[freedom99]

Hi Janice;
Thanks for your email;
I will give you information as best as I can.
Greg H is in a similar ball park as you are and he has a lot of research sources available.
To sort it all out takes time and that's important for you to take your time and try and sort things out, especially with the stage of MDS you are at.
My Doctor in Windsor gave the offer of a BMT for my wife but indicated that the level she was at and her age presented major risks but more importantly that the BMT would not be the cureall. She said that after the BMT there would be still a dysfunctionality left that would result in the bone marrow starting to act in the same way as before. She said it was like killing weeds. Kill the weeds but they still come back. This could be because of the 5qminus.
Maybe Greg H can enlighten me and the doctor on this.
At the same time I would weigh positively on the side of the doctors who say you are a good candidate for a BMT.
I too was concerned with the Vidazza treatment somehow altering the bone marrow to make it worse. The doctor didn't give me an answer except to say we were running out of options.
Be well informed about the drugs suggested to know the action of the drugs etc.
My wife took Vidazza with no side effects at all but had no effect of the MDS. Although she only took it for 3 months whereas the recommended time is 5-6 months. Then there are some who have such side effects the first week they give up. The doctor says one should work through those first number of treaments.
MDS is an evolving disease making it difficult to anylize, diagnose, treat and understand.
These forums especially this one gives a lot of info pro, con, back and forth, up and down and in the end making us more informed. Being more informed helps us to make decisions.