[bety]

Caroline,
I am so happy to hear that your dad is doing so well on aranesp. Initially, my husband was getting 200 mcg every 3 weeks for about 2 years. After that, it was raised to 300. His counts dropped precipitously following a 4 week trial with combined aranesp and neupogen. It dropped further following a couple of weeks of antibiotics. Hopefully, once the drugs get out of his system, he will respond again to the aranesp. Incidentally, pharmaceudical company warns that the hgb should not go above 12 because of the danger of blood clots.
All the best, Bety

[bety]

Dear Neil, I hope you do well on arenesp. My husband responded for close to 3 years but after getting neupogen and antibiotics, his counts dropped precipitously. Initially, he was on 200mcg and it was raised after a couple of years to 300. Aranesp is much more convenient because it requires fewer visits. At first he went every 3 weeks, then recently it has been q2w. He will probably get his first tx in a few days.
All the best, Bety
……………
age 86 dx 7/03 RARS RBC 7, WBC .9, PLTS 98

[bety]

Thank you for your blessings and encouraging remarks. Our hematologist is reputable, scholarly, and keeps up with mds conferences and the literature. He has only a few mds patients; this is not his only focus. Incidentally, he preferred scheduling a tx immediately, but we asked that he postpone it for a few days in case his counts recover after completing the antibiotic treatment. He ephasized that if my husband developed any symptoms, he should come in immediately. We have and appointment this Thursday. Bety

[bety]

Quote:

Originally posted by bety:
At what level are transfusions recommended?

Thank you for your rapid reply. I am not very proficient with the internet. Sorry if I have sent inept messages.
My husband(age 86) has an hgb level of 7.3..it dropped precipitously while on antibiotics. Even at this very low level, he feels well and has no apparent cardiac symptoms. I would prefer he not start tx unless absolutely necessary. He says that for occasional sleepy spells (which
he has had for years), he would not know that he has mds (diagnosed 7/03). Bety

[bety]

Quote:

Originally posted by bety:
At what level are transfusions recommended?

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