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Rob Glatts' Journey to a Cure 
Welcome to my Caringbridge Web Page. It has
been provided to keep our family and friends
updated on my progress as I conquer
Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML).
For those of you unfamiliar with my story, I was diagnosed with CML on May 21, 2002. I had been feeling extremely tired for months, but blamed it on our busy lifestyle and young children. It was not until I began running a fever and developed a cough that I finally saw a doctor. After several misdiagnoses, I was diagnosed with CML and admitted to the hospital with a white blood cell count of nearly 400,000.
Kelly and I were encouraged to hear that the vast majority of CML patients respond well to outpatient treatment with a medication called Gleevec. I did not respond to the standard dose of 400 mg, but did achieve a very good response on the maximum dose of 800 mg, even reaching complete cytogenetic remission in February, 2003. Unfortunately, another bone marrow biopsy in June, 2003 showed significant relapse. Further testing showed I have a common mutation in the cells called T315I which is completely resistant to Gleevec, even at higher doses.
I am fortunate enough to have a 10/10 match and an excellent doctor. It has been a tough year, and I have every hope that this next step will be a cure.
We are profoundly grateful for your support, thoughts and prayers. Thanks for being here for us!
Journal
Thursday, August 17, 2006 11:10 PM PST It's hard to believe that the summer is almost over and school starts for the boys soon! We spent last weekend in Pismo Beach for my annual family reunion (I've posted some photos, a little fuzzy as they were taken with my nephew's cell phone since I managed to forget our camera :-)). It was lots of fun or all of us. My parents, brother, sister, nieces, nephews, cousins, aunt and uncle were all there and Riley, Sean and Robbie were in heaven with all the fun and noise. We rented a big house close to the beach.
Rob said he found the weekend relaxing, but he felt pretty tired the whole time. I was glad we had the meeting with Dr. Blanchard, Rob's cardiologist, coming up this week so we could get some answers about all the testing Rob has had done lately. Dr. Blanchard explained that the EKG and regular Echo looked pretty good, but the stress echo showed some abnormalities which was why he ordered the nuclear scan. Apparently Rob is having very frequent PVCs (premature ventricular contractions). In layman's terms, Rob's heart keeps skipping a beat, and then has an extra quick beat to make up for it. This isn't that uncommon and usually isn't much to worry about. But sometimes it can be an indication of an underlying heart abnormality. It was so pronounced and frequent in Rob that Dr. Blanchard wanted further testing. The good news is that the nuclear scan, which Dr. Blanchard says is the gold standard, looks good and Dr. Blanchard does not think there is any reason to worry unless Rob starts experiencing palpitations or light-headedness. Rob doesn't need any treatment for it at the moment, though Dr. Blanchard suggested he quit using any medications like Sudafed and avoid caffeine. The bottom line is that we have every reason to believe that this, like most of the other issues that have come up since the transplant, will soon be a non-issue -- Phew!
Oh, by the way. I mentioned in an earlier post that I am working hard with Team in Training to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. It will be a lovely evening of food, cocktails, Silent and Live auction, casino, etc. in downtown San Diego (black-tie optional). Rob will be speaking at the Event. If you are interested in attending or donating, visit our website at www.bettingonacure.com We are trying to raise enough money to fund a research grant to HELP CURE LEUKEMIA!!!
Love and hope,
Kelly and Rob
Read Journal History
Hospital Information: Patient Room: TBA UCSD Thornton Hospital
9300 Campus Point Drive
La Jolla CA 92037
(858) 657-7000
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