[ecb220]

My mom had a 10/10 sibling match BMT in January, and by all measures has been doing really well. Her counts are all up and stable-ish (platelets at 100k), energy has been improving, and spirits have been restored. Truly amazing and a miracle after 3+ years of medical issues.

She is (I think) completely off the tacrolimus & sirolimus, and is down to 7.5mg prednisone (aka the "damn steroids" as she likes to call them). She's had mild but steady gastro issues and some skin rash, but no real flair ups of GVHD beyond that.

A week and a half ago she bumped into a curtain rod that was on the ground, and got three cuts on her shins. One in particular is really bad, and her doctor had a skin graft doctor consult with her this weekend. He recommended she get a skin graft on at least two of the cuts, and said of the bad one that the skin is dead and it will not heal if she does nothing. Her transplant doctor is concerned/curious that this is indicative of an underlying issue with GVHD or a reaction to the steroids, and wants to do a skin biopsy first.

So that's where we are right now - wait and see essentially. My mom strongly does not want to get a skin graft - surgery, pain, hospitalization, etc. - but it's unclear if she'll have a choice.

Does anyone have experience with skin graft or other skin issues post BMT that demonstrate like this? Reaction to meds, GVHD, another issue? Any information is appreciated, thanks.