You have an excellent Onc. If it were me, I would ask Dr O'Brien to do a Gleevec Blood Level Test to see how much Gleevec is getting into the cells while on 800mg. If the blood level is high on the 800mg dosage, then I would ask her to cut the dosage to 400mg and stay there indefinitely, seeing if the PCRU remained and also see if the rash disappears. The 800mg is a high dosage, and possibly more than needed for the long term. The rash could subside on the lower dosage. The holiday would also be an OK idea, and would likely show faster results if the rash is caused by the Gleevec. But there is the opportunity to see if your husband can lower his Gleevec dosage over the long term, which would have benefits regarding side effects and co-payments.
The Gleevec Blood Level Test is free to US patients on Gleevec. Novartis pays for the test: http://gleevecmonitor.com/ Here are some photos of Gleevec rash (and other gross side effects): http://www.cmlsupport.com/cmlphotos.htm --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ [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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
