I feel a bit better about my Dad today. Apparently the medical staff were quite optimistic about the low dose chemo. No, it's NOT as effective as high dose chemo. So most of the time they want people to take high dose chemo. As long as the chemo itself isn't going to kill them.
But the hydroxiarea had started to take my Dad's WBC down, and his platelets today were ok, and the hospital people seemed to think that he might get a remission with the low dose. They told him it would take about four months for them to get a good idea of how it was all working. FOUR MONTHS! That was actually pretty heartening, to hear that they thought he had four months before they'd get an idea how the battle was going.
They seem to think it very possible that the low dose chemo might not just be measured in weeks or months, but that it might be measured in months or maybe even years. It sounds like the low dose chemo doesn't really have a "cut off" date, it sounds like they can give it indefinitely...
It was all a relief. It's hard not to feel so awful about it all, given how bad the last two bouts with leukemia and chemo were. Yes. They were not fun... I'm so glad my Dad can likely be at home, and comfortable, and even doing a few things, maybe for quite awhile yet.
Of course, without a remission, indefinitely would eventually come to an end. And there are no guarantees. At any time my father could end up in hospital with an infection or other health problem. But it sounds like we might have something I really feel like I need right now: TIME. Yaaaaaay for time! Here's to more of it.
That IS very encouraging news!
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