[Ruth Cuadra]

Hi, Alex.

Welcome to Marrowforums and congratulations on getting through your BMT. Good counts are the key to it all.

I think that in some respects cGVHD is the price we pay for being here. My GVHD set in about 6 months after my transplant with elevated liver counts, digestive problems, mouth and eye symptoms. I wanted to believe the folks who said it would burn itself out in 3-5 years. After 9 years, my cGVHD is still hanging around in a sort of steady state. I have to side with "it doesn't ever go away." I stopped taking most drugs by the 5-year mark, but I still have mouth and dry-eye problems that don't seem to get better or worse so I just treat the symptoms. After about 6 years, I started to develop problems with muscle cramps that gradually got worse until I had to give in about a year ago and start taking medication for them. No one can really explain these cramps other than to say it is probably GVHD. I feel very lucky that none of my GVHD issues have ever been life-threatening, but they can be plenty annoying.

The best advice for dealing with GVHD is to stay on top of your symptoms and be aggressive in treating any flareups or new symptoms immediately.

Regards,
Ruth