[Sharon Austermuehle]

They do chemo because MDS can progress to Leukemia. Yes chemo or radiation can be a cause of MDS as well as working or being exposed to benzene. Cigarettes have benzene so even second hand smoke can be a factor. I never smoked or worked in a environment with benzene. My parents smoked and all those years of people smoking in public places could have been a factor, but for me I think it was just bad luck. This link answers the why chemo, it’s from the American cancer society. http://www.cancer.org/cancer/myelodysplasticsyndrome/detailedguide/myelodysplastic-syndromes-treating-chemotherapy
I strongly suggest you ask his doctor questions or call the American Cancer society, they have been a good resource for me through this as well as when my mother had lung cancer.

[Sharon Austermuehle]

I am 60 years old and I had a stem cell transplant on 3/25/2015. I am at day 177. My donor was anonymous, but a 10/10 match. I spent a month in the hospital, had some rough times. Had all my chemo done the first week I was in the hospital. Then subsequent chemo treatments after transplant which ended before I left hospital, so no chemo now. The roughest week was when they gave me ATG which is made from rabbit antibodies. Rabbit antibodies can improve the survival and relapse outcomes of leukemia and myelodysplasia patients receiving a stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor. Got fever and chills but made it through. The next thing was the mouth sores from the chemo. Had a hard time swallowing or eating but the sores went away. The next few months were hard for me. I wasn’t eating, did a lot of vomiting (graft vs host). So I lost way too much weight. Also on a side note my skin turned black. It’s all part of graft vs host. All my skin and I mean all my skin, hands, feet, arms legs, ears, face peeled off and I have new skin. I also have new nails growing on my fingers and toes. I was seeing my doctor once a week. In July had a minor setback. My liver counts were up, so I ended up back in the hospital. They did a liver biopsy but it was just graft vs host. Was on steroids after I got out and my liver counts are back to normal. In fact all my counts are in normal range. Visits to the doctor have decreased too. Getting stronger everyday. It’s important that your doctors monitor your counts and medication. Tell your doctor everything even if you think it’s minor. My doctors and nurses at the University of Illinois Medical Center are outstanding. Contact the Leukemia foundation or the American Cancer Society they can send you information or just talk. They are great, even helped me with insurance questions and financial assistance. For me the transplant was the right course of treatment. Everything is going in a positive direction. Stay strong.

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