Leukemia

[diane43]

Hi, a friend of mine was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome that went quickly into AML -M2. I think that she had the myelodysplastic syndrome for some time and her doctor was treating her for Fibromyalgia. Anyways she is in a cancer institute and getting the treatment she needs. She has had a few blood transfusions and blood pallets during all these times. My question is, she has had her induction treatment and in her fourth week and now we are told that the doctors have to wait for her blood count to come up before they can do a bone marrow biopsy to see if it has put her in to remission. The nurse said that her blood count is going up and down and I'm not sure if thats good or bad. She is 64 years old, and her mother has also died from cancer. Can you tell me what the outlook is for her? She does not have strong family support, but she does have her church family for support.

God Bless,
diane

[sammiedono]

i really don't know if i'm in the right place....my best friends husband died 7 days ago of a bleeding aneurysm in his brain due to acute leukemia. prior to this evening, he was seemingly healthy and his only complaint before collapsing into a sizure was that he had a headache. i always thought leukemia was a blood cancer. with SYMPTOMS. Paul was only 38 yrs old, full of life and happy. now my friend faces not only a life alone but raising their 7 yr. old daughter without him. Most of all, we would like to understand how a man can be so healthy one day and dead the next. has anyone had simular experiences with this?

[diane43]

Hi Smmiedono,

I have read a lot about AML since my friend has been fighting this. It is a blood cancer, my friend had to be very careful not to cut herself or fall. Her blood is thin and she has to take vitamin k to help clot her blood.
She could also bleed internally. She did have the first induction treatment at Roswell Cancer Center, and was there for 7 weeks and did not go into remission. durring that time she also lost her husband to lung cancer. Because of her age and condition she decided not to weaken herself anymore with treatment. She is now home and she just gets her blood and platelets when she needs them.

Diane43