TIGERSDOBOUNCE, DOUBLE WHAMMY, RO10, GRACIEGOLD AOUT MYMOM-Its not lymphoma-Its acute leukemia HELP

susafina said:

Leukemia
JUNE,
First of all take a deep breath. Although the road ahead will be real tough acute leukemia can be cured. I have not been posting for awhile but frequently read everyone posts and have learned so much. But I hear fear in your voice and I just had to say something. Your daughter will be facing chemotherapy for a long period of time. But it all depends which type of leukemia she has. Someone close to me was 6 when diagnosed and now is 23 and remains disease free and barely remembers anything about her experience. It also depends how old your daughter is . More than likely she will probally have a bone marrow transplant in her future. But first her oncologist will determine which treatment she will need. First she will have induction chemo This will be medications to put her in remission then she will have maintence chemo to keep her in remission. June this is a lot to swallow you must first take each moment as it comes. YOu will get through this.At times it will seem impossible but you and your daughter will be successful.
June, remember you must first take care of yourself! You are still healing phiscally and emotionally. When going to the doctor with your daughter take a notebook with you so you can write things down. You will receivwe a lot of information and it is impossible to comprehend everything. Wrie down questions that you or yuor daughte has. Keep a calendar to mark down appointment dates and lab work. Keep a log as to her progress.This all helps to keep some semblance of control. I am so sorry that you have to go through this , but you and your daughter will win this battle and eventually the war. Keep us posted on her progress.
Many Blessings,
SUE

TiggersDoBounce said:

June
Sending hugs and prayers out to you and your daughter....Please tell her we are here to support her and you through this journey. You will be her rock (even though you don't feel like one right now)!

So she now has a diagnosis....this is an important step so she can begin her journey towards recovery...I found this on ask.com

There are two phases of treatment for leukemia. The first phase is called "induction therapy." As the name suggests, during this phase, the main aim of the treatment is to reduce the number of leukemic cells as far as possible and induce a remission in the patient. Once the patient shows no obvious signs of leukemia (no leukemic cells are detected in blood tests and bone marrow biopsies), the patient is said to be in remission. The second phase of treatment is then initiated. This is called continuation or maintenance therapy, and the aim in this case is to kill any remaining cells and to maintain the remission for as long as possible.

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. It is usually the treatment of choice and is used to relieve symptoms and achieve long-term remission of the disease. Generally, combination chemotherapy, in which multiple drugs are used, is more efficient than using a single drug for the treatment. Some drugs may be administered intravenously through a vein in the arm; others may be given by mouth in the form of pills. If the cancer cells have invaded the brain, then chemotherapeutic drugs may be put into the fluid that surrounds the brain through a needle in the brain or back. This is known as intrathecal chemotherapy.

Because leukemia cells can spread to all the organs via the blood stream and the lymph vessels, surgery is not considered an option for treating leukemias.

Radiation therapy, which involves the use of x rays or other high-energy rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors, may be used in some cases. For acute leukemias, the source of radiation is usually outside the body (external radiation therapy). If the leukemic cells have spread to the brain, radiation therapy can be given to the brain.

Bone marrow transplantation is a process in which the patient's diseased bone marrow is replaced with healthy marrow. There are two ways of doing a bone marrow transplant. In an allogeneic bone marrow transplant, healthy marrow is taken from a donor whose tissue is either the same as or very closely resembles the patient's tissues. The donor may be a twin, a brother or sister (sibling), or a person who is not related at all. First, the patient's bone marrow is destroyed with very high doses of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Healthy marrow from the donor is then given to the patient through a needle in a vein to replace the destroyed marrow.

In the second type of bone marrow transplant, called an autologous bone marrow transplant, some of the patient's own marrow is taken out and treated with a combination of anticancer drugs to kill all the abnormal cells. This marrow is then frozen to save it. The marrow remaining in the patient's body is destroyed with high-dose chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The marrow that was frozen is then thawed and given back to the patient through a needle in a vein. This mode of bone marrow transplant is currently being investigated in clinical trials.

Biological therapy or immunotherapy is a mode of treatment in which the body's own immune system is harnessed to fight the cancer. Substances that are routinely made by the immune system (such as growth factors, hormones, and disease-fighting proteins) are either synthetically made in a laboratory or their effectiveness is boosted and they are then put back into the patient's body. This treatment mode is also being investigated in clinical trials all over the country at major cancer centers.

Laurie