Re:bone marrow failure

[Guest guest]

Marcia,

Dr Furman has given you an excellent reply, I only want you to know I also had marrow failure back in 2005, my marrow was fully infiltrated with lymphocytes and Hb and platelets were only kept with steroids and a very low doses chlorambucil (2 mg.) during that year. By the autum of that year I had seen Prof. Hamblin and we worked out together what to do as I did not want aggressive treatment.

I remember I started treatment with Terry Hamblin in Feb. 2006 and during the 4 previous weeks, my Hb and platelets just plummeted down at a high speed.

I then had 6 mg. of chlorambucil and Rituximab plus Dexamethasome, after four months treatment we had a BMB and the result was 60% marrow infiltration, after I finished the 6 round and all my counts were normal it took 8 months for my marrow to start playing out, I needed platelets to be 100 for cataract surgery and nothing we did made them go up so we had another BMB (Terry Hamblin did it again) and the result was that the marrow was heavily infiltrated again, so then we decided we had no other choice but to try fluradabine, no response on the first round so we added HDMP, after we finished the 6 rounds, it only got me on a partial remission, however after that treatment for the first time my marrow had nodular cells where in the past all my BMB showed diffuse cells.

I had another BMB last Monday to see how my CLL is behaving and see if we continue with Campath and HDMP, as I still got another 8 weeks left of the treatment.

Prednisolone has other consequences, like I had to have cataract surgery on both eyes due to the Prednisolone I had in the past and there is also the problem with thining of the bones so clacium +D3 supplements should be taken all the time to prevent it. I also had what they call moon face and it took a long time to clear, really a long time.

Once I stopped the Prednisolone I had pulses doses of Dexamethasome with my other treatments, and that was better, also the HDMP gets flashed out of the body faster, though any drug has it problems.

regards

Chonette dx 10-02 (aged 57)unmutated, CD38 19%, ZAP70 9%,2004 Prednisolone 8 weeks 50 mg. a day,2005 Prednisolone 8 weeks 50 mg.a day, followed bylow doses chlorambucil (2 mg.),2006 Rituximab and low doses chlorambucil (6 mg. a day 14 days on 14 daysoff) 6 rounds,2007 Low doses Rituximab,2007 Fluradabine Lite, HDMP,. Rituximab 200 mg. monthly (5 rounds)Partial Remission, multiple pea size nodes on neck,Started 16 week Campath/HDMP Protocol in June 2008, to follow SCTCMV activation plus two other infections end week 8th of Campath.Hopitalised for 4 weeks.Having a gap of 2 months for my body to recover before continuing with CampathStem cell transplant still on the cards.