Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) Support Group
Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), also known as acute myeloid leukemia, is a cancer of the myeloid line of blood cells. Patients with AML usually present with symptoms such as fatigue, bleeding, infection, prompting medical attention. An abnormal blood test reading will then result in further testing in a hospital with a hematologist to determine AML.
Hi,
I am almost a year since receiving chemotherapy and a T-cell depleted bone marrow allograft. I have done very well, but am still bothered by neuropathy in my toes. I had a very dry mouth for a long while (from the total body radiation) and still get a sour taste, especially soon after eating sweets. Has anyone else developed these or other side-effects from their treatments?
I am almost a year since receiving chemotherapy and a T-cell depleted bone marrow allograft. I have done very well, but am still bothered by neuropathy in my toes. I had a very dry mouth for a long while (from the total body radiation) and still get a sour taste, especially soon after eating sweets. Has anyone else developed these or other side-effects from their treatments?
I just had Chemo only but I seem to be experiencing aches in my joints at times. Especially my ankles and knees. I played soccer when I was younger and I wonder if the chemo just aggravated injuries that were already there. I had a lot of bone pain after each of my consolidations as my counts returned, thank goodness that is better. I also went to my ophthalmologist today for my eyes feeling irritated and gritty. She diagnosed me with dry eyes and gave me eye drops for morning and night. They feel so much better, I thought that there was something seriously wrong with them. That is all I have noticed so far, other that my hair returning!
It is hard to know. I have more aches and pains than I used to, but sometimes I wonder whether I am just hypersensitive to everything. I had a remarkably horrible alteration in my sense of taste after all of the treatment, but that has gone away and now I want to DIET!!! My eyes have been dry for 30 years, but I must say that they are no worse than before this all happened. In the hospital, I had to get steroid drops when I was getting one of my chemos (preventative), but other than that, they have been fine. They told me during my chemo and radiation, that my hair would grow back. It has, and I am very happy with it. It looks normal now. At first it was ultra-soft.
I will leave you with a funny hair story. I was waiting in the waiting room at the hospital to see my oncologist in follow-up. A woman was sitting in the waiting room near me and was obviously going to be getting a transplant (unfortunately, I think it was for some metastatic malignancy) and she was talking with a guy who was bald with a fringe. He seemed to be in his 40s and healthy. He was 5 years out from his transplant for AML. The woman asked him if she would grow back her hair after the transplant. He said, with a completely straight face, "only around the sides ... ilike mine." She initially believed him! My daughter, who had come with me to the appointment, and I could not stop laughing. It was almost embarrassing until we were able to control ourselves!
Be good.
Cliff
Thanks so much for the funny story, I really needed the laugh today. You write so well and I could just picture the situation. Loved it! I tend to be more sensitive to things now also. I unfortunately had a bout with shingles last month and at first I was sure it was "Leukemia cutis", I was so scared, I did not even want to go to the doctor. I finally went and she assured me it was shingles and not what I feared. I think AML is so scary because the the presenting symptoms can be so vague. I was just feeling tired and was having some frequent skin infections. If they had not run a CBC just to check , who knows what would of happened. Thanks again for the story. You brighten my day!
Take Care,
Suzanne
We all have good stories, many of which are really funny. The awful parts of our ordeals don't generally come to mind, unless we are in particularly dark moods. I am certain you have some knee-slapping stories to tell as well. What was so funny about the episode that I described, is that both my daughter and I were very nervous as we waited to see the doctor, because I was having a problem maintaining my WBC count without neupogen or neulasta shots. So to have this happen was such a tension breaker that we just exploded in laughter.
I am sorry you had to go through zoster. I had it once several years before I got sick. It was annoying. I am glad that you didn't have a GVD skin issue. I guess I would choose zoster!
It was just pouring here, but the sun will come out today. That's like our lives. I don't look for rainbows, just sunny days.
Be good
Cliff