[Greg H]

Hey Hopeful!

I like your handle. I should have thought of something catchy.

Thanks for the info on your CSA experience. My reading confirms yours on trisomy 8. Plus I'm HLA-DR15 positive, which is another good sign for that sort of therapy. I tested negative for PNH, though, which seems to be something a lot of h-MDSers have.

My marrow is 40% cellular, down from 50% six months ago. That's technically not quite hypocellular, but, given that your typical MDS person is hypercellular, my transplant doc considers that I'm pretty much h-MDS, which is why I am thinking cyclosporine.

I love my doc, because she is a real go-getter, smart as a whip, and doesn't hold anything back. But she is one impatient woman. She thinks we should see results from CSA in three weeks! So I am glad to hear that more like three months is what your experience indicates. I'd hate to start something and get only side effects and then quit before the benefits kick in.

My primary oncologist is a bit more laid back; I hope to see him in about ten days and talk through all this. Your info really helps.

Keep on hopin'!

Greg