For the first two to three months after leaving hospital, you will have frequent blood tests to check the numbers of blood cells.

If you have had donated stem cells, you may have to take regular doses of several different drugs. Antibiotics and anti-viral drugs are given to reduce the risks of infection. Drugs which work on the immune system to reduce the risks of graft versus host disease (GvHD) are also given. The doses of all these drugs will be checked regularly. Depending on the results of your blood tests, the dose of your drugs may need to be changed.

If you have had high-dose treatment with stem cell support you may need to take antibiotics and anti-viral drugs for a time when you go home.

Occasionally you may still need to have blood or platelet transfusions. These can usually be given as a day patient.

If you become ill you will need to go back into hospital. It is quite usual to have to go back into hospital once or twice after a transplant - this is not a major setback but it can be very worrying for you.

It is essential that you take great care of your health during this time. There are a number of possible problems that might occur, because your immunity is reduced. Get in touch with your hospital immediately if you have any of the following symptoms:

• feeling ill
• a persistent temperature over 37.5°C (100.5°F) for more than two hours
• infections eg of the skin, mouth, bottom
• skin rashes
• severe diarrhoea
• breathlessness or breathing difficulties (it is particularly important to have these symptoms dealt with quickly).

You should always carry a 24-hour telephone hospital contact number with you. If you are worried, you can ring the hospital at any time of the day or night to speak to someone who understands the treatment you have had. The doctors and nurses on the transplant unit or ward would rather be contacted unnecessarily than risk you becoming ill at home.

If you feel unwell and are unable to contact the hospital, get someone to take you back to the hospital immediately.

Many people will not have any major problems after leaving hospital. However, it is just as well to have a discussion with your doctors before you leave hospital, about what you should do if anything happens that worries you.

By the end of the first year, your immune system will probably have returned to normal, and the bone marrow will be producing blood cells normally. Occasionally this may take a little longer. If you have had high-dose treatment and stem cell support it is unlikely that after a year you will have any of the problems described below.

You should continue to be careful and you will still have regular check-ups, which may include a bone marrow biopsy. You may get infections, such as shingles and chest infections, and if so you will need to go into hospital for treatment. Very occasionally, some people still need blood transfusions, and often your drugs will be continued to reduce the risks of infection and GvHD. You may be advised to carry a Medic alert card in case of an accident.

When you only need occasional blood tests or infusions your central line will be taken out.

You should gradually start to recover your weight and strength, and may be able to go back to work during this time. If you had high-dose treatment with stem cell support you may already have gone back to work.

It is very important to keep in close contact with your doctors and to discuss any problems or worries with them. This can be a difficult time psychologically, as you start to adjust to the outside world again, while still not being sure about your health in the longer term.

You will need to have regular check-ups to make sure that you stay well and that there is no evidence that your cancer has come back. Usually these will take the form of a medical examination, a blood test and possibly x-rays. Eventually, if all stays well, these will become yearly visits. You should be able to go back to a normal way of life, without restrictions.

These check-ups can be frightening. You will probably be anxious about whether the transplant or treatment has worked. It often makes it easier if you take a relative or friend along to support you. The check-ups are a good opportunity to discuss with your doctor any worries or problems you may have.