GCSF injections!

I picked Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Collection basically because it seemed safer than a general anaesthetic and less invasive/scary than needles in your hips. But, this required a 4 day course of injections called Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor (GCSF), which is involved in the stimulation of creating blood stem cells. You have GCSF in your body, they just give you a synthetic version in order to create a very large amount of these cells, and as can be expected with any drug, I had some side effects.


Over 4 days, the worst of the side effects was bone pain and lower back stiffness. It did slightly restrict how fast I could walk and how much I could carry etc, but I wouldn't describe it as painful! I managed to go to an Ed Sheeran concert after my first injection and on a train to London and back on the Saturday. Fatigue did set in on day 3, when I fell asleep in front of the tv!

By day 4 I had received 3 injections and was due to have my 4th in the evening. The only way I can describe the bone pain was that someone had strapped weights to my ankles and thighs! In general, the worst of the side effects were within the first hour after injection or before going to bed and they weren't anything 2 paracetmol couldn't fix!

I could still walk and keep going with what I had planned, but I had taken two days off work just in case. There are some side effects they worn you about possibly happening e.g. flu like symptoms, headaches or injection site pain and bruising - but I had none of this.

Just like everything else, they were brilliantly organised, and you get a text the night before telling you when the nurse, from Healthcare at Home, will arrive.


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Nes i ddewis PBSC oherwydd roedd yn edrych yn llawer haws, di boen ac yn fwy diogel na general anaesthetic a llawdriniaeth. Ond, roedd felly angen cwrs 4 diwrnod o GCSF. Mae GCSF yn foleciwl o fewn y corff sy'n gweithio i greu mwy o gelloedd mêr. Yn ystod y 4 diwrnod, fe ges i 7 dos o GCSF synthetic (Lenograstim) sy'n achosi'r corff i greu llawer mwy o gelloedd mêr cyn y trawsblaniad.

Dros y 4 diwrnod, y sgil effaith gwaethaf oedd poen esgyrn a cefn is. Cafodd effaith ar ba mor gyflym oeddwn yn cerdded a faint oeddwn yn gallu cario, ond nid oedd yn boenus iawn! Nes i fynd i gyngerdd Ed Sheeran ar ôl y dôs cyntaf, ac ar ddiwrnod dau nes i lwyddo mynd i Lundain ac nôl mewn diwrnod.

Ond, fe wnaeth y blinder ddechrau ar ddiwrnod 3, pan nes i syrthio i gysgu o flaen y teledu!

Erbyn diwrnod 4 roeddwn wedi derbyn 3 dôs ac yn cael y 4ydd y noson honno! Yr unig ffordd o ddsigrifio'r teimlad oedd petai rhywun wedi rhoi pwysau ychwanegol ar fy fferau! Yn gyffredinol, roedd y poen, mwy fel bod yn anghyfforddus, yn waeth o fewn yr awr cyntaf wedi GCSF neu yn hwyr y nos! Roeddwn yn dal i allu cerdded a gwneud popeth oeddwn wedi'i gynllunio, ond fe wnes i gymryd 2 ddiwrnod o gwaith rhag ofn!

Fel pob rhan arall, roedd popeth wedi'u drefnu'n ardderchog, gyda neges destun y noson gynt i amcangyfrif amser cyrraedd y nyrs!