@loribmt I have at least weekly blood draws. My platelets are the weak spot. They added venetaclox to my Decitabine when they realized that my platelets were causing a big problem. I live close to Stanford Hospital (so lucky) but I get my chemo at my local hospital nearby. My local oncologist is working hand-in-hand with Dr Peter Greenberg at Stanford. My platelets, after an infusion, get as high as 100. Two days later they’re down to 82. Two days after that down to 51. So they are falling fast, and white blood cells are the second worst problem. Before I finish with this round of combo chemo, which is five days in a row, I’m probably going to need another unit of platelets, maybe two, that will make something like six or seven units of platelets since I was diagnosed at the end of June, 2026.

I tried to learn as much as I can about this cancer and the process. As a result, I also keep a close watch on my blood test results. The rest of my body, liver, kidneys, organs, are normal and have stayed normal. I did have a heart attack, a small one, in February 2025 but it’s not causing a problem at all. My Cardiologist told me forget about your heart. You’re fine. Take care of the cancer. So that’s what I’m doing.

I’m told after round three of combo chemo, which will start September 28, then they’ll do another bone marrow biopsy. Not before. My doctor also tells me when I leave the hospital for this round, which is a five day stay, I will continue to take the (oral) venetaclox for a total of 21 days. I understand venetoclax is an inhibitor, so the hopes are that that will help and getting rid of the cancer in a way that bring my blasts down to 0%.

The bone marrow biopsy will tell the final story about whether or not I can go for stem cell transplant.