Suzanne,
Your signature says that your mother's blasts were at 8% on 6/29 -- is that 2009? I ask because your post says her blasts were at 1% on 7/6/09 and 3% on 7/13/09, both of which are lower than the 6/29 reading. This might indicate that Vidaza is indeed working. The difference between the 7/6 and 7/13 could be the (in)accuracy of the testing or the differences we all have in our blood counts from day to day and week to week. It is not likely that the Neupogen shots caused an increase in blasts.
At the moment, the only commercially available drugs for MDS are Vidaza, Revlimid (most effective for those with the -5q chromosome abnormality), and Dacogen. Vidaza has been shown to have a survival benefit of up to 9 months for high-risk MDS, which includes RAEB-1, while the Dacogen studies show that it is effective but, so far, there is no survival data comparable to Vidaza. This comparative information was presented by Dr. Gail Roboz at the just-held AA&MDSIF Patient & Family Conference in Indianapolis. The handout from her presentation is available for
download from the AA&MDSIF website.
Hope this helps.
Ruth