The acronym HSCT is a bit of a misnomer. The real power behind the throne is the chemotherapy. The stem cells simply jump starts the rebuilding of the immune system.
As such, people often comment about symptoms resolving with the chemotherapy.
One of my problems of late has been something I think of in the electrical engineering terms of “noise on the line.” For example, to control a robotic servo, you apply varying amounts of voltage to achieve the desired position.
But if that input line had noise on it (a random amount of voltage always being added or subtracted), it would be really hard to maintain a static position. This is the kind of thing that I’ve been feeling lately. Muscle control has been a moving target. Standing has been difficult because I’m never sure how much effort to tell my toes and heels to apply.
It’s not much, but that feeling seems to be resolving. Motor control has been getting easier. I can still feel that my hands are weak, and my legs are weak. But what strength there is there is coming back under my control. Which definitely bodes well for my future. It’s just re-emphasizing the importance of PT.
In general, though, the chemo is certainly not fun. They have been pre-treating me with the anti-nausea medicine, and yet my appetite tends to hide. But my energy is certainly better then some of the other patients.
One day at a time