Hi. My brother (36 yrs) was told on Friday (15.3.13) that he has CML. He has a bone marrow aspriation tomorrow and further opportunity to talk to someone and I will be going with him. He had a blood test as a result of abdominal pain which we now know is due to an enlarged spleen. In his first conversations with staff, they haven't mentioned drugs at all but have gone straight to talking about chemo and bone marrow translplant. He is at GWH in Swindon.
Can anyone tell me why this would be the case when I have read about Imatinib in many places and seems to be the standard first line treatment everywhere. Is this a case of it not being available at that hospital? Could it be because he is in a more advanced stage?
I would like to be pre-armed with the possiblities before we speak to someone. And if anyone is able to recommend questions to ask, I would be very grateful. Lastly, by his own admission he is rubbish at the technical/medical stuff which is why he has asked me to come with him. Is there any way that we can have it noted that I can ask questions on his behalf?
Sorry if you get questions like this all the time.
Katy