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Survivors' Guide for Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplant
What to Expect and How to Get Through It

Outpatient Care Post-Transplant

In the first few months following the transplant, you are likely to visit the outpatient clinic several times a week or, in some cases everyday, for blood draws, physical exams, intermittent blood or platelet transfusions, as well as certain tests such as throat, urine and stool cultures to screen for infections.

Depending on your protocol, you may also undergo periodic x-rays, bone marrow aspirations, lumbar punctures or other procedures. This intensive follow-up care is necessary to monitor your progress and to treat complications should they arise. As the weeks and months progress and your condition stabilizes, your visits will become more infrequent.

Often the first few weeks out of the hospital can be tiring and difficult as well as exhilarating:

I was completely unprepared for how exhausting it was to be out of the hospital. Just going back and forth from my house to the hospital took a tremendous amount of energy. When in addition to that, I tried to organize and remember to take twenty or so pills a day, exercise, monitor and record my temperature, and keep all the hygiene requirements, I was overwhelmed. Getting out of the hospital was the best day of my life. Just being able to breathe fresh air, hug my kids and wife and be at home was incredible.

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