Hi. I have been diagnosed with CML in the last few weeks and am very unclear about how my immune system will be affected. If I get a UTI or chest infection - will I have to go to hospital, or can I just treat with antibiotics at home? Will I be more susceptible to catching illness? I am frightened that my life will now just be one hospital stay after the next.
You are here
Hospitalisation
Categories:
Sorry to hear of your diagnosis. Once you get over the shock (which can take sometime) you’ll begin to realise quite quickly this is a massively treatable and managed condition. A bit like diabetes and not as bad in my opinion. Depending on how advanced your CML is will determine treatment. You’re most likely to be in Chronic phase. Untreated your immune system is compromised but it is a very slow disease initially. Once you start TKI treatment daily (popping a pill) all will rerun to normal and you can consider yourself no different to the general public. You won’t believe that yet or maybe a number of years but you will.
All the best
Al
Anytime. No no quite the opposite actually. The 1st 3-6 months is a little bit like that though. Monthly blood draws at first and then when they stabilise you’ll be on either 3 or 6 monthly tests to make sure response remains which it does for 90-95% of those in Chronic phase.
It’s quite amazing actually how something so so scary at first turns from an angry tiger into a little kitten kept in a cage. Our cage being the TKI.
You’ll be fine.
Al