September 27, 2007

Well it’s been 4 ½ days on the new drug, Dasatinib. There are still pretty fierce side effects so far. Since it takes a week for the study drug to reduce to 50% in my body, generally people will wait 1 ½ to 2 weeks between taking one drug and starting the other. Since I didn’t have the luxury of time, it is like I’m taking both drugs for a week. That produces more toxicity, which produces more side effects. The side effects that are hanging on are severe head ache, bone pain, muscle cramps and fatigue. Hopefully the side effects will resolve themselves as I get used to the Dasatinib and as the study drug level in my body goes down.

Just before the study drug quit working last week, the blast count in my blood was bouncing between 0% and 4%. Five days later, this Monday, the blast count was 24%. Today (just two days later and 4 days after starting Dasatinib) the blast count went back down to 4%. That is great news. The rest of my counts are also getting close to the same numbers as when the leukemia was in control for the past couple of weeks. The bone pain and resolving blood counts are probably indications that the Dasatinib is rapidly kicking the leukemia out of the marrow.

Thanks for your prayers. Many of you have expressed your concern about the facts in my last update. This update is to help you sense the positive turn of events in a very short time frame.

Thanks again for your prayers, thoughts and support.