Hi Jamie, I am new but I thought that I would give answering some of your questions a try.
If I am wrong on any count please let me know guys! Lowering your WBC count from 19000 to 9000 is good because the move is in the right direction (eg. Down). Depending on the lab your tests are run through, 9000 may be within the normal range (Which is why I thought that my mother-in-law's results must need 000 added to their tails). This means you are probably in hematological remission (WBC is normal). But there are other, finer grades of remission. These include a negative result when visualy screening your WBC for Ph and a negative PCR (very sensitive). Even whilst in remission you should continue to monitor your WBC count reguarly to make sure it isn't rising. You will need to ask your doctor why he wants to raise your Gleevec. My assumption is that he hopes to push you furthur from hematoligical remission right to PCR negative status and that he feels increasing the gleevec will do this. Our hematologist says that my mother-in-law will have to stay on gleevec indefinately, however I think some people who are PCR negative are stopping gleevec to see if they remain in remission. Our hematologist said Gleevec will probably delay, if not prevent the transition into the accelerated/blast stages of the disease. I think it is probably too soon to know how effective gleevec will be in the long term and whether you will ever be taken off it. Our hematologist also said that a BMT is the only known cure for CML. This is a risky proceedure but has the potential to completely get rid of the disease. The younger and healthier you are when you undertake the BMT the better your chances of surviving and of being cured. Waiting untill you have to other choice than a BMT would mean that you were less healthy and so the proceedure would have greater risks. So whether or not to have a BMT and at what stage to have it would have to be decided on a case by case basis. My aunt (who I only met once) had CML for 11 years before she died aged 73. The doctor never even mentioned to possibility of a BMT because he thought she was too old. It is possible that you have had CML all this time. Another option is that you had an infection in 96/97 that caused your WBC count to rise. That your WBC count wasn't looked into baack then implies that they thought it was due to an immune response rather than leukemia. Hope this answers some of your questions. Megan --- In [email protected], [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > Hello To everyone, > I hope all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! > The day after thanksgiving I had gone to my scheduled appointment with Dr > Ostrow, whom lately seems rather crabby. I didnt ask him any questions as I > just > wanted to get out of there. He was supposed to call me later in the eveing > to confirm my sisters HLA blood type results to see if she would be a > possible > future donor for a BMT. When i first started going to Dr Ostrow my WBC were > in the 19,000's and over the past few months have gone down into the 9,000's > which is good correct? My RBC is normal. Does this mean Im in remission? If > so how will I know if I'll stay in range?And why would my doctor want to > raise > the Gleevec from 400 mg to 6-800 mg? Will my Dr eventually take me off the > Gleevec to see if my WBC stay where they need to be? > Also being on Gleevec, will this keep me out of the Accelerated and Blast > phase? Now that my WBC is in the 9,000's would it make any sence to concider > a > BMT?Before my last appointment to sho the 9,000's range my Dr as well as a > second opinion Dr stated a BMT is better to do when young rather than later > in > life, though also said there would be no rush at this time to do a BMT that a > > BMT would be something I needed to do more research on and that they wouldnt > push me into something I wasnt comfortable with. Also even though I was > recently dx with cml. My WBC was in the 26,000's range in 96 or 97, though > when I > went to Dr Ostrow in August this year it was in the 19,000's, 1. Would I > have > had the CML all this time? 2. How could my WBC drop since 96 or 97 not being > on any medication? Sorry for all the questions, Im just rather confused. > > Jamie from NY > Dx August 2005 > Gleevec 400 mg > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Help save the life of a child. Support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. http://us.click.yahoo.com/JrD4fD/lbOLAA/xGEGAA/8zSolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> New! Sign up for local CML support group meetings in your local community at http://cml.meetup.com Apply for Commercial Real Estate loans online and submit your deal to dozens of hungry lenders in just minutes. Loan programs for all types of business and commercial real estate. 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