Maria,
Thank you for the clarification on consolidations. I guess you will have to
continue to tell the various docs that you are NOT in blast and please review
the records more closely. I understand the "running away" feeling. But that
never works, does it?
My husband in on a 50mg dose once a day. I understand the hating of BMAs. The
last two my hubby had were done by a CML specialist in Ann Arbor, MI, at the
Cancer Center at the University of Michigan. He goes to see this specialist
twice a year, which means a flight from IL to MI, a night's stay in a hotel and
a few needed expenses like food. But the hemotologist/oncologist he was seeing
locally nearly killed him. So we feel the cost is justified.
I digressed from my subject of BMAs. The last two were much more comfortable
than the ones done locally at a general leukemia doc in St Louis. He does so
many of these that he is really accomplished at doing it the least painfully.
How are you feeling now? Are you able to work normally at your job?
Joyce in IL
On Jul 16, 2014, at 10:01 PM, Maria Cashion wrote:
> Dear Joyce:
> Consolidadtions are other chemotherapy treatments. I had 3 after the
> induction for a total of 4. For all 4 I had to stay put in the hospital for
> a month. As I mentioned, they first treated my CML as if it was AML. It was
> really ruff. The othet thing is that I am at a University Hospital (which in
> a way wxplains why so many doctors). Here in Puerto Rico this is the only
> hospital that really treats leaukemia patients...they are a specialized unit.
> but sometimes I feel like running away!!!!
>
> The problem that I have is that my doctors keep making reference to my blast
> crisis and still handle my case as if I was in the middle of one!!! ONly one
> of them, who graduated last year told me that I no ,longer have a problem
> with the blast crisis, that they took me out of it and that it is gone!!!
> Everybody else still clasiffies me as CML/AML which is really not the case.
>
> Now, about Sprycel. is your husband on a once a day or twice a day dose?
>
> I hate bone marrow aspirations :(
>
> Maria :)
>
>
> On Wed, Jul 16, 2014 at 10:47 PM, Joyce Mesnarich <joy...@htc.net> wrote:
> Maria,
> You are truly a miracle! So happy you had success with Sprycel. But these
> meds are very powerful and do cause serious side effects. It is a shame that
> our doctors do not always listen to our concerns. The fact that you had to
> see different doctors during this critical time is unfortunate....but you
> made it through.
> I am going to ask a question which may seem stupid, but I don't know what you
> mean by the term "consolidations". Can you explain that?
> You are questioning the advisability of continuing Sprycel at 70 mg. I would
> think that as long as you have periodic bone marrow aspirations to be sure
> you are not back-sliding, and Sprycel at that dose is not negatively
> affecting you, I would be inclined to stay with it until and if your bad side
> effects return. My husband was allergic to Gleevec and put on Sprycel at 50
> mg. In 4 months he was PCRU (undetectable). He has had some issure, but
> nothing so far that is serious. I think all of those on these TKIs are a
> little on edge wondering what the long term effect of them might be since
> they have only been in use since 2000.
> I hope you continue to do well. God bless and keep you.
> Joyce in IL
>
>
> On Jul 16, 2014, at 7:38 PM, Maria Cashion wrote:
>
>> Hi! My blast crisis was terminal and was behaving as AML. I had high dose
>> chemo and Sprycel. After induction and much praying, my 70-80% blasts went
>> down to zero and have remained as such until now. This happened in 1 month.
>> I had 3 consolidations. Worked Sprycel to 140 mg for a while, but was
>> lowered to 100mg. Right now I remain in complete molecular remission. My
>> doctors consider me a miracle, for I am the first person in blast crisis
>> that they have been able to save. I believe that they learned from what
>> happened with me and have saved others. :)
>>
>> Last January I had a severe reaction to Sprycel. Everything that could go
>> wrong went wrong. Weight gain, edema (all over), heart trouble, thyroid
>> went crazy...I stopped Sprycel for a month and my doctor told me that we had
>> to change medications. Had an additional bone marrow aspiration and biopsy,
>> resulting in complete molecular remission.
>>
>> What is important to note is that Sprycel had been causing problems little
>> by little. I told my doctors about it, but they did nothing until all went
>> crazy. The main problem that I see is that they treat patiensts as if they
>> were all stupid and wont really listen to you.
>>
>> Well, back to the story...After being off Sprycel for a month, everything
>> went back to normal and I lost 37 pounds of water in that short time...Came
>> to the clinic for my next appointment, another doctor was attending, didnt
>> know me or my clinical history (he is a student in hematology/oncology) The
>> main physician had only seen me once while I was on a consolidation at the
>> hospital...She told me that she was really concerned about taking me off
>> Sprycel bcause it had worked so well for me...so I was put back on my
>> regular 100 mg/day Srycecl dose. Slowly, but steadily everything began
>> agai, weight gain, When I went to my clinic appointment early june, I told
>> my doctors. I wanted to have Sprycel withdrawn and change medications as I
>> was told earlier. My hemo/onco, the one that really saved me at first; told
>> me that theres was nothing else other than Sprycel and that ia had three
>> more years..
>>
>> ON the following appointment, luck changed and I had the doctor that first
>> told me that there were other medications available for me. I told her that
>> I wante to try lowering Sprcel to 70 mg daily before changing to another
>> med. The Hema/Onco in charge agreed and told me that if this didnt work,
>> he would change me to Bosulif.
>>
>> I am really feeling better with Sprycel at 70 mg daily, but have concerns as
>> to whether it is a good idea...
>>
>> Maria Cashion
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Jul 15, 2014 at 9:37 PM, 'Marcie Goodman' via CMLHope
>> <cmlhope@googlegroups.com> wrote:
>> Hi Maria:
>>
>> How have you progressed since diagnosis and what meds do you take. I don't
>> believe I've "met" (since we all know each other through the internet)
>> anyone dx'd in blast stage. What an awful fright that must be. I relate to
>> pushing off the symptoms and assuming it's just tiredness because I did the
>> same for over a year.
>>
>> I hope you'll let us know how you are doing and you and your family are in
>> my thoughts and prayers.
>>
>> Marcie
>> Baltimore
>>
>> Sent from my iPad
>>
>> > On Jul 15, 2014, at 8:10 PM, Marty Gartenberg <wa2...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> >
>> > Hi Maria,
>> >
>> > First I am glad to see you posting. You might have seen all of the
>> > people on here welcome you to the group.
>> >
>> > It seems like a lot that you have been through but everything worked
>> > for you and you have your family to take care of. That was probably
>> > the main reason that you did so well. You seem to be a very strong
>> > willed person.
>> >
>> > Most people on here have similiar stories so your not alone, but the
>> > main thing here is that your doing so well.
>> >
>> > I always end any of my posts with two numbers, 1 and 8 which are the
>> > symbol for life.
>> >
>> > 18's to you Maria, and don't be a stranger here we all look forward to
>> > continue hearing from you.
>> >
>> > Marty
>> >
>> >> On Tue, Jul 15, 2014 at 7:14 PM, <mariacash...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> Well guys, here is how it all started, and how I was diagnosed.
>> >>
>> >> I am an anthropologist (physical anthropologist and archeologist), a wife
>> >> and a mother. Of course, I am used to working hard, almost like a slave
>> >> (all mom's are J). I guess about 7 years ago, I started feeling a little
>> >> more tired than usual...I mean, field work is hard, working from 7:30 AM
>> >> until 3:00 PM at construction sites doing archaeological monitoring,
>> >> pickup
>> >> my daughter at 4:00 PM or so and spending the rest of the day with her,
>> >> cooking, waiting for my husband to come home from work. Putting the kid
>> >> to
>> >> sleep at night. Then, I would have to write my reports and if lucky,
>> >> slept
>> >> a couple of hours to start a new day...
>> >>
>> >> Mom can't get sick...I started to feel more tired than usual, heavy night
>> >> sweats, pain in the back, left side just above the waist...Doctors said
>> >> it was
>> >> nothing, probably my imagination...It got to the point that I would come
>> >> home
>> >> exhausted. I couldn't even do house work. I would move the furniture to
>> >> sweep and mop, then I had to sit for half an hour in order to be able to
>> >> put
>> >> everything back in place, Once I had my white blood count high and my
>> >> doctor told me that that only meant that I had an infection...
>> >>
>> >> On December 18th 2011 I had to go to the ER of my nearest hospital.
>> >> After
>> >> examination and testing, xrays, ct, etc, they even considered sending me
>> >> home until the CBC arrived. I was hospitalized just when the x-mass
>> >> season
>> >> was getting good and my 14 year old was on vacation from school. WE had so
>> >> many plans that were never accomplished!!!! Knowing that my daughter was
>> >> suffering my absence was the main factor that gave strength specially
>> >> because not even my family came through. We were and still are just 3, my
>> >> husband, my daughter and I...
>> >>
>> >> I was then transferred from the hospital I was in to a government operated
>> >> hospital area known here in Puerto Rico as CENTRO MEDICO. The HOSPITAL
>> >> UNIVERSITARIO DE ADULTOS has a specialized unit for leukemia patients.
>> >> THEY
>> >> SAVED MY LIFE.
>> >>
>> >> I had my first bone marrow aspiration and biopsy done at the first
>> >> hospital.
>> >> Results were in soon, 2 days or so and results were given to my husband to
>> >> take over to the new hospital. Results were horrible, although at that
>> >> time
>> >> I didn't pay much attention to them. Thank GOD I did not!!! I would have
>> >> given up then and there.
>> >>
>> >> Final Diagnosis:
>> >>
>> >> Comprehensive Assessment: BLAST PHASE OF CHRONIC MYELOGENOUS LEUKEMIA WITH
>> >> T(9,22) AND DELETION OF 9Q.
>> >>
>> >> The patients peripheral blood smear shows markedly increased blasts. The
>> >> bone marrow core biopsy also reveals a large population of blasts;
>> >> including
>> >> 80% of the maroow spaces. The blasts are small to intermediate in size
>> >> with
>> >> high N:C ratio, immature chromatin and a small amount of cytoplasm with
>> >> occasional cytoplasmic granules... the blasts are positive for MPO,CD66,
>> >> LYSOZYME with no significant expression of CD34 AND CD117...
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> PRONOSTICATING RESISTANCE TO TYROSINE INASE INHIBITORS AND UNFAVOURABLE
>> >> PROGNOSIS...
>> >>
>> >> --
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