My WBC went to 2.6 after 2 months on 400mg Gleevec. My Onc was not concerned at that point, but my anc was 1.5. That was my lowest point, and within 5 weeks my WBC was 3.6 and anc 2.1 without additional medications. For Randy's anc to be half what my count was, when we had the same WBC, either his lymphocyte or monocyte counts are probably in the normal range. You might ask the onc about that, and what it might indicate. Anc indicates neutrophil levels, which fight bacteria and fungus in the body, but not viruses. So Randy should be careful to avoid bacterial infection from things such as skin cuts, and wash them thoroughly if they occur, and watch out for any sign of sinus infection. Here is a good link discussing anc: http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=20030
I went from 400 to 600mg in January, and it drove my counts somewhat lower. I now split the dosage morning and evening. It seems to help my counts and reduce side effects. I just had my 6 month post dx BMB last week (waiting for FISH and PCR results, but marrow has returned to "histologically normal"). I believe a 6 month BMB is important to determine progress of the marrow, then after that time studies indicate that those who are in molecular remission can probably rely on blood PCR tests, and only have a BMB if PCR shows loss of molecular remission. There is not universal agreement about that, but that will be my position with my onc at the one year point. I would encourage a 6 month post dx BMB. Sure it hurts, but what else is new for CMLers. --Trey dx Oct 2005 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ [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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
