What to Expect
Your First Visit to the Clinic
You'll likely be coming to our BMT clinic on the advice of another physician, or because a bone marrow transplant is being considered as a treatment option. This is the exploration stage.
We strongly recommend that you bring a friend or immediate family member with you to your initial consultation and expect to spend two to four hours in this initial meeting with our transplant team members. We'll take a complete medical history and perform a physical exam.
- Gather and evaluate your medical information
- Investigate possible risk factors
- Discuss diet and physical conditioning pre-op recommendations
- Provide detailed information about before and after-care
- Meet with the transplant team
- Review all transplant options
Please arrange to have any past medical records delivered to the BMT clinic (for review in advance) that might shed light on your condition. Additional tests may be recommended to gain further insight into your situation. No decisions need be made at this time.
Needed for your first visit:
- Prior medical history specifics
- Physical and exam results
- Operative reports
- Appropriate pathology slides and reports
- Radiation therapy reports
- Radiology films and reports
- X-ray scans
- Laboratory reports
- HLA lab reports
- Chemotherapy records/flow sheets
- Hospital records and discharge orders
- Records from your physician's office
Once testing and evaluation are complete, our transplant team will likely make several recommendations as to your treatment plan. Each will carry certain benefits and risks which must be weighed by you and your medical team.
After the Initial Visit
You'll probably need some time to think things over after learning of the various treatment options. In the meantime, our transplant team will make a preliminary assessment about your eligibility for a transplant and will be available to answer any remaining questions or issues.
Once choosing to go forward with a bone marrow transplant, you'll undergo further outpatient testing to better pinpoint your general physical condition and the current state of your disease.
