Hi, Stacey.
Welcome to Marrowforums. I had a bone marrow transplant for MDS in 1998 and can tell you that the surest signs of engraftment is the appearance of white cells and a slow but steady rise in your white cell count. My white cells first started to appear on Day +17, which was a few days ahead of the 21 days that were typical at that time. Now I think the average time to engraftment has probably dropped down to 12-14 days. This is partly due to the fact that pre-transplant treatments are less harsh that they used to be.
In the hospital, I couldn't concentrate on anything other than TV. I couldn't read and preferred it as quiet as possible. Light hurt my eyes so I had to keep the room dim and the blinds drawn. During the first couple of months at home, I had only enough energy for the basics like showering, dressing, some minor cooking, and lots of napping. I felt weak and tired but not really sick. Gradually, my energy came back as my blood counts went up and my drug dosages went down.
For 100 days, I had to follow a low bacteria diet that allowed only cooked foods, no fresh fruits or vegetables (except those that could be peeled), and no leftovers or eating out. I think there are many transplant centers now that have relaxed those rules so you should ask for their recommendations about food and diet.
I was lucky that I didn't have any gvh for about 6 months. It showed up gradually in the form of elevated liver counts and digestive problems. It took some changes in medication and a lot of patience to get over the worst of it--about a year altogether--but I continued to regain my strength and stamina during that period.
You can read more about the details of my experience in my
Personal Profile.
There are lots of knowledgeable members here who can help, so feel free to post your questions. When you do, tell us what your original diagnosis was. Did you have a matched donor? How long has it been since your transplant?
Regards,
Ruth Cuadra