I am newly diagnosed as of December last year, and my MS Nurses gave me the option of a stem cell trial. 50% of the trial will get the stem cell and 50% will get 50 high effect drugs. It is completely random, which one you get, but if you get the drugs and you continue to you have relapses, then you are offered the stem cell transplant. I am meeting with the trial consultant and the person in charge of transfusions next Wednesday morning, and then I will have to have a series of tests such as blood tests, x-rays, lumbar puncture, heart ECG and a lung capacity test. It involves about a month of to-ing and fro-ing to the hospital as an outpatient and a weekend stay, then once I have chemotherapy I will be in hospital for 4-5 weeks. After the chemo and the 4 or 5 weeks isolation in hospital, I can go home and have to go back to the hospital once a week for two months for check ups, blood work etc and be on antibiotics for a year. I’m very scared about the chemo and heartbroken about being away from my husband and kids for a month….but this could be as close to a cure as I’ll get. I’ve told my parents are my best friend and my husband has told his boss, but other than that I’m not telling anyone until the treatment starts because I know people will try and talk me out of it and it is my decision to make. I haven’t officially said yes yet. I think I will say yes next Wednesday once I’ve asked loads more questions because I felt it is an amazing opportunity, it just means potentially that I will be really poorly for two months. I have emetophobia, which is a really severe phobia of vomiting. So chemo is going to be hard, because I’ll probably throw up a lot and I’m sad about potentially losing my hair….but MS is scary too. The future is so unknown. At least this way I can take a bit of control and maybe stop the flare ups in the track before they do too much damage to my body and my mindset. Apologies in advance if I had to come and invent from time to time, I’ve just got no one in my life that I can tell. My friends will try and talk me out of it. My parents are supporting me but they are unhappy about my choice, and my husband is pretty devastated, so I don’t want to put him in it too much pressure. After my first round of tests, if I am deemed healthy enough to have the stem, cell treatment treatment will start in 2 to 3 months. Wish me luck 😂