Quote:
Originally Posted by Neil Cuadra
Judy,
It's surprising to hear of a 90-year-old (even one in otherwise good health) taking Dacogen. Less aggressive treatments are much more common for octogenarians and nonagenarians, for whom quality of life is typically of greatest concern.
From what I've read, a decreased white count (neutropenia) is an expected result of each round of Dacogen, occurring much more often that not. White counts typically get worse in the short term while you wait (and hope) for Dacogen to work after a certain number of cycles. So it makes sense for patients to get Neopogen to maintain their white count. A positive response from Dacogen can take longer than 4 cycles (which I know is a tough test of your patience). So I'm surprised that the doctor would stop Dacogen just because of a side effect that's par for the course.
I suggest asking your dad's doctor straight-out why he recommended Dacogen and why he decided (or agreed) to stop it. If he can't answers questions like those then I can see why you haven't put your trust in him, but perhaps he just needs to understand what information you want.
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Neil, Thanks for your response. The abrupt change in treatment surprised us, too. I think my brother and I need to insist that the doctor answer our questions more completely than he has been willing or able to do.