Time for Treatment

After 3 years of just watching my cancer, my specialist has decided that we should start treatment. I recently had my third BMB.  That stands for bone marrow biopsy, which I would never advise having if you can avoid it.  I find them extremely painful.  Even though my results are the same as the previous 2, we have decided that it is time to start medicine.   When, your doctor hands you five pages of info and potential side effects, you know it’s going to be a fun ride.  

Since there aren’t many treatment options for my cancer, most medicines are to reduce symptoms or help improve blood counts.   There is a slim chance it will slow down my progression. My doctors warned me that this medicine would cause side effects. It has quite a number of physical ones and comes with a black box warning for mental side effects. The side effects can change and evolve throughout my time on it.

Because my progression has been relatively slow, I don’t qualify for most clinical trials. This is great, but it also leaves me limited to what medicines I can use. The 2 primary medicines are actually used off-label. So it is very expensive, and we get to deal with an insurance hassle every few months to get it approved.

Interferon Therapy

Interferons are a naturally occurring protein that your body produces to fight infections. They are why you feel so bad when you are sick, not the cold or flu virus. In addition to certain types of cancer, it was used to treat Hepatitis C (newer medicine is now used). Because my platelets are so high, my doctors feel that starting treatment is the best way to avoid hemorrhage and stroke. The interferon will be a once a week injection that will start to suppress my bone marrow and regulate my blood work.

While my blood counts are quickly improving, my fatigue has turned into exhaustion, and there are dozens of new side effects that will randomly pop up.   I can only hope that the long-term benefits will outweigh some of the quality of life issues.