Hi all.
It's been a while since posting to this Group, so I thought I would give an update on my CML status.
At the beginning of May I celebrated my 11th year in Treatment Free Remission. (TFR)
As a recap I was diagnosed in 2003 and for the first few months I treated myself to Interferon A injections every few days. The side effects were horrible although my WBC was dropping. In December 2003 I was then started on Gleevec, 400mg per day.
I am not sure when I reached PCRU as the test was not available in South Africa until 2005. My first RT-QPCR test came back BCR/ABL undetectable in March 2005 and that has been the case thereafter, with a couple of very low positives at the start of my TFR. I changed labs at that time so I am inclined to think that the results were suspect.
I had a number of side effects while on Gleevec, which disappeared within a few weeks of stopping my medication. Fortunately I had no withdrawl symptoms as little was known about post TFR back in 2009.
I have RT-QPCR tests done 6 monthly, although I have extended that to 12 months on a couple of occasions, but feel more comfortable doing the tests twice a year.
In 2018 I was diagnosed with Colorectal Cancer and underwent a successful operation to remove it. Fortunately the cancer was in stage 2 so a short course of Chemo and Radiation followed. Three monthly tests thereafter all proved negative and my tests have now moved out to 6 months.
I am now 75 years old and was playing Golf twice a week till Covid-19 lockdown put a stop to that in March. We have recently been allowed a 3 hour exercise window daily, so at the moment I do a brisk 3 km walk each morning followed by some physical exercises during the day. Unfortunately my wife has stage 3 Parkerson's Disease which limits her manoeuvrability, so all the daily chores in our home have become my responsibility as well as maintaining our lawns and garden. (Professional Garden Services have been suspended under our lockdown laws)
I am very grateful for the blessings from above and my main complaints at this point in my life is that time is passing too rapidly and that we won't be able to join our children and grandchildren who emigrated to Australia, due to our recent health issues.
Stay well and keep safe during this terrible World Pandemic.
Kind regards