Continued Remission

Each day my strength improves.  My appetite is back to about 90% of normal, giving me much of the nutrition I need to continue in my recovery. Our last monthly visit to MD Anderson was April 2 and 3. My blood test results were very good. In addition to the routine blood testing I always have, this was a time to have another bone marrow aspiration. I also had a CT scan performed on my abdomen area due to the need to evaluate my liver, pancreas, gall bladder etc.  No significant issues were revealed in any of the testing. The bone marrow aspiration preliminary results showed my "blast" count was at 2 which is below the level of 4 when the blood cell factory gets out of wack. In other words my count is within the normal range of 0 to 4. My doctor's examination and evaluation was very good and he indicates I am still in complete remission.  Therefore, he approved my continued participation in the drug trial of the "AG-221". I am now in my 7th cycle of this therapy with excellent overall results.

On April 17th I had my mid-cycle blood tests at our local oncology clinic the results of which were very good, again. Virtually every blood count is within normal ranges. A small few indicators are a little low or high but nothing to be concerned about. The major counts, white and red cells and platelets are all within the normal ranges. This means my treatment is working very well. I have even gained back about 10 lbs in the past 6 weeks, a very good thing for me. My energy level is much better now as well. Gone are the days of extreme fatigue, fear of constant infections and bleeding without control. I have not had to have any blood transfusions since early October last year. That is a remarkable indicator since I was having frequent transfusions before then.

All in all I am better than I have been in over a year. While the treatment is not a cure, it is doing wonderful things for my quality of life. We pray for continued remission and even better days to come. Our next (monthly) appointment back at MDA is May 1 for a long day of testing with a doctor's exam.