of all financial arrangements
Preparation
The main aspect of the phase of preparation would be to prepare the donor if it is you or someone else. Then you need to complete all the paper work of the donor
If you are having an allogeneic transplant
- If you have any relatives to donate for you , then they would be subject to testing on how close their cells match with yours
- If there is no donor available then you have to search in the registries
If it appears to be an autologous transplant
- The phase of preparation of the donor would include stem cell stabilization
- The bone marrow will be harvested once you reach the clinic
Conditioning
When both the patient and the donor are ready the doctor would start the process of conditioning. You are going to receive chemotherapy to destroy or weaken the cancer cells.
This would go on to weaken the immune system making you prone to infections. The possibility of side effects cannot be ruled out as well. The medical team is going to reach out to you and help you fight the infections and manage the side effects. At the same time they are going to provide you medicines for help.
Transplant
The process of transplant means infusing cells in your body and this is undertaken through a central venous catheter.
If you are opting for an allogeneic transplant
- Before the transplant is about to take place the donor is going to undergo stem cell mobilization. Then the stem cells will be collected on the day of the transplant
- On the day of harvesting the donor would have to undergo bone marrow harvesting
- From cord blood the stem cells that are taken will be defrosted to prepare for the infusion
If it appears to be an autologous transplant
- Before conditioning the bone marrow would have been harvested
- Once again for infusion they will be deforested
Engraftment
This procedure means that the stem cells that you have gone to receive are growing and at the same time developing. In short the bone marrow along with the immune system is recovering. When you are waiting for this procedure
- You will be closely monitored and treated for any side effects that arise
- The transplant team will provide you with supportive care along with emotional support
- You are going to give blood tests to check out the white blood count which is the first sign of engraftment that starts after 28 days
Recovering after engraftment
Once the procedure is over you will continue to recover as an outpatient. The phase of recovery generally lasts
- When it is the case of allogeneic transplant it is about 3 months
- After an autologous transplant it is about a month
You are going to be subject to blood and clinic tests from a time to time basis. The frequency of the visits is going to be determined based on the condition of the patient. There will be a nurse beside you who are going to assist you during the process of recovery
Long-time recovery
Be it any type of transplant you will be advised a long term programme. This is prepared by the doctor along with medical team considering the recovery stage of the patient. The main purpose of such a recovery is that long term resources are provided to the patient that contributes to their recovery. They are going to provide you with a comprehensive evaluation chart.
You will be advised to get in touch with the team if you face any questions. Generally a manual guide is available that answers all your questions.
This pretty much concludes the procedure of bone marrow transplant. Now coming to the next part of the question where do you want to undertake the procedure. Since this appears to be a complex form of surgery where a lot of after care is involved and a life long commitment in terms of recovery do opt for the best medical team in the business. In this regard India appears to have ticked all the boxes as some of the best medical staff are found here. They are not here to feast on the hard earned money of clients and guide them about the best course of action.