That is a great pic. We are glad you are back.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 9:25
AM
Subject: [CMLHope] Good test
results!
Hello all, have not posted in a while. I
just returned from a family reunion in Granby, Colorado.
I decided to leave for Colorado a week early and
take a slow drive north, making frequent stops for fishing and
photography. It was a glorious week all by myself in God's
Country! I then picked up my family at Denver Airport and continued on
to Granby for the reunion.
I had my July tests just before I left, and
decided not to inquire about the results until my return. I just wanted
to shut all that off and enjoy my trip.
Anyway, I came home to very good news. My
test results in May showed a heavy drop in my post transplant donor cell
percentage: only 80%. This caused my onc to stop all anti
rejection meds to try to rev up my new auto-immune system. The sudden
stop also increases the risk of severe GVHD.
I showed up for my June test with no outward
signs of GVHD, thinking that I was still shedding off the graft.
Those test results came back 80% donor cells again. The oncs said this
was good news, as the percentage was the same as in June, not less.
July passed with still no outward signs of
GVHD, but the tests at the end of the month were much more
encouraging. I am back up to very close to 100% donor cells and my
BCR-ABL via PCR was down to 0.27 from 1.02. Apparently, stopping
the Prograf helped restore my donor cell count, which means the transplant
could be "taking hold".
Now I am left with a bit of a "champagne
problem". I started back on Gleevec shortly after the transplant because
my bcr-abl number was increasing. I slowly worked my way back up to
800mgs. Now that my donor cell percentage is back up and my bcr-abl is
back down, I have no way of knowing if it is the Gleevec or Graft versus
Leukemia (or both) that is reducing the bcr-abl level. I will discuss
what to do about this with my oncs in Houston on August 23rd.
Best regards, Dane
Here is one of the better shots from my trip,
taken up on Mt. Evans, Colorado at about 14,000ft.
