This is my first update for a couple of months, but as they say, no new is good news. There hasn't been anything dramatic enough to report on until now. Today was another notable occasion as it marks the next phase of my treatment, namely the donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI).

As I've outlined before (click here for more info), the DLI is a technique used to correct and eliminate relapases after transplant. Although it's outcome is a potentially life long cure (following the BMT ofcourse), the reality is rather less dramatic and it's another antoclimax.

My Mum accompanied me to the hospital, where I was given 10cc of my donors lymphocytes in red coloured fluid. The cells had to be defrosted after my arrival in the day care unit, and were injected into the vien. During the injection (the best part of fifteen seconds), a funny taste filled the mouth. This is the preservative used when freezing the cells, but it didn't last long. The infusion was washed down with 30 mins worth of saline drip, and the process was completed.

I've got to return in a few weeks for another blood test, but I've been told not to expect any notable changes in the PCR count until a few months time, if at all. This is due to the small dose given. Normally, consecutively larger doses are responsible for bringing about a complete remission. As I've been on Gliveec for the last 4 months, the logic was that there should be fewer leukaemic cells, therefore less work for the DLI to do, with the anticipation that the initial dose might potentially yeild some favourable results. However, I'm expecting to return in 4 months time for a second dosage.