Sandy, is your Dr. Doing regular PCR tests? If not, he should be. After 6 months on Gleevec, the FISH test is not terribly useful. Be that as it may, 6% is not a bad result, and, depending on the capabilities of the lab that did the test, may even be within the margin of error of the test process. Before Randy ups the Gleevec dose, I suggest that you have 3 PCR tests done a month apart. If the trend is in the right direction and the numbers are good - at least 3 log - then an increased dose is probably not called for.
If you are in a rural area, it may be difficult to find a lab that can do a quality PCR test. However, you can have blood drawn locally and then Fedexed to a lab anywere in the country. Your Dr. can arrange this for you by the simple expedient of writing a prescription order. Just call the lab you want to process your sample and it will give you instructions. I recommend that you use a lab associated with a university medical school or a national cancer hospital. Since I live 100 miles from where I am treated, I do this all the time. It took 18 months after DX for my platelet count to get back into the normal range. After I started on Gleevec, it bounced around 90-120. It is now a steady 145, and I've been on Gleevec 22 months. My Dr. says this pattern is typical and nothing to worry about. A quick test Randy can do himself is to prick his finger with a needle. If it stops bleeding quickly his platelet count is probably high enough to be safe, but if the wound takes a long time to clot, he should probably have the platelets boosted. I was on 400 Gleevec for a year. My PCR hovered around the 3 log mark. My Dr. is one of those that believes in a 5-6 log objective. He increased the dose to 800, but I couldn't handle the side effects, and 2 weeks later, I cut back to 600. For me the side effects are no worse on 600 than 400, so I was able to tolerate the 600 quite well. In 3 months my PCR count dropped to near 6 log which is within the noise level of the test process, in other words, I'm now PCRU and holding. If some of Randy's counts are need treatment, I hope your Dr. is a hematologist/oncologist who is familiar with all the blood remedial treatments. Seems like something new is popping up every week, so you need someone who keeps on top of the technology. Also, the so-called "normal ranges" of blood counts are a bit arbitrary, and, if you are outside of a normal range, it may not necessarily be dangerous. I've had blood tests done in a few places and the so-called "normal ranges" published by each lab often differ, meaning that the rules aren't all that hard and fast. Mike Burwen --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ [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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
