Lived experience of patients undergoing allogeneic peripheral hematopoietic stem cell transplant

[[abstract]]Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation offers cancer patients hope for a cure. However, during the transplant process, patients experience great discomfort, which has a sustantial impact on their psychological, social, and spiritual well-being and severely affects their quality of life. The objective of this study was to understand the lived experience of patients during the period from 100 days to 1 year after undergoing an allogeneic peripheral hematopoietic stem cell transplant. A phenomenological method proposed by Giorgi, purposive sampling, and in-depth interviews were used. We interviewed 14 patients (9 males, 5 females) in the hematology and oncology outpatient department of a teaching hospital in central Taiwan. Analysis of the interviews revealed 6 themes: interference of symptoms, interruption of important developmental tasks, low self-value, unbreakable shackles, support network, and living in the moment. Although the physical, psychological, and social functions of the participants gradually stabilized during the year after their transplant, several symptoms continued to interfere with their daily lives. They doubted their ability to contribute to their family, worried about their competence to have children, and faced threats of graft rejection, cancer recurrence, and even death. However, by leaning on social supports, thinking positively, and maintaining hope, participants were eventually able to return to normal lives and plan for the future. Health professionals should actively provide transplant patients with relevant information and should assist patients in alleviating physical and psychological pain and in maintaining social contacts and hop