[mausmish]

I had a similar situation when I was diagnosed 2 years ago. My blasts from the first biopsy were 20% (AML) and from the second 17% (MDS). The label AML vs. MDS is somewhat arbitrary at this stage. Treatment options will most likely be the same. In my case, they started me on Vidaza right away. I was very fortunate to show improvement after only a couple of treatments. It bought me time to contemplate a bone marrow transplant (my husband and I were terrified at the prospect and I had no related donor). About 5 months later, we decided that a transplant was my best, quite possibly my only, hope for long term survival. I had consults at University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins, and Fred Hutchinson Center in Seattle. I opted for Johns Hopkins, just 29 miles from home and had my BMT 11/30/2010. I've done fantastically well and am so happy i had it done. Don't ever lose hope! My husband and I detailed our journey in our blog, linked below. The biggest source of comfort for us were the stories of those who had gone before us that we met here at Marrow Forums, particularly Ruth Cuadra (founder) and users DebbieW (her husband, Mike), Squirrellypoo, Flamingo Jim, and Laura. There are many, many others - too numerous to mention - with lots of wonderful information, encouragment, empathy, and humor. Best of luck to both you and your wife. It is a difficult journey but you are not alone.