[madubois63]

Your not asking too many questions!! First off, I am NED for BOTH diseases. I don't know if I use the proper terms for the leukemia (there aren't many people to ask). Some people may say I am cured. According to what I've read, after my DNA and blood type switched over (I was a B+ and my donor is an A+. I am now A+ too, and my DNA no longer exists. Under a microscope, I am her), the bone marrow transplant was considered a complete success. If that means "cure," I use it very lightly because I know better being from the BC world and having my luck. Leukemia is cancer of the blood. Blood flows through everything, so I guess it was everywhere...The type and stage of leukemia (mine being Acute Myeloid Leukemia M2) has to do with the genetic changes. My cells were genetically mutated because of the chemo's for BC. The treatment for leukemia is very different than the BC stuff. This stuff kills everything in sight. I had to have platelet and blood transfusions almost every other day for a bit. Anyway, It is given in steps. First step being "Induction." I received cytarabine (ara-C) and daunorubicin... This was given over 7 days in the hospital. I was in the transplant ward/isolation. The chemo completely wipes out your immune system/blood counts. I spent another 3 weeks in the same room (isolated) building my counts back up. The chemo is supposed to kill the leukemia. After a bone marrow biopsy, I was told there was no sign of the leukemia. If there was, I would have needed more "Induction" therapy. I was able to go home for a month, but my house had to be CLEAN (filters, walls, rugs, dog, curtains...), no new plants or animals, I could not go out shopping or in crowds (a matinee movie was okay), no raw foods unless pealed and washed...After a month, I went back in to the hospital for round 2. This consisted of 5 days of continuous chemo (can't remember what it was called). This was to keep the leukemia away. After a few more weeks of isolation, I was able to go home again. Meantime, the search and find of my donor was underway. I had a month home to get ready. I flew to Buffalo (8 hours away from home) for the transplant (my local hospital does not do unrelated transplants yet - you have to earn the right and they are fairly new at it - my doctor is not though). I spent 2 months in buffalo for the transplant - most of that in isolation. I came back in to my leukemia doctors care here (I now see him once a week), and I also see my BC oncologist for staging every 2 months. There was fear that the transplant might kick start the BC again. Don't ask me how or why, I just know I made my mind up it wasn't going to happen. So far so good...