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January 17, 2003 -- explanation of some terms Since we still have a long road ahead and many of you have asked how Katie has been feeling and about the chemo she is on, I thought I'd would start a weekly update on her progress, and explain what her treatment is like. 1. Induction- The first phase of Katie's treatment is called "induction". It lasts for 28 days with the hopes that remission would occur by day 28. 2. Remission- There seemed to be some confusion about what "remission" actually means. Although the doctors were not able to detect any leukemia cells at day seven of her treatment, they still need to proceed as if there are still cells present. They only took a small amount of marrow from her hip bone, so there could still be undetectable cells elsewhere. Katie still has to undergo another 2+ years of chemotherapy. 3. Chemotherapy- During the "induction" phase, Katie is getting weekly IV injections of a medication that is causing her to loose her muscle mass, have severe pain in her joints and bones, constant nausea, and loose her hair. She is getting 3 spinal treatments--where they inject another drug into her spine. A monthly injection in her legs. And, twice daily oral anti-leukemic steroids which cause her to swell in her face and belly. 4. Other meds- To help with the side effects of the chemo, we give her morphine for pain as needed, and a bagful of other things to help make her more comfortable. I'll let you know how she's doing after her next trip to the clinic on Wednesday the 22nd (last day in the induction phase). She'll be getting a spinal tap and spinal chemo injection, bone marrow aspiration (pull out some marrow in her hip) and an IV injection of that nasty stuff that's making her feel awful. She then moves onto a phase called "consolidation". This phase focuses on protecting the brain and spine from the spread of any leukemia that may not have been detected. |
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