Hi Shelia, Here is my opinion: First, you don't need to be freaking out at this point. Being on Gleevec every other day was not ideal advice from your local onc as you have discovered the hard way. Counts that drop too low have to be managed with 'booster shots' for white and red. Platelets is a different matter. You have been responsive to Gleevec as you FISH shows and that is good. You lost ground by going to the every other day dose but it is coming back. You have only been back on the full dose of Gleevec since the beginning of March. This is enough time for the anc to drop to 500 but not enough time for the platelets to get back to normal or below normal range. They are often the slowest to come down sometimes seeming to still be rising. You do need to be on the proper dose for 3 months to truly access your situation. Give yourself that time to really determine what is going on. Asuming your ANC is managed with the booster and the platelets don't drop too low over time, I predict you will regain your low FISH level and possibly even get to zero and will get further testing done at the PCR level to watch for a deeper response. If your platelets do drop too low over time, then you will need to talk to the Mayo about how best to manage that situation. You may need to drop to 300 mg of Gleevec, you may have platelet transfusions, you may assess using Neumega, a booster for platelets. It wll depend on how low they drop and what else is happening, ie if you are getting to zero. Alternatively, you may consider switching to dasatinib (which is likely to be approved in June) or join a trial for AMN 107 if you can't stay on Gleevec. These would also be choices to consider if in fact your platelets are not being controlled by Gleevec or if you have developed any resistance. There is lots of room to maneuver. There are new things being made available. I have had CML for almost 7 1/2 years and was at 100% Ph+ most of that time, failing one treatment after another. You have already shown responsiveness within 5 months and you are regaining ground as we speak. I have not found a way off the rollercoaster ride but it has its smoother moments and you get better at managing it over time.
Peace and prayers, Christine dx 11/98 Hang in there. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ [CMLHope] A support group of http://cmlhope.com ------------------------------------------------- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CMLHope" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/CMLHope -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
