Thread: Response to ATG
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Old Mon Feb 27, 2012, 09:01 AM
marmab marmab is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 67
ATG, continued

Thanks so much Sally and Hopeful, for your replies. I am typing up some questions, based on your input, to ask my hematologist at my appointment with him tomorrow.

In answer to how often I'm getting tx, I'm back to needing plts approx. once a week and PRBCs approx. every 3 weeks. I don't have copies of my CBC from last week, but one from earlier in Feb. shows:
WBC 2.5
RBC 2.46
HGB 7.6
HCT 23
PLTs 13
Creatinine 1.11 (my baseline is .7-.8; since I've been on CsA, it varies between 1.11 and 1.2)
BUN 37 (my baseline is 16-17; it has been in the mid 30s while on CsA)

I usually get tx when my plts are in the teens, and my Hgb is in the 7s. With the counts above, I got one unit of plts, and two of PRBCs. My plts have to be ordered a day in advance because they are HLA matched. Sometimes my hospital has PRBCs in stock, sometimes they have to be ordered too.

Regarding illness and counts, I have had two colds in a row since late Jan. and feel like I haven't completely shaken them, so as you mentioned, this is probably affecting my counts. However, unfortunately, my plts began their decline back in mid-Dec., after a brief response beginning at week 7 post-ATG. They had climbed into the 20s and 30s in Nov., peaking at 42 on one CBC, and then steadily declined, dropping into the teens again in Jan. (week 15 post-ATG). The interval between PRBC tx also seemed to improve a teeny bit back then (maybe 4 weeks btwn. tx rather than 3). Not quite sure if this qualifies as anything resembling a response.

We'll see how it goes at my appt. tomorrow. Thanks again!

Marmab
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Marmab, F65, SAA/hypo MDS dx 7/2011. Tried ATG/CsA, IvIG, Rituxan, prednisone, Promacta -- none of these helped. Transfusion dependent until MUD BMT 7/17/14. Prep. regimen of Campath, Fludarabine & Cytoxan. Doing great. 100% engraftment. No GVHD.
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