[cathybee1]

I suspect that things have moved so fast in getting your dad treatment that it feels very overwhelming.

It is awesome that they are starting treatment so quickly. For many of us, we have to wait much longer to get treatment started.

Vidaza is a frontline medication for treatment of this disease. Doctors suggested it for my husband. It doesn't mean that the doctors think your dad's MDS is progressing to AML. And Stanford has been recognized by the MDS foundation as a Center of Excellence. So, your dad is in very good hands.

It is a very overwhelming experience to find out a loved one has been diagnosed with a disease that most people have never heard of. It's normal to react emotionally. That being said, you do have time to become more knowledgable about the disease and treatment options available for your dad. One suggestion I would make is to write some of your questions down before you meet with the doctors. There's a lot of information to process right now and I find that writing my husband's and my questions down ahead of time helps make sure neither we don't forget to ask something important.

One thing I learned from these forums is not to worry too much about the daily fluctuations in blood counts. That's easier said that done, I know. Your dad's blood counts will go up and down -- that happens to all of us, we're just not so aware of it as when we're getting blood draws every day. Some changes in the counts are also expected after starting Vidaza. A number of people in the forums have gone through many different kinds of treatments and will be able to tell you better what to expect once the doctors narrow the choices down for your dad.

Hang in there, you will feel a little less crazy as you learn the jargon and what to expect.