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Originally Posted by Alison
My Dad's cycles of Vidaza had no effect. He went into hospital yesterday for platelets and RBC. The doctor however has chosen to keep him in hospital and is talking of giving him three weeks of Chemo while in hospital? He has just had a bone marrow biopsy (without sedation!). The doctor who did it for him mentioned to him that his bone is "soft". Do any of you know what this means?
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The doctor may have simply been referring to the lack of difficulty of doing the bone marrow biopsy to get a tissue sample. Since the sample is extracted from bone, softer bone would be easier to penetrate during the biopsy procedure. If there's a real concern about bone strength or condition, there are tests for that, but this sounds more like an off-hand comment. I hope that your dad's "soft" bone at least made the procedure less uncomfortable.
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I'm assuming that they have given him the biopsy to track the progression of his MDS (high risk)?
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That's a good assumption, Alison. An initial bone marrow biopsy is usually necessary to diagnose MDS, while further biopsies help track the progress of the disease.
Communicating long-distance is difficult. Also, it's hard for a patient to remember and repeat to their families everything that the doctor says, so I suggest to family members that they arrange to talk to the doctor directly, either by traveling to an appointment with the patient or by telephone, so they can ask their questions directly. As long as the patient gives permission for a family member to talk to the doctor, the doctor probably won't mind.