My 78 ear old mother has been in Vidaza for 16 months. It has kept her alive. She has MDS high risk. Very few side effects other than malaise ( and some itchy skin)for about 3 days. She still enjoys life and although her energy level is not what it used to be, she is content with being able to spend time with family and friends, have outings and keep up with her hobbies.
Not to say that this has been an easy time, but given the literature on VIdaza, we were pleasantly surprised with her tolerance for the treatment and the very few side effects. Last May, her oncologist advised us that it appeared that vIdaza was no longer effective so he was planning on putting a stop to the treatment and simply provide supportive care in the form of blood transfusions. ( at that point, she had only had one transfusion in the past year ). Her last treatment was to take place in July but they decided to continue as it looks like it's still helping .... She has had a few transfusions since July, but still not frequent ( relatively speaking of course...) one per 4-5 weeks so far.
She is seeing her oncologist again in October..hoping and praying that they're goign to continue with the treatment.......
Hope this helps. And I am going to keep you in my prayers. Ps. I met another elderly person with the same diagnosis as my mother and he was still doing well after 3+ years of being on Vidaza so that was encouraging. Lastly, according to all my research and my mother's oncologist, it appears there is a lot of research that confirms that 7 consecutive days is the best protocol. Thankfully, we were able to convince the local hospital to provide treatment on the weekend.... And we're in Eastern Canada....perhaps better to be in a small city where everyone knows your name
God bless,
Annette