Question About Mm With Autologous Transplant

Just few weeks before Christmas'04, we found out that our father (69 yrs old) got MM. He started with the treatment right away. After 5 months under medication, his blood test result got better and now he can start the Autologous Transplant (according to his Dr). We had a 1st visit at Stanford Cancer Center yesterday to schedule for the Autologous transplant. Can someone share with me your experience about the Autologus transplant so I can understand and be well prepare prior my father receive the transplant. What kind of support that I need to give and be prepare for my father? What kind of thing that I need to watch out for? Please share with me so I can be prepare to deal with it.
Many thanks for your kindness,
Cindy

Hello, My name is Brenda and my husband has a stem cell transplant last Aug. We were diagnose two years ago. Wow where did the time go. We used my husbands own cells. It was an experience. I let our 15 year old son stay in the room with us as he got the cells. We always tell him everything. We do not hide nothing from him. One thing you need to do is keep a log for your father. I didn't the first time he started the chemo and I would tell him some of the things that happened to him and he didn't believe me. We had a lot of good nurses who told him that I was telling him the truth about some of the things he said and did. When we did the transplant I kept a log and Don was glad I did. They don't remember what all they did. Have a lot of faith in our Lord. He will be there with you. They wouldn't let me stay all night with Don only during the day. I stayed at Hope Lodge. Don mentioned to me one day that after I left he heard someone sitting in my chair that I always sat in and he had someone sitting on the foot of his bed. When he looked at both places nobody was there. I told him it was my grandmother who passed away that same year sitting in my chair and his uncle who raised him also died of cancer well he was sitting on the foot of Dons bed. It made him feel better knowing that there was always some loved one the with him. Another thing that helped my husband when he got upset or was hurting real bad was I would open our Bible up to any page and read to him. I figured the good Lord will show me what to read. We didn't go to church before all this started and we don't go now due to Don's health but I do know that if it wasn't for our Father in Heaven we wouldn't of survived this ordeal. I do wish you luck. You didn't say how old you were? I am 41 and my husband is 48. Just be there for your father. Good luck. Brenda