Six down and two more chemos to go.... Eric is coping extremely well with both the Fludarabine and Busulfan chemo drugs. Busulfan is definitely harder and has several side effects for which he is taking additional medications. By the time he takes the anti-nausea meds, the anti-seizure meds, pills to protect his liver and another to protect his kidneys (AND the chemo), he just feels kinda blah....
By Tuesday the days will get longer. As chemo completes, he will have plasmapharesis to help prepare his system for his donor marrow (the plan is to remove his A antibodies as the donor is an A- blood type)He will also start ATG to help prevent or lessen GVHD (Graft vs Host Disease).
As always, positive thoughts and prayers most welcome.
Showing posts with label Busulfan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Busulfan. Show all posts
Sunday, 3 August 2008
Friday, 1 August 2008
Day -6
Eric had his fourth and final infusion of Fludarabine this morning. All is well -- these infusions are fast and he has been fortunate to have no side effects.
Tomorrow he starts the Busulfan as well as several drugs to help counter-act the more serious side effects of this chemo. The Busulfan is given over 3 hours so we will have longer stays in the Day Unit as well.
This week he has also had a chance to meet with the supporting members of the BMT team including the Pharmacist (Harry and Eric have become good friends!), the dietician and the social worker. While meeting with these people, I realized what a blessing it was that we could not proceed to a transplant earlier in the year. During this waiting period, Eric has been able to improve his health, figure out disability insurance and stabilize his finances. Through improved nutrition, he has put on a much needed 25 pounds, then added a few more so that he is entering his SCT with some padding! An Allo transplant is very hard on the body and mind. We are glad that Eric is in good shape to take on this challenge.
Tomorrow he starts the Busulfan as well as several drugs to help counter-act the more serious side effects of this chemo. The Busulfan is given over 3 hours so we will have longer stays in the Day Unit as well.
This week he has also had a chance to meet with the supporting members of the BMT team including the Pharmacist (Harry and Eric have become good friends!), the dietician and the social worker. While meeting with these people, I realized what a blessing it was that we could not proceed to a transplant earlier in the year. During this waiting period, Eric has been able to improve his health, figure out disability insurance and stabilize his finances. Through improved nutrition, he has put on a much needed 25 pounds, then added a few more so that he is entering his SCT with some padding! An Allo transplant is very hard on the body and mind. We are glad that Eric is in good shape to take on this challenge.
Sunday, 27 July 2008
So, What Is Happening?
Over the past couple of months, there has been considerable testing of both Eric and his donor. The BMT team needs to know as much as possible about both so that they can orchestrate the transplant in such a way that Eric's body will accept the new marrow. Fortunately, we have a perfect match. A transplant using a matched unrelated donor is often referred to as a MUD transplant.
Eric is currently healthy -- his Hodgkins Lymphoma is as reduced as the doctor's can possibly tell. Eric's Hodgkins does not present with palpable lumps or any outward signal that it has returned. He has a couple of nodes in his abdomen that enlarge slightly (by millimeters) and then the Hodgkins seems to go right to his bone marrow. So the first indication of further relapse is low blood counts or weight loss. Currently those nodes are stable, his blood counts are high and he is at a great weight. All good signs to proceed to a transplant.
Eric will have what is called a mini or allo-lite or RIC (reduced intensity conditioning) Allogeneic transplant (or if you are googling it -- nonmyeloablative allogeneic stem cell transplant). The reduced intensity conditioning chemo reduces some of the risk around an allo transplant. Allo transplants are seldom utilized for Hodgkins due to this risk. There are no studies to support the suspicion that a mini-allo can exploit the host vs lymphoma effect -- meaning that the engrafted donor's marrow can fight any lingering Hodgkins cells.
No studies, does not mean it is not happening! Obviously, the risk around this procedure precludes random blind trials. What we know is that Eric is an excellent candidate, the match is great and we are working with the best team I could imagine.
Click to enlarge this diagram:
Eric is currently healthy -- his Hodgkins Lymphoma is as reduced as the doctor's can possibly tell. Eric's Hodgkins does not present with palpable lumps or any outward signal that it has returned. He has a couple of nodes in his abdomen that enlarge slightly (by millimeters) and then the Hodgkins seems to go right to his bone marrow. So the first indication of further relapse is low blood counts or weight loss. Currently those nodes are stable, his blood counts are high and he is at a great weight. All good signs to proceed to a transplant.
Eric will have what is called a mini or allo-lite or RIC (reduced intensity conditioning) Allogeneic transplant (or if you are googling it -- nonmyeloablative allogeneic stem cell transplant). The reduced intensity conditioning chemo reduces some of the risk around an allo transplant. Allo transplants are seldom utilized for Hodgkins due to this risk. There are no studies to support the suspicion that a mini-allo can exploit the host vs lymphoma effect -- meaning that the engrafted donor's marrow can fight any lingering Hodgkins cells.
No studies, does not mean it is not happening! Obviously, the risk around this procedure precludes random blind trials. What we know is that Eric is an excellent candidate, the match is great and we are working with the best team I could imagine.
Click to enlarge this diagram:
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