[Chirley]

Hi, my haemotologist says he wants to start me on Revlimid. He told me to look it up on the net and next time I see him he will answer any questions that I have. He said that it has a lot of potential side effects which he will discuss with me before starting treatment.

I understand that one of the most troublesome side effects is neutropenia. I already have neutrophils which vary between 0.5 and 1.00. I also have lymphocytes which don't go above 0.5.

Does anyone have any personal experience with Revlimid? I am particularly interested in hearing from anyone who already had a low neutrophil count before starting treatment.

I'm looking forward to treatment because he said it might make me transfusion free but at the same time, it's a bit scary to think it might make me more susceptible to infections. My BMB shows decreased granulopoiesis as well as hypocellurarity, perhaps the effects of the Revlimid can be offset with G CSF injections?

Also, I noticed that nausea can be one of the side effects. I don't tolerate nausea well and given a choice, I would prefer pain to nausea any day. Has nausea been a problem for anyone else who has taken this drug?

I would really love to hear from anyone with experience with this.

Thanks

Chirley