Quote:
Originally Posted by Hopeful
Hi Alcof,
I was prescribed cyclosporine alone before ATG. My local doctor was hoping that it would put my condition in remission without having to rely on the ATG. It didn't work for me. However, for an older patient, it is a reasonable thing to try since ATG is so hard on the body. In some countries, cyclosporine alone is the only option. The success rate is not as high as ATG, but I think I remember it to be 40%.
Your dad should not be on prednisone prematurely if he has AA. This is only used for the prevention of serum sickness from ATG. It is not a treatment for AA. My inexperienced doctor also tried me on this.
You will get into the rhythm of managing transfusions over time. Make sure to have blood checked early in the week so that transfusions can be scheduled before the weekend, if necessary.
Best of luck to your dad! Hope he gets on the road to recovery quickly! You don't want to delay treatment for AA, once it is diagnosed.
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Thanks for the advice!
Makes sense to hope for a recovery given his age and I guess its always hard waiting. Would have been nice to understand the doctors strategy in advance.
I've found some documents now that recommend waiting for 4-6 weeks to see if there is any recovery. Its been 8 weeks now and haven't seen anything except a general deterioration in strength and constant transfusions...but we're off to see the big city doctor tomorrow and fingers crossed we can get on with trying something new!! And perhaps having a break from the cyclosporine!
Can't wait for some change. Very hard keeping Dad's spirits up when you don't have any news, and no clear path for treatment. Amazing the difference now we have this appointment tomorrow. We all have something to look forward to.