Autologous BMT

It took weeks for Spencer to recover. His kidneys shut down for a while and they had to monitor his metabolism to make sure it stayed in balance. They would check his blood levels every several hours and add potassium or whatever his body needed until his kidneys started doing it again for themselves. He had a drain in his chest for about a week to absorb excess fluids coming off of the wound site and I imagine he felt like he was hit by a truck. The nicked artery was an accident, but it subjected him to additional suffering that was unnecessary.

It also delayed the start of his bone marrow transplant as the patient has to be in top physical condition to endure the rigors of the procedure. Bone marrow transplant is the "nuclear option" of chemo therapies. Basically, the patient is given massive doses of chemotherapy that force the disease into remission by killing the abnormal cells and in the process also kill the normal cells in the bone marrow where they are made. One concern relating to this procedure is the patients immune system is also wiped out. So each patient is quarantined in a special room, actually a series of special rooms connected by a common corridor where family members scrub in. These areas are off the normal corridor on the east side of 7 east. Everyone who is in this area must wear masks, including the patient and only family members and care givers are allowed in this area.

Once the fresh bone marrow is infused, it moves through the bloodstream and sets up shop in the bone marrow where hopefully it starts producing normal cells. Spencer's bone marrow was autologous. His own marrow was harvested when he was in remission, irradiated to destroy any lingering disease and frozen for use later. Although it is called a transplant, it is not really a surgical procedure.