Re: Re: New to group- R.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 3/16/2005 11:58:37 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

rrockef1@... writes:

but if not, I want to reassure you that getting an

infection such as this isn't likely to indicate loss of your cytogenetic

and/or hematologic response. It takes quite a lot of progression (or

relapse) of CML for the immune system to be much disrupted; and conversely,

anyone can get pneumonia, especially if they have a history of asthma (which

I'm inferring, with you being on albuteral?).

Thank you for commenting on my post expressing my fears about my

latest setback. That is exactly what I wanted to know, and was going to ask my

ever-elusive oncologist this question today if I could track him down. I

don't have asthma, but since I was so " tightly congested " as my primary doctor

put it, he sent me home with this machine and some albuteral to inhale every 3

hours, along with guafinex with codeine. Finally, today I got up without the

dull pain in my back, and am so glad I made the call not to have the bone

marrow biopsy done yesterday. I cannot imagine it could have been done, one

huge COUGH and the needle would have slipped anyway, haha!

My fears were founded on the fact that someone's son went into the hospital

with the same symptoms I have, and it was there he was found to be in blast

phase and died. And then Marque passed away due to pneumonia complications and

his CML was not stable. I guess my fears are irrational when one would assume

I am still in chronic phase. I just think that going off of Gleevec for as

long as I did surely compromised my remission status. But it is all an unknown

at the moment, for I have had no blood draws since the day I returned from

BZ, and no FISH nor bone marrow results to view.

I will not be surprised if I have lost my remission. Saddened, yes, but by

my own stupidity and unwillingness to continue living with the side effects of

Gleevec. I am glad that you think this would have nothing to do with the

sudden onset of my illness, though.

I was just wondering that if my counts are high, wouldn't it make it harder

for me to heal from this illness quicker? While getting pneumonia would not

indicate loss of remission, would loss of remission make the body weaker and

more prone to infection?

As I said earlier, this will be my 6th bout with pneumonia over 25 years.

Someone mentioned that if the doctors thought this would be life-threatening

then I would be in the hospital, but in two cases of pneumonia that I had

previously, this was not the case. It was only until I was near death that

they

finally admitted me, and then I was hospitalized for 2 weeks.

Can you tell me what the difference is between " walking pneumonia " and

pneumonia? I know that there are viral and bacterial forms of both. Perhaps

that

is why antibiotics would not work in the case of a viral infection. Rather,

the medicine would only " clean up " the by products of the pneumonia, and not

take care of the raging virus.

In any case, if I am not better by tomorrow, I am going to insist on taking

more drastic measures. Is it normal to have pain in your lower back on both

sides when you breath? It feels awfully heavy. Of course I worry, worry,

thinking CML is taking this opportunity to do something sneaky while the body

is trying to fight off this thing. thanks....glad to be here, also. Hope this

group works well for all of us. Oh, by the way, on the plane ride home I sat

with a doctor who did the doctor without border thing...very interesting

stories he had. - Lynne A.

[Guest guest]

Hi Lynne,

Just wanted to say hello and wish you well. Sorry about the pneumonia and the

accompanying stress.

Feel better soon!

Best,

L

Re: [ ] Re: New to group- R.

In a message dated 3/16/2005 11:58:37 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

rrockef1@... writes:

but if not, I want to reassure you that getting an

infection such as this isn't likely to indicate loss of your cytogenetic

and/or hematologic response. It takes quite a lot of progression (or

relapse) of CML for the immune system to be much disrupted; and conversely,

anyone can get pneumonia, especially if they have a history of asthma (which

I'm inferring, with you being on albuteral?).

Thank you for commenting on my post expressing my fears about my

latest setback. That is exactly what I wanted to know, and was going to ask

my

ever-elusive oncologist this question today if I could track him down. I

don't have asthma, but since I was so " tightly congested " as my primary

doctor

put it, he sent me home with this machine and some albuteral to inhale every

3

hours, along with guafinex with codeine. Finally, today I got up without the

dull pain in my back, and am so glad I made the call not to have the bone

marrow biopsy done yesterday. I cannot imagine it could have been done, one

huge COUGH and the needle would have slipped anyway, haha!

My fears were founded on the fact that someone's son went into the hospital

with the same symptoms I have, and it was there he was found to be in blast

phase and died. And then Marque passed away due to pneumonia complications and

his CML was not stable. I guess my fears are irrational when one would assume

I am still in chronic phase. I just think that going off of Gleevec for as

long as I did surely compromised my remission status. But it is all an

unknown

at the moment, for I have had no blood draws since the day I returned from

BZ, and no FISH nor bone marrow results to view.

I will not be surprised if I have lost my remission. Saddened, yes, but by

my own stupidity and unwillingness to continue living with the side effects of

Gleevec. I am glad that you think this would have nothing to do with the

sudden onset of my illness, though.

I was just wondering that if my counts are high, wouldn't it make it harder

for me to heal from this illness quicker? While getting pneumonia would not

indicate loss of remission, would loss of remission make the body weaker and

more prone to infection?

As I said earlier, this will be my 6th bout with pneumonia over 25 years.

Someone mentioned that if the doctors thought this would be life-threatening

then I would be in the hospital, but in two cases of pneumonia that I had

previously, this was not the case. It was only until I was near death that

they

finally admitted me, and then I was hospitalized for 2 weeks.

Can you tell me what the difference is between " walking pneumonia " and

pneumonia? I know that there are viral and bacterial forms of both. Perhaps

that

is why antibiotics would not work in the case of a viral infection. Rather,

the medicine would only " clean up " the by products of the pneumonia, and not

take care of the raging virus.

In any case, if I am not better by tomorrow, I am going to insist on taking

more drastic measures. Is it normal to have pain in your lower back on both

sides when you breath? It feels awfully heavy. Of course I worry, worry,

thinking CML is taking this opportunity to do something sneaky while the body

is trying to fight off this thing. thanks....glad to be here, also. Hope this

group works well for all of us. Oh, by the way, on the plane ride home I sat

with a doctor who did the doctor without border thing...very interesting

stories he had. - Lynne A.