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

Readmission and Setbacks

Returning to the inpatient department of the hospital for treatment posttransplant is very common and is part of the recovery process. Although returning to the hospital or contracting an infection is discouraging, it is important to recognize that recovery is a bumpy road and that many patients experience small complications and may need to be readmitted for short periods to manage symptoms that cannot be safely taken care of in the outpatient department. One patient expressed this as follows:

The idea that I had to go back into the inpatient department was devastating for me at first. But then, after I talked to a former transplant patient who had to go back into the hospital many times, I realized that it was just one of the many steps involved in the recovery process...He made me realize that the recovery process isn’t all smooth going. Sometimes you need to take one step backwards in order to take two steps forward.

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