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AML (acute myeloid leukaemia) - Father in law newly diagnosed

Natalie1612
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Hello all

About 4 weeks ago I noticed my father in law suddenly looked really ill, he was breathless etc, an ambulance was called. His blood counts were very low, he had 7 blood transfusions, battled pneumonia and was really unwell. He had a bone marrow biopsy, we were called in yesterday (original appt made was 2nd Jan), we had a feeling the news wasn’t what we wanted to hear. He was diagnosed with AML (acute myeloid leukaemia). We were at the hospital today, the day after diagnosis to get weighed etc in readiness for treatment. He can’t be cured but is going to have treatment. He is 84 but was incredibly fit, and has never ever been to a GP so this is a total bolt out of the blue.

I wondered if anyone had any experience with AML, I would like to know anything that you may have experienced just to prepare really, of course everyone is different.

His treatment will consist of a week of injections then 3 weeks of tablets then another week of injections etc as cycles.

Thanks so much for reading, best wishes to all x

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    Hello Natalie1612, 

    I am so sorry to hear about your father in law's AML diagnosis - poor him it all seems to have happened so suddenly and it sounds like he was incredibly fit as he had never even been to a GP at 84. It must all be a bit of a shock to everyone to suddenly see him so poorly. At least you now have a diagnosis after everything he went through and I hope that the treatment can start soon and that it will help him feel a little better. You can find detailed information on our website on AML (acute myeloid leukaemia) which I hope will be useful to you as well as on treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia so that you can read more about the treatment options that may be available to him. 

    If you have any questions or if there is anything you would like to discuss or ask about, don't hesitate to get in touch with our cancer nurses on this free number 0808 800 4040 - their helpline is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. Many members of our forum have been through AML treatment before and had a similar diagnosis to your father in law's and I hope that they will be along shortly to share their story with you. If you do a forum search using our search function which is located at the top of the site entering keywords such as 'AML', you will be able to find past relevant threads on the subject and don't hesitate to respond if you wish. I've had a little look for threads which may be of interest to you and found for example  who posted this thread last month sharing his AML story and was also looking to connect with others who had had an AML diagnosis. This thread by  might also be of interest - this member's mother was also diagnosed with AML a few months ago. Those are only a few examples of AML threads on our forum but feel free to dig up others using our search function and to respond to those you would like to engage with. 

    I hope that you find out more soon about your father in law's treatment plan - keep us updated if you get a chance on how treatment goes for him. I hope that he manages to have a lovely Christmas in the company of his loved ones.

    Best wishes, 

    Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator

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