Please add me to your growing list. To paraphrase Donald Trump, this is the story folks.
Diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia at age 52, just over ten years ago.
During that time I have had four separate Chemotherapy Schedules consisting of four to six “four day” treatments lasting three Months each.
My last Chemotherapy Schedule was in 2014. For the first time in ten years, my Oncologist declared me in Remission.
Of course there was a Caveat. The post Chemo Bone Marrow Biopsy found that I acquired a second Blood Cancer called MDS, Myelodysplastic Syndrome which can lead to Acute Leukemia. Must have been a BOGO Sale and nobody told me.
MDS is linked to the use of certain Chemotherapy Drugs, but the Doctors treating me have theorized that I may have always had it but the extensive CLL involvement in my Bone Marrow may have masked it all these years.
Last Year I got a severe Lung Infection lasting four Months. Apparently my Immune System took a vacation and I acquired Pneumonia, a Staph Infection and a few other icky things. After five different Antibiotic Treatments that accomplished almost nothing and a Lung Biopsy, I ended up receiving Plasma Infusion Therapy which seemed to do the trick.
That was the closest I’ve been to buying the Farm since the adventure began, but I’m still kicking.
You have a good sense of humor, and that’s important. :-) Welcome aboard, although I’m sorry that anyone ever has to be here.
Hi kickass. I’m sorry your suffering with MDS. Hopefully it will not progress to AML. I was diagnosed with AML a year ago. Went thru the induction and consolidations and had a bone marrow transplant. I’m FLT3 so there wasn’t much way around not having the BMT. I would have just kept relapsing.
Have they started you on any chemo - Vidaza? I’m hearing good things about it these days? After my BMT I have continued on a 5 year trial of Sorafenib. Made for kidney/ liver cancer. But inhibits the flt3 gene.
Sorry you are going thru this. Not many know much about acute blood cancers. But, it sounds like you must.