You are here

Update on my dad - with a little more info

Hi All,

I'm glad I found this site, even the little snippets of info you all gave me helps give my dad hope. Like today he's been told he'll be admitted to Hammersmith in 2/3 weeks and I could tell him you all said that was a top location!

He's had chemo now for a week, went in with a blood count of 23 last friday, today it is down to 7?!

When does the side effects kick in, he's had it for 7 days. He has been told he can come home for the weekend, then he is back in canterbury for 2 weeks then he will be sent to hammersmith.

This is where it gets hazy! How long will he spend at hammersmith from start to finish for the trasnplant? what are his chances of surviving it, he is nearly 63 but very healthy and fit. The specialist also said the alternative was stronger treatment? is that more chemo or more drugs?

I told him there is only one cure? So how risky is a teansplant vs medication/chemo for the rest of his life?????

Thanks, he's doing well considering

Hi Nick,
just one question - have they already identified a matched donor?

If his white count was only 23? then that is good- can you find out what his blast cell count was? it is the blast cell population that is key here- the lower it is the better.

I am glad he has responded well to initial chemotherapy. Re side effects-it depends on which drug and at what dose they gave him which side effects he will experience if any.
It is really hard to advise without knowing that sort of detail.

I am really pleased that he has been referred to Hammersmith-
CML cannot be controlled in the long run by chemotherapy drugs- only by tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as imatinib (Glivec)or the newer ones like dasatinib (Sprycel) and nilotinib (Tasigna).

Stem cell transplant is the only possible cure- but even then it is possible to relapse. There are a few members on here that have relapsed from transplant and yet continue to respond to the TKI drugs in the long term. So the drugs I mentioned above are in fact life saving therapies and people to respond well for the long term.

As your dad is only 63 and is very fit, he has a very good chance of surviving a transplant. His age will mean that Hammersmith (if they think he needs a transplant) will most likely offer a reduced intensity transplant- which means the chemotherapy will be given at a lower doses and it is not so hard to endure.

I had such a transplant at Hammersmith in 2003 as I had relapsed from treatment with imatinib (Glivec)... seem my diary on the blog page. I had a sibling donor (my brother) and although I would never say transplant is an easy experience, the reduced intensity transplants like I had are certainly much easier to tolerate.

It seems your dad is getting good and realistic treatment- and, as you say, he is doing well.

Best wishes,

Sandy
Sandy

praying for your father's recovery.

__________________________________
Best info about:mastercard prepaid debit card,transfer money abroad,green car insurance.