Here is the plan

We met with Dr Pulsipher today to discuss his plan. He explained that just a few weeks ago he attended a seminar that completely addressed patients who relapse after a bone marrow transplant. There was a new study that they presented. He said the study was only done with 17 people, therefore it wouldn't have normally made it to this seminar to be discussed. But the results they were having were so positive that they spent a great deal discussing it. Out of the 17 patients, 70% went into long term remission (more than 2 years.) He said the technique is not all that different, and the drugs aren't new (which is great because they already know correct dosing and side effects ) the difference is that they used to give people perhaps a little bit of chemo, then another dose of their original donor cells. The problem with that is that the chemo sometimes damaged the new bone marrow, and the new donor cells aren't strong enough to stand up against the leukemia. So in this plan, he takes out the chemo altogether  (ya for no more hair loss!). Instead he immediately took me off all my immune suppressants to see if my new cells could make a dent in the number of leukemic cells. Next (probably this thursday)  I will begin receiving twice a day injections of interferon which will put fighter T cells into my bone marrow (navy seal of immune system). If I am still doing ok after all that then they will give me a dose of my donors cells. Basically they are trying to trigger graft vs host, therefore graft vs leukemia. Yet they want to stop the interferon at the first sign of graft vs host so as not to give me enough that it would become dangerous. The worst part about the interferon is that thee common side effects are feeling like you have the common cold. Fevers, chills, nausea.....So they recommend doing the injections at night and taking a lot of Benadryl! We will probably be doing a lot more bone marrow biopsies to track my progress. Their goal is to do all this outpatient, but just the slightest problem could have me admitted again. If this doesn't work, then he say's basically all they can do is give me low doses of tablet chemo to try and give me some more time. As in months. So that my family and I can go on vacations, and just be together. I really pray it doesn't come down to that. I wouldn't be able to make myself say goodbye.