Hi, my husband has been diagnosed with Acute Myloid Leukemia. It was picked up at a&e on 11th Feb. He is now in intensive care as there are issues with his kidneys, triggered by his first Chemo. I'm so frightened for him. There is so much I don't know.
Hi Sealy and welcome to this corner of the Community although I am always sorry to see you joining us and to hear about your husband’s AML diagnosis.
I am Mike and I keep an eye on our various Blood Cancer groups.
I don’t have Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) but for some context I was diagnosed way back in 1999 at 43 with a rare (8 in a million) incurable but treatable type of Non Hodgkins Lymphoma ……. eventually reaching Stage 4a in late 2013 when a second, also rare (4 in a million) type of aggressive Non Hodgkins Lymphoma was presenting so although my Blood Cancer ‘type’ is different I most definitely appreciate the challenges of this journey rather well.
There is often reactions to initial chemo….. as it’s a balance as to how much the body can take, so a stay in intensive care or critical care often happens so let’s see him out of there and back on track for treatment.
In the early days there is a lot to learn and understand so let’s look for group members to pick up on your post and get back to you.
You can also click on the main ‘AML Group’ title and this will bring up all the group posts. Have a look at the posts and as always you can hit reply to any post and connect in with the wider group conversations.
You may find it helpful to call the Macmillan Support Line open 8am-8pm (timings may differ across services) 7 days a week on 0808 808 00 00. This service provides cancer information, practical information, emotional support, benefits/financial guidance or just a listening ear.
For good information do check out Leukaemia Care UK who produce very good information and run various support platforms including their Buddy Scheme, they also have a Support Line on 08088 010 444
We also have our general Carers only support group as this is a safe place to talk with other caregivers about the practical and emotional challenges of supporting your husband and indeed yourself.
You may also want to check to see if you have a Maggie's Centre in your area as these folks are amazing and most centres do run monthly Heamatology Support Groups and the one I attend does have a few people with AML in it so worth checking.
Always around to help more or just to chat ((hugs))
There is certainly a balance as to how many people you can deal with when you are the person in the bed….. although your support is very important so I made sure that my wife Fiona was well looked after especially during my 2 Stem Cell Transplants…… it’s a complicated story (LINK)
We live in Inverness but my Stem Cell Transplant unit was way down in Glasgow so a 7-8hr round trip drive so Fiona had to move down with me and stayed in a little room next to the unit….. 4 weeks for my first SCT then 7 weeks for my second SCT although the first 3 weeks we were out in a hotel.
So we were hours away from family and friends but I did ensure that a few of our very close friends and obviously our family did the trip just to ensure that Fiona go out of the Unit.
((Hugs))
