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Old Tue Dec 20, 2011, 08:29 AM
Greg H Greg H is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 660
Hey Cheryl!

I'm not going to be much help with first person accounts of BMT over 60. I'm not quite to 60 yet, and I haven't had a transplant.

But, if you haven't found it already, I'd encourage you to read Karen's blog at mausmarrow.com. She had a BMT last year in November at Johns Hopkins at age 57. She kept a pretty detailed journal of the event and her recovery. Plus, like you, she had an RAEB diagnosis. Karen is a marrowforums stalwart, and I know that she'd be happy to chat with you about her experience.

Age is clearly important with BMT. After all, our bodies do lose some resiliency as we age. But, sometimes, I think age is a proxy for something a little harder to measure, namely, comorbidities -- that is, what else you have wrong with you.

If you're the proverbial 64 year old with a 45 year old body who runs 20 miles every morning before breakfast and has a one-hour workout after supper, and has never been ill a day in her life, your numerical age may not mean that much in the context of BMT. If you've spent most of your 64 years on the couch beside a six-pack cooler and a bag of chips, and have acquired diabetes and heart disease in the process, you may have a challenge with BMT.

Are your docs recommending a reduced intensity conditioning regimen?

Take Care!

Greg
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Greg, 59, dx MDS RCMD Int-1 03/10, 8+ & Dup1(q21q31). NIH Campath 11/2010. Non-responder. Tiny telomeres. TERT mutation. Danazol at NIH 12/11. TX independent 7/12. Pancreatitis 4/15. 15% blasts 4/16. DX RAEB-2. Beginning Vidaza to prep for MUD STC. Check out my blog at www.greghankins.com
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