Cytoxan
MR JAMES I PRAY SR (UBBE74A(AT)prodigy.com)
Wed, 19 Nov 1997 13:05:21, -0500
Sandra,
I have had TM for almost 4 years now. During my first year with this,
I also found myself getting worse as the steroid dose decreased.
However, none of my doctors believed me because the "pin test" they
were doing on me showed no change on my topical areas of the skin. I
had to switch to a whole new set of doctors. That's when I first
heard of using Cytoxan as an alternative course of action. Upon
admission into the hospital, I was given Plasmapheresis (this is a
plasma exchange procedure) followed by a course of Cytoxan. For each
of the 6 months following, I was scheduled to be given Cytoxan IV at
home by a visiting nurse. I noticed immediate in my body after the
plasma exchange therapy in the hospital. Improvement continued up to
the 3rd at home treatment with Cytoxan. Than my recover stopped. I
noticed no change after the 4th treatment so the doctors recommended
that we stop the treatments. Even though I never recovered to the
point at which I could walk, I feel the Plasmapheresis therapy and
Cytoxan completely stopped the progression of TM in my body. Cytoxan
does have some side effects but I believe the treatment is well worth
the risk of its side effects.
Hope this helps, Lorraine............................