[Hopeful]

Hi Scully,

Everyone is different, but I can share with you my experience. I brought my laptop with me (along with a cable lock). It was nice to have it to troll the forum for side effects that I was experiencing as well as to get more knowledgable about bone marrow failure in general.

They gave me some pretty strong narcotics just before administering the ATG which made me pretty loopy for a few hours a day. Also, my platelets and RBCs were pretty low and that effected my mental agility. However, by the third day of ATG, I was feeling pretty good most of the time. My nurse told me it was important to walk everyday (with a mask), so that became part of my routine. I was ready to go home by day 5 or 7, but my doctor kept me for 10 days. He was worried about serum sickness, which I never got severely. I felt [relatively] good once I got home and could function at a pretty normal level - better than before ATG.

As for what to bring... I brought comfortable clothes (sweatpants, short sleeve shirts, a fleece jacket, and lots of changes of pj's as I had terrible night sweats!) Don't forget slippers for your walking adventures. Also, it's nice to have your own pillow from home.

Again, everyone is different. If you get an infection in the hospital, you could be stuck there for a whole lot longer! Also some people have severe reactions to cyclosporine, which could delay your release.

Hope it is not too rough for you!