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Still Kicking

Started by Risen , Jun 24 2015 03:05 PM

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13 replies to this topic

#1 Risen

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LocationMount Pleasant, PA

Posted 24 June 2015 - 03:05 PM

HI everyone, It's been a few months now since I was diagnosed. And I'm honestly doing better than I was before I knew all of this.

I've struggled with depression as long as I can remember, and I'm not out of that neck in the woods yet. But, I'm getting out more, and I'm just generally happier than I was. And I kinda have to thank having CML for that, in a way. It really showed me how much the people around me care, and how to be more thankful for what I have. I've also gotten better at this whole "life" thing, I've grown up alot during this, jumped straight into a 40 hour a week job, I have more friends now than I can ever remember having, I'm eating healthier and losing weight, it's crazy to me really.

I also have to thank you guys because I honestly don't know how I would've made it through the first few weeks without the information and support you provided.

Still working on the weight, but I'm on my way!

photo.JPG 138.12KB 1 downloads

photo 2.JPG 84.43KB 1 downloads

I'm also back with more questions, of course. Lol.

Are tattoo's and piercings alright with CML? I'm very picky about artists and piercers and I'm not the type to get a tattoo in someone's living room so the needles being clean isn't a concern.

I'd like to think I'd never cave in.

A vicious battle I may never win.

And I'd like to think I'll come out stronger.

Life's swinging hard but I'm swinging harder.

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#2 Dona_B

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104 posts

Posted 24 June 2015 - 03:51 PM

Risen,

I can't answer the tattoo/piercing questions. But have to agree about how much easier things are to bear when one has caring people rooting for them. I've done it both ways and have to agree that a support system makes all the difference in the world. Diet and exercise play a big part too.

Anyway, nice to meet you.

DX 1/14; Sprycel 100 Mg, liver toxicity; Sprycel 80 Mg; down to 50 Mg for 5 months. Numbers going up. Back to 80 Mg 10/16 (with 50s slipped in to use up) BCR/ABL: .0047 12/15; .0302 4/16; .0528 8/16; .084 10/16; .045, 1/17 back up on 80 mg Sprycel; .006, 3/17; .016, 7/17; Shingles 8/17

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#3 Trey

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LocationSan Antonio, Texas

Posted 24 June 2015 - 04:50 PM

It is not any more risky for CML patients to get a tattoo than for other folks. The regular risks depend on what the pigments are made of, so ask.

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#4 hannibellemo

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728 posts

LocationNorth Central Iowa

Posted 24 June 2015 - 06:05 PM

So good to hear from you and read about the gratitude you have found and the growth you have experienced because of your unwanted CML dx. Way to go on the weight loss! Post a photo of your tattoo - umm, I think, depending on where it is and what it is!

Pat

"You can't change the direction of the wind but you can adjust your sails."

DX 12/08; Gleevec 400mg; liver toxicity; Sprycel 100mg.; CCyR 4/10; MMR 8/10; Pleural Effusion 2/12; Sprycel 50mg. Maintaining MMR; 2/15 PCRU; 8/16 drifting in and out of undetected like a wave meeting the shore. Retired 12/23/2016! 18 months of PCRU, most recent at Mayo on 7/25/17 was negative at their new sensitivity reporting of 0.003.<p>

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#5 Gail's

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Posted 25 June 2015 - 09:15 AM

Great transformations and so great to hear your shell shock at your diagnosis is turning around. Keep in tough!

Diagnosed 1/15/15
FISH 92%
BMB 9:22 translocation
1/19/15 began 400 mg gleevec
1/22/15 bcr 37.2 IS
2/6/15 bcr 12.5 IS
3/26/15 bcr 10.3 IS
6/29/15 bcr 7.5 IS
9/24/15 bcr 0.8 IS
1/4/16 bcr 0.3 IS
Started 100 mg dasatinib, mutation analysis negative
4/20/16 bcr 0.03 IS
8/8/16 bcr 0.007 IS
12/6/16 bcr 0.002 IS
Lowered dasatinib to 70 mg
4/10/17 bcr 0.001 IS
Lowered dasatinib to 50 mg
7/5/17 bcr 0.004 IS
8/10/17 bcr 0.001. Stopped TKI in prep for September surgery.
9/10/17 bcr 0.006
10/10/17 bcr 0.088

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#6 gerry

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Posted 26 June 2015 - 12:54 AM

One of our members had a large tattoo done and it sent his WBC up a bit, so keep that in mind if your WBC count goes up following the tattoo.

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#7 kat73

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LocationWashington, DC area

Posted 29 June 2015 - 05:33 PM

Great to hear from you, Risen! Sounds to me like you're really sorting things out. This brush with mortality that we share tends to force us to focus on that sorting out process. It requires thinking and feeling. All good. Hang in there. Sounds like you're getting good positive reinforcement for the changes you're making - keep on!

Dx July 2009 on routine physical. WBC 94. Started Gleevec 400 mg Sept 2009. MMR at 2yrs. Side effects (malaise, depression/anxiety, fatigue, nausea, periorbital edema) never improved. Kidney issues developed because of Gleevec. Switched to Sprycel 70 mg in Aug 2011. Above side effects disappeared or improved. Have been MR3.5 - 4.5 ever since. Two untreated pleural effusions followed by one treated by stopping Sprycel Jan 2017. After 9 weeks, PCR showed loss of MMR; re-started Sprycel at 50 mg and in 3 months was back to <0.01% IS. Pleural effusion returned within a couple of months, same as before (moderate, left side only). Stopped Sprycel 50 mg for 12 weeks; pleural effusion resolved. At about a monthoff the drug, PCR was 0.03; at 11 weeks it was 2.06 - lost CCyR? Have returned to 50 mg Sprycel for 3 weeks, intending to reduce to 20 mg going forward.

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#8 CallMeLucky

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LocationCT

Posted 29 June 2015 - 08:36 PM

I would make sure blood counts are normal and stable before getting tattoo, the risk is typically with infection so you want to ensure your counts are normal especially ANC.
Great job on the weight loss.

Date - Lab - Scale - Drug - Dosage MG - PCR

2010/Jul - MSKCC - Non-IS - Gleevec - 400 - 1.2%

2010/Oct - MSKCC - Non-IS - Gleevec - 400 - 0.25%

2010/Dec - MSKCC - Non-IS - Gleevec - 400 - 0.367%

2011/Mar - MSKCC - Non-IS - Gleevec - 400 - 0.0081%

2011/Jun - MSKCC - Non-IS - Gleevec - 400 - 0%

2011/Sep - MSKCC - Non-IS - Gleevec - 400 - 0.00084%

2011/Dec - MSKCC - Non-IS - Gleevec - 400 - 0%

2012/Mar - MSKCC - Non-IS - Gleevec - 400 - 0.004%

2012/Jun - MSKCC - Non-IS - Gleevec - 400 - 0%

2012/Sep - MSKCC - Non-IS - Gleevec - 400 - 0%

2012/Dec - MSKCC - Non-IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2013/Jan - Quest - IS - Sprycel - 50-60-70 - 0%

2013/Mar - Quest - IS - Sprycel - 60-70 - 0%

2013/Apr - CUMC - Non-IS - Sprycel - 50 - 0.036%

2013/May - CUMC - Non-IS - Sprycel - 50 - 0.046%

2013/Jun - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 50 - 0.0239%

2013/Jul - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 70 - 0.0192%

2013/Jul - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 70 - 0.0034%

2013/Oct - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 70 - 0.0054%

2014/Jan - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 70 - 0.0093%

2014/Mar - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0.013%

2014/Apr - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0.0048%

2014/Jul - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2014/Nov - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0.047%

2014/Dec - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2015/Mar - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2015/Jun - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2015/Sep - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2015/Dec - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2016/Mar - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0.0228%

2016/Jun - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2016/Sep - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2016/Dec - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2017/Mar - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2017/Jun - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2017/Sep - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2017/Dec - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

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#9 hannibellemo

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LocationNorth Central Iowa

Posted 30 June 2015 - 06:10 PM

Lucky,

If I were inclined to get a tattoo I would never be able to by your standards, my counts have been on the high end of below normal ever since dx. :unsure:

Pat

"You can't change the direction of the wind but you can adjust your sails."

DX 12/08; Gleevec 400mg; liver toxicity; Sprycel 100mg.; CCyR 4/10; MMR 8/10; Pleural Effusion 2/12; Sprycel 50mg. Maintaining MMR; 2/15 PCRU; 8/16 drifting in and out of undetected like a wave meeting the shore. Retired 12/23/2016! 18 months of PCRU, most recent at Mayo on 7/25/17 was negative at their new sensitivity reporting of 0.003.<p>

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#10 Frogiegirl

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259 posts

Posted 30 June 2015 - 06:32 PM

Way to go RISEN!!!! You look great! Eye opener for sure. ..this diagnosis. Keep it going!

Diagnosed Oct 2013 Started 600mg of Tasigna on Nov 4th. Lowered dose a few months later to 300mg due to side affects stayed here declining PCR until March 2015 small jump from 0.0072 to 0.0083 scarred my doc into full dose of Tasigna again 600mg(been miserable since) but reached PCRU 06/15/2015(next test) and have been there ever since. Hoping to have another little one. I have the support of my doc to go off anytime, just scared to jump. might go two years PCRU but he said it wont make much of a difference. I just figured I could possibly go into a trial while preggers if I got the two years behind me.

Nov 8th 2017 went off Tasigna

Dec 1st PCRU off TKI

Jan 5th PCR Detected .0625

Feb 1st PCR Detected .7815

Added 8-6 grams Curcumin daily in Feb

March 3rd PCR Detected 3.2646 YIKES!

stopped trying for baby after February reading. will start new TKI march 16th 2017 (Sprycel)

FYI I'm not done trying for my last little one.

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#11 CallMeLucky

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LocationCT

Posted 30 June 2015 - 10:05 PM

Lucky,

If I were inclined to get a tattoo I would never be able to by your standards, my counts have been high abnormal ever since dx.

I was really think low counts, higher counts would be less of a concern to me if they were consistent and PCR was low.

Date - Lab - Scale - Drug - Dosage MG - PCR

2010/Jul - MSKCC - Non-IS - Gleevec - 400 - 1.2%

2010/Oct - MSKCC - Non-IS - Gleevec - 400 - 0.25%

2010/Dec - MSKCC - Non-IS - Gleevec - 400 - 0.367%

2011/Mar - MSKCC - Non-IS - Gleevec - 400 - 0.0081%

2011/Jun - MSKCC - Non-IS - Gleevec - 400 - 0%

2011/Sep - MSKCC - Non-IS - Gleevec - 400 - 0.00084%

2011/Dec - MSKCC - Non-IS - Gleevec - 400 - 0%

2012/Mar - MSKCC - Non-IS - Gleevec - 400 - 0.004%

2012/Jun - MSKCC - Non-IS - Gleevec - 400 - 0%

2012/Sep - MSKCC - Non-IS - Gleevec - 400 - 0%

2012/Dec - MSKCC - Non-IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2013/Jan - Quest - IS - Sprycel - 50-60-70 - 0%

2013/Mar - Quest - IS - Sprycel - 60-70 - 0%

2013/Apr - CUMC - Non-IS - Sprycel - 50 - 0.036%

2013/May - CUMC - Non-IS - Sprycel - 50 - 0.046%

2013/Jun - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 50 - 0.0239%

2013/Jul - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 70 - 0.0192%

2013/Jul - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 70 - 0.0034%

2013/Oct - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 70 - 0.0054%

2014/Jan - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 70 - 0.0093%

2014/Mar - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0.013%

2014/Apr - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0.0048%

2014/Jul - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2014/Nov - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0.047%

2014/Dec - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2015/Mar - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2015/Jun - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2015/Sep - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2015/Dec - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2016/Mar - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0.0228%

2016/Jun - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2016/Sep - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2016/Dec - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2017/Mar - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2017/Jun - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2017/Sep - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

2017/Dec - Genoptix - IS - Sprycel - 100 - 0%

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#12 hannibellemo

Advanced Member

Members
728 posts

LocationNorth Central Iowa

Posted 02 July 2015 - 04:51 PM

Lucky,

I didn't phrase that correctly. I've changed my characterization of my counts in my previous post to "high end of below normal".

Pat

"You can't change the direction of the wind but you can adjust your sails."

DX 12/08; Gleevec 400mg; liver toxicity; Sprycel 100mg.; CCyR 4/10; MMR 8/10; Pleural Effusion 2/12; Sprycel 50mg. Maintaining MMR; 2/15 PCRU; 8/16 drifting in and out of undetected like a wave meeting the shore. Retired 12/23/2016! 18 months of PCRU, most recent at Mayo on 7/25/17 was negative at their new sensitivity reporting of 0.003.<p>

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#13 kat73

Advanced Member

Members
884 posts

LocationWashington, DC area

Posted 03 July 2015 - 09:31 AM

hannibellemo - You have a way with words. That's where all my non-CML numbers are, too. But I couldn't help thinking the phrase kinda sums up a metaphorical state of being, too - I've become a sort of "high end of below normal" person after all this! lol

Dx July 2009 on routine physical. WBC 94. Started Gleevec 400 mg Sept 2009. MMR at 2yrs. Side effects (malaise, depression/anxiety, fatigue, nausea, periorbital edema) never improved. Kidney issues developed because of Gleevec. Switched to Sprycel 70 mg in Aug 2011. Above side effects disappeared or improved. Have been MR3.5 - 4.5 ever since. Two untreated pleural effusions followed by one treated by stopping Sprycel Jan 2017. After 9 weeks, PCR showed loss of MMR; re-started Sprycel at 50 mg and in 3 months was back to <0.01% IS. Pleural effusion returned within a couple of months, same as before (moderate, left side only). Stopped Sprycel 50 mg for 12 weeks; pleural effusion resolved. At about a monthoff the drug, PCR was 0.03; at 11 weeks it was 2.06 - lost CCyR? Have returned to 50 mg Sprycel for 3 weeks, intending to reduce to 20 mg going forward.