[milliken2]

Hi Deeno;

I am fairly new to the forum - but have been an RN, BSN for almost 40 years. In my opinion - regarding the premedications - your Mom can always give him a Tylenol before he leaves - that way it is in his system before the Transfusion starts. My husband is on Dacogen - and so far has had 2 five day sessions - he is on Off Week 2. His levels keep dropping. We were told that it takes betwen 4 and 6 sessions to see if the drug works - and the same goes for Vidaza. He gets blood at least once a week. And this week, he will be there twice - got platelets yesterday - and will get 2 units of blood, followed by Desferal (chelating agent to get rid of the excess iron) tomorrow. Our onc/hema transfuses at 8.5 or below. I can really tell the difference in Earl when he gets below that level - he sleeps a lot more, and his appetite drops.
I have always given Earl his injections here. He used to be on Arixtra daily for his blood clotting auto immune disease - Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome - but since the dx of MDS - his platelet levels have been so low, he hasn't had any for almost 5 months now. I would think your Dad would qualify for a home health nurse. That can help in 2 ways - both to give injections (Procrit) but also to draw blood so that he wouldn't have to make the trips to the hospital. Obviously, from what I have read - safety is an issue - and one that should be mentioned when you are talking to his Medicare provider.
Also - if he goes to the same facility for his transfusions - check into a permanent blood band. This will have his ID on it - and blood type. He will still have to be cross matched prior to transfusions to make sure there is nothing in the blood that would cause an adverse reaction or anaphylactic shock. Earl has one, and it makes things go a lot faster.
I wish you luck - but I also agree with the quality of life - and it may be hard to accept what your Father wants - but know he loves you.

Beth