Hi guys
my father has suspected acute myeloid luekemia (It’s definitely luekemia but exact diagnosis will be Wednesday )
they strongly suspect aml though :(
he got badly anaemic and has had three blood transfusions in the past week
here’s my question as his daughter and the closest person to him too ...
how brutal is intensive chemo on the body ?
the dr stated that although it’s likely AML it can be treated and is curable ?
although reading up online the 5 year survival rate for AML was in the 25% bracket ?
so doesn’t seem Too hopeful Really to me :(
how sick is he likely to actually get now ?
Should we prepare mentally for a rapid decline / him passing away ?
I want to stay positive but I also want to prepare myself and family around us too
all advice welcome
stacey
Hi ,
sorry to hear about your father and I can understand that you want answers, I wish I could give you some but the real answer is nobody can be really sure.
If AML is confirmed then there is a lot of information on here we could point you at that will talk about the treatment options and decisions he will probably need to make.
My wife has had two different types of chemotherapy, the list of potential side effects can be quite frightening but most people only get some of them and some worse than others - how will your father do - until people try they can never know. However there are some really good tips on what is good to know, especially triggers for when he need to contact the hospital in case he needs some more support .
It is also worth noting that treatments evolve all the time - for the current 5 year survival rates - that is data from people treated over 5 years ago but even at 25% which side of that coin with your father fall.
What might perhaps help you is to look at our pages on Looking after someone with cancer, to make sure you get the support you need so that you can be the best for you and your father.
<<hugs>>
Steve
