I had a diagnosis of Non Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2001 and had chemotherapy. I had good days and bad days. I was not able to work because I am a nurse and could not be around sick people. I could continue to go to college. I was an LPN going for my RN. After 6 months I returned to work part time and continued my education. I had mouth sores the first round of chemo but learned to pack my mouth with ice for future treatments and all went well. The Autologous Stem Cell Transplant was much worse for me. No one had told me what to expect. They just gave me my odds of survival and told me my choices were "Life or Death". So I did it. It is now 2 years later and I am doing great, By the way, I am 50 now. Receiving my stem cells back was painful in my chest and I vomited immediately. The stem cells come right out of the freezer and are put through a machine to thaw them, but they are extremely cold. The preservative they preserve them in can make a person vomit, but I didn't know it would be that fast. I had a lot of nausea and vomiting and diarrhea for 30 days. I lost 20 pounds at the hospital and 10 more at home. I then got additional sickness at home and lost another 12 pounds. I am all over that now and have gained the weight I wanted to gain. I had a lot of nausea and meds for that. I knew what was going on as it was going on, but after I returned home from the hospital, I had very little memory for what went on there. My husband was there for me as you will be there for your son. He observed a bad rash on my back and brought it to the attention of the doctor and nurses (I was allergic to an antibiotic that they did not notice). My family was there a lot. I don't like to be alone and they were great to be there.Even though I don't remember what I did then, I am very appreciative for them being there when I needed them. I got home and had tons of cards which people had sent to me that I don't even remember receiving, even though my Sister-In-Law read them to me every day! Your son should do well because he is 18 years old. That is a great age to have to have this if you have to have it. It is worse on the patient the older they are. I am thankful I am not any older than I am, but I am going to live a lot longer than I would have. When I returned home, I could only eat very little,like 1/2 bowl of soup OR 1/2 sandwich and it would take me 90 minutes to eat either. I looked awful, I felt awful, I was very weak and needed help. But today I tell my patients that I would do it all again if I needed to. I have too much to live for. I have a great family including but not limited to my Granddaughter to live for and to enjoy. The good thing that comes out of surviving cancer is that I don't take one day or one minute for granted. Your son will learn this lesson very early in life. By the way, I expect they have discussed this with you, but I don't know who you are dealing with. The BMT could very likely eliminate his ability to become a father unless you bank his sperm. Very important!!! I will close now. I would be happy to answer any other questions you may have. Just remember he is young and I expect him to recover very well, but it is not an easy road for anybody.
God Bless You and Your Son :)