September 10, 2001
Hi All,
Dave and I were in Boston today for his 18-month checkup (6 months of taking Gleevec). The irony of this visit is that we made the appointment in March after his 1-year checkup, thinking we wouldn't have to go back for 6 months. Little did we know.
Anyway, the doctor is really pleased with how well Dave is doing. Dave's white counts and platelets are all within normal, but his reds continue to drop. The doctor believes Gleevec is causing this. He did another biopsy to look for leukemic (or Philadelphia chromosome) cells. He did two tests with the last biopsy (the one at 3 months), this time he'll do 3 tests. The third is the most in-depth test they do (called a PCR test -- once upon a time I knew what that stood for), looking a 1 million cells. If there's no sign of leukemic cells in that test, the doctor will lower the dose of Gleevec Dave is taking. It looks like he'll continue on his current dosage for at least a couple more months.
One shift in this whole process is that we're no longer doing the monthly blood tests to watch Dave's white counts (it's only been 23 months that we've been watching the whites!!), now we're watching his red counts. If they continue to drop (to 30, they're currently at 31.5, normal is 42-52), he'll prescribe a shot for Dave that helps with the production of red blood cells.
Otherwise, all is well. We'll go back in January -- 4 months this time. I was joking with the nurse today that we judge how well Dave is doing by the length of time between visits. She told me that she often uses Dave as an example to other patients when she's talking with them about the option of a transplant. Good to hear that kind of thing from someone who sees so many patients in various stages of health.
Hope all is well with you. We saw a few leaves trying to change color on our trip back.
Talk to you soon.
Allison