Numbers are in. BCR-ABL number is down from 46% to 27%. So the Sprycel appears to be working to bring my count back under control. It has also been working to lower all of my other blood cells. I found out at my appointment that I have pancytopenia - which in short means that my cell counts (my platelets, my white blood cells, and my red blood cells) are low. What this means practically is that I'm tired, I bruise easily and don't heal well, get short of breath easily, and I'm more susceptible to getting sick. This happens sometimes when leukemic cells are killed off, and the rest of your stem cells are not producing enough healthy cells yet. My oncologist believes that this will regulate itself over time. In the mean time, he is monitoring me more closely, and I have an appointment with him on 04/24 just to make sure that I don't dip into the danger zone, in regards to low blood counts. As of 04/03/15 my platelets are at 69 (supposed to be 140-400), my white blood cells are at 3.8 (supposed to be 3.8-10.8) and my hemoglobin is at 9.8 (should be 11.7-15.5). So I'm low all across the board. He will not be testing my "cancer levels" again at this time.
I've been feeling frustrated with my lack of response and my possible *almost* relapse (when my numbers climbed significantly in January.) I have found a great site for both info and support. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society website lls.org has a ton of valuable information about all types of leukemia and lymphomas, and their CML discussion board is active, informative, and a great resource for anyone looking for information or for anyone that has questions about their diagnosis, their treatment, side effects, or test results.
Current medicine is working. Yay! Cancer levels are going down. Yay! For the time being I'll try to stay focused on the positive.
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