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As Dan mentioned there aren't really a lot of side effects. I agree with your doc's description in that it isn't like typical chemo. My husband is starting Round 14 next week and only had one very mild episode of nausea and has experienced no hair loss (other than what is normal for a man of 60!). He did have extreme fatigue (but that was his chief complaint anyhow, blasts weren't out of control at 6%). Yes, your numbers will 'tank' when you first start treatment. Dave's whites got as low as 500 and ANC to .1 rather than neupogen we just used extreme caution when preparing foods (avoiding fresh fruits and veggies for a while) and he did not venture anywhere without a mask. Is there a reason why your doc thinks IV would be a better alternative than the shots? Dave gets 2 shots each day for 7 days, and it takes longer to unwrap the syringes than it does for the treatment itself. When he first started treatment he would have labs twice during treatment week and once a week in between. Because he has had such an amazing response to the Vidaza - all counts have been relatively normal for the past 6 months - they only do blood work the first day of treatment. With regard to a BMB, it probably would be a good idea to have one prior to your first round, and then another one 6 months later to see if it is effective. As Dan said it might take you a good 4-6 months before you see any results in your counts. Good luck - hopefully you will have a favorable result with your treatments if you decide to go forward.
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