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Old Thu Aug 6, 2015, 07:30 PM
Neil Cuadra Neil Cuadra is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Los Angeles, California
Posts: 2,553
Maura,

The medicine that the doctor referred to might be Revlimid (also called lenalidomide), which is often effective for a subtype of MDS in which part of chromosome 5 is found to be missing. Some people experience unpleasant side effects of Revlimid, including, ironically, low blood counts. There are risks of blood clots, liver issues, and more, but doctors may still recommend it when the risks of going untreated outweigh the risks from the drug. Different people tolerate drugs differently, so you can't predict which symptoms will actually be a problem for a given patient.

However, don't assume this is the treatment you've been told about. Find out. Also ask about your mom's MDS "subtype", her blood count numbers, and for an English explanation of the results of any other tests she had.

If your mom's doctor doesn't have experience with MDS, I suggest finding someone with more expertise for a consultation.

The chances for successful drug treatment will be higher if your mom is in great shape for her age and less if she is living with other serious medical conditions (which is common for someone in their 80s).

Once you have more facts, then you'll have a basis for considering the tradeoffs among treatment choices (or no treatment). That includes considering her quality of life.
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