[Tom M]

Hi Dee.....sorry to hear about your dad having MDS. I was diagnosed in Oct 2006 at the age of 54. I had never heard of this disease either, but I did go for a second opinion at a cancer center, and the diagnosed was confirmed.

I did 4 cycles of Vidaza, with no improvement. Actually, my counts dropped considerably with very slow recovery. The next step was to give revlimid a try. At 10 mg a day, after 4 weeks my counts bottomed out and I ended up in the hospital for a few days with a 104F fever. Thirty days later I began revlimid once more a 5mg per day and have been transfusion free for 10 months. I went from 2 pints weekly to transfusion free. I will add that I changed my diet to a more healthy one, removed all alcohol from my diet because I was told that alcohol is toxic to bone marrow, starting taking shark liver oil and epicor daily, and began juicing a lot of veggies, and made sure I conserved my energy by getting plenty of rest.

I tell you this short bio of my disease to let you know that things can get better. What works for one person may not work for another. Vidaza has worked for some, but not for me. Others have not had good luck with revlimid, but for me, it has helped. Then there is iron overload to consider, if one is getting transfused. May sure your dad gets his iron levels checked. There are treatments for iron overload, too.

For me, on a personal note, my greatest change came when I returned to my faith. I offered up my burden to God. He has been my greatest comfort in this difficult time. I live life one day at a time now, and am appreciative of every day I go without a transfusion.