Overview of the coming months

I wanted to give a basic idea of what is ahead, all subject to Anne's reactions and levels of healing and sub-type of AML which will be determined in a few days. Friday, the 26th, will be her last day of this round of chemo. After that, for the next week, the chemo will be in the tissues, doing its work, killing the fastest growing cells. Besides the cancer, the fastest growing cells are the epithelial cells which line the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus. This opens the possibility for painful sores on the inside of her body. Thats the bad news. The good news is that they are the cells which replicate the fastest and will heal in about a week. After that week, they will use a drug that stimulates white blood cell growth, and her body will have already begun making healthy red blood cells and platelets as well. This means that after next week, we will see Anne beginning to rebuild, and to feel better. The leukemia will temporarily be gone. When she passes certain tests, and is feeling strong enough, probably another two weeks, she will go home for one month. During that time, she will go to San Francisco twice a week to be monitored and get transfusions if needed etc.
After that one month at home building, she will return to the hospital. If she has a certain subtype, they will harvest her cells for a future transplant or if it is another type, they will begin typing her brother and looking for an outside donor for a future transplant. She will go into the hospital and repeat this same cycle, staying three or four weeks and coming home again. Another month at home, and then back at it again. After that, the transplant happens, and Anne works to rebuild her immune system for good. Of course, there are always variables, but that is the plan. They said that the transplant time is the trickiest, the body goes through a lot then. The practitioner reminded me that when Anne came in, her blood was 95% leukemia, so she is going to be much stronger when she is due to face more of this next month. I hope this makes sense. I think it is important that we know this, so we all know that we are in it for a good part of the year, and it will take all of our love and support to make this the smoothest possible transition to health and growth for everyone. Angela