Hello Ladybug 1980,

Thank you for posting a question. I am sorry to learn about your brother in law’s situation. It does sound like he is going through a lot.

I must admit that it is quite difficult for me to comment on your brother in law’s situation as I feel that I do not have a full grasp of what is happening to him. But the following information may be of some use.

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and its treatments can make people more susceptible to pick up infections and less able to fight them off. So it is reasonably common for people with AML to develop infections which can occasionally be serious. From what you describe it sounds like your brother in law’s has developed a serious case of pneumonia and that he is struggling to fight it off.  In situations like this, the medical team prescribe antibiotics and they may need to use other measures to support the breathing to maintain a good oxygen level.

Not everyone with AML responds to their first course of induction chemotherapy. Some people need more than one course to go into remission. Remission means that there is no sign of the leukaemia in the blood or bone marrow. So it is not unheard of to still have leukaemia cells in his bone marrow after induction chemotherapy. But to be honest, people often have a better outlook if they respond to the first round of chemotherapy and go into remission quite quickly.

As you know while your brother in law has an active infection, it is not a good idea to give him further chemotherapy.  This might be too much for his body to deal with. So it is really a matter of supporting his body through the pneumonia in the hope that he is able to get well enough for more treatment. I get the impression that your brother in law is quite ill. I  have seen people with leukaemia recover from serious pneumonia, but sadly I have also seen people who have not got better. So as you say, all you can really do at the moment is to try to remain hopeful and wait and see. This must be very hard for you all.

Do get back to us if you have any other questions. You are welcome to telephone us if you think that it might be helpful. Our freephone number is 0808 800 4040. We are here from Monday to Friday between the hours of 9am to 5pm.

Best wishes,

Jean