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Plasmapheresis in Transplantation

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Patient Interview

Doctor Interview

 

An Interview with a Plasmapheresis Patient

 

Below is an interview with a patient suffering from multiple myeloma who was treated with plasmapheresis. We hope that this interview will help answer any questions that potential plasmapheresis patients might have.

 

How old were you when you first had this procedure done?

I was 76.

 

How were you positioned during the procedure? In a chair, flat on your back in a bed…?

I was lying down in my hospital bed, on my back.

 

 

Was this procedure painful?

No, not really. It was just uncomfortable because I couldn’t move for a couple of hours.

 

Did you experience any side effects during the procedure, like numbness in the lips or fingertips or light-headedness or nausea? If so, how long did these symptoms last? 

I was a little dizzy and tired for about an hour or so after the procedure. But while the machine was going I felt fine.

 

Did you experience any improvement? If so, what felt better, and how long after you began the procedure did you experience the improvement?

I felt better as soon as I left the hospital. It made urinating less painful.

 

How many treatments did you have? Over how long of a time period? 

I was in the hospital for five days. They did it once a day. Each time it took about 3 hours or so.

 

Have you had this procedure done again since your first treatment? How long ago was your first treatment?

I only had this treatment done once, and that was a little over a year ago.

 

Did you continue taking your normal medications before and during the plasmapheresis treatment? 

Yes, the nurses would give me all my medications every day.

 

Where was your catheter placed? 

In my inner thigh for the first three days, then in my arm for the last two days.

 

catheter

 

How long after your catheter was inserted did you start plasmapheresis?

Within four hours.

 

How long did it take from the time you were first admitted to the hospital for your doctor to suggest plasmapheresis?

After I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma it took about two weeks for the doctors to tell me that they were going to put me back in the hospital again in a week to start this procedure. So I guess it took about a month from when I was diagnosed for the doctors to give me this procedure.

 

What was the most unpleasant/discomforting part of undergoing this procedure?

Being in the hospital and being nervous about all those bottles of fluids being put into my body.  It was scary. I felt like if I moved something might go wrong with all the blood and fluids going in and out of my body.

in and out

 

Did the procedure make you feel tired? 

I felt a little bit tired because I was not able to move or get out of bed for a couple of hours.

 

Were you able to sleep during this procedure? Was the machine loud?

They gave me this treatment during the early evening, but I did not sleep because I was nervous and didn’t want anything to go wrong.  It was not very loud, but the big machine looked scary to me.

 

Did the benefit you experienced outweigh the possible discomfort of the procedure?

Yes. I know that this treatment saved my life.  All the doctors tell me that almost all of the bad protein/plasma is gone and that I am their star patient.

 

Image Sources:
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/tcid/patientfaq.shtm

http://www.brighamandwomens.org/publicaffairs/publications/DisplayNurse.aspx?articleid=977&issueDate=4/1/2007%2012:00:00%20AM

http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/content/1/1/39/figure/F1

http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/content/1/1/39/figure/F1