Hi Colin,
Welcome to the CML club of which you are likely to be a member of for some considerable period of time.Prior to 2002 CML was a fatal condition but now thanks to the benefits of research and drug development it is a treatable condition and for a majority of patients able to be managed and we are told that we should have a normal life span.For most of us it is not yet totally curable but some are able to discontinue treatment once they gain a deep level of remission.There are some veterans on the Forum here that have been on treatment such as imatinib for nearly twenty years ( for me it is fifteen years) and are still doing well.
Some of us found that being diagnosed happened as a coincidence when some other condition was being investigated and because it is a relatively rare condition many GPs have little experience of patients with this condition.I found the first six months after dx to be quite challenging especially after the initial shock following diagnosis.However because imatinib is targeted molecular therapy as opposed to more traditional forms of chemotherapy that the side effects are relatively mild;however there are side effects such as bone and joint pain,tissue swelling ,eye irritation and for some night cramps etc.-but some experience few issues.
You will probably find that Allopurinol will be given to you for only a short period of time and it is used to prevent the development of tumor lysis syndrome which is when a large number of cancer cells die within a short period of time (as a result of you imatinib therapy ) and it can lead to a build up of uric acid and high levels of potassium,phosphates and calcium in the blood which would compromise the function of the kidneys.
The imatinib will be a longer journey where your physician after the bone marrow biopsy will be able to confirm diagnosis and level of leukaemic activity and then look for milestones in the next year or so to establish what progress is being made and from thereon monitoring and maintenance of your remission.
I think that it is good that you have located this site soon after your diagnosis as it is always useful to be able to inform oneself of what is happening on the CML journey-I hope that you find it informative and helpful.
With best wishes,
John
