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When I left the hospital 44 days after my transplant, we were allowed to go home, which was 35 miles away. For the first several weeks, I had to go back to the hospital twice a week for blood tests and to check in with the doctor. Gradually, the schedule was reduced to once a week, then every other week, then to once a month. While the drive was not short, we were used to doing it for a couple of years between my initial diagnosis and the point I started the transplant conditioning. I was very tired for the first months post-transplant so I slept in the car a lot and even in the waiting room(s) at the hospital. We were cautioned to come back immediately if I ran a fever, had difficulty breathing, or any other symptom that was out of the ordinary but nothing untoward developed. Keep in mind that all of this happened nearly 20 years ago. I'm aware that protocols have changed and patient care has improved so that people are able to manage on their own farther from the hospital and with less frequent check-ins.
Hope this helps.
Ruth Cuadra
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Diagnosed AA 10/96, MDS/RA 6/98, MUD/BMT 10/6/98
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