I never thought we'd face this question. Bone marrow transplants sound ominous, but it turns out that our answer was rather easy!
We could continue with the chemo and inhibitor drug for the next three years with the hope that they would prove effective in keeping his cancer in remission. There is no assurance that he would maintain remission, though. The best number that they could provide was "better than 60%." If at any point, Michael was not in remission, he would head to BMT. Looking down the road of the next three years, we learned that he would repeatedly face the same chemotherapies that made his last round of chemo rather rough.
On the other hand, a successful bone marrow transplant may provide a complete cure. Many struggle to find a suitable donor, and having a perfectly matched sibling donor is considered to be a terrific opportunity. The actual transplant and the recovery come with a long list of risks and side effects, but it should all be over in about one year. The year would be unpleasant, somewhat lonely, and full of many little battles, but Michael could resume a "normal" life far sooner.
Michael's initial reaction never changed--BMT. We spent a little more time praying and learning as much as we could. The doctors did not counsel us to make the decision either way. There was a rush to decide, though, because Michael was due to have another bone marrow biopsy. A "remission" result would make him ready for transplant and at a perfect "strong" time to handle the transplant. So, in a short time, we decided to undergo the BMT.
Michael will enter the hospital on Tuesday, Oct 18th. The first week will actually be a final round of chemo with radiation. The radiation is new for him, so we are praying that it will go well. This round is to remove any final cancer cells and prepare some room for new bone marrow. On the 27th, Timothy will have a sedated procedure, much like Michael's biopsies, to harvest his bone marrow. The actual transplant will take place about an hour later and is rather anti-climactic. The marrow will simply be hung in an IV bag and slowly infused. Then begins a long period of waiting for Michael to battle any rejection, to fight possible infection while he is completely susceptible, and to recover to normal white blood cell levels. He may be able to go home as early as 4-6 weeks later. Once home, his new lifestyle will be very protected for a long time.
Even though this seemed like a difficult decision, it ended up being a simple one. To BMT it is!
We could continue with the chemo and inhibitor drug for the next three years with the hope that they would prove effective in keeping his cancer in remission. There is no assurance that he would maintain remission, though. The best number that they could provide was "better than 60%." If at any point, Michael was not in remission, he would head to BMT. Looking down the road of the next three years, we learned that he would repeatedly face the same chemotherapies that made his last round of chemo rather rough.
On the other hand, a successful bone marrow transplant may provide a complete cure. Many struggle to find a suitable donor, and having a perfectly matched sibling donor is considered to be a terrific opportunity. The actual transplant and the recovery come with a long list of risks and side effects, but it should all be over in about one year. The year would be unpleasant, somewhat lonely, and full of many little battles, but Michael could resume a "normal" life far sooner.
Michael's initial reaction never changed--BMT. We spent a little more time praying and learning as much as we could. The doctors did not counsel us to make the decision either way. There was a rush to decide, though, because Michael was due to have another bone marrow biopsy. A "remission" result would make him ready for transplant and at a perfect "strong" time to handle the transplant. So, in a short time, we decided to undergo the BMT.
Michael will enter the hospital on Tuesday, Oct 18th. The first week will actually be a final round of chemo with radiation. The radiation is new for him, so we are praying that it will go well. This round is to remove any final cancer cells and prepare some room for new bone marrow. On the 27th, Timothy will have a sedated procedure, much like Michael's biopsies, to harvest his bone marrow. The actual transplant will take place about an hour later and is rather anti-climactic. The marrow will simply be hung in an IV bag and slowly infused. Then begins a long period of waiting for Michael to battle any rejection, to fight possible infection while he is completely susceptible, and to recover to normal white blood cell levels. He may be able to go home as early as 4-6 weeks later. Once home, his new lifestyle will be very protected for a long time.
Even though this seemed like a difficult decision, it ended up being a simple one. To BMT it is!
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