Mrs Usha T B – Hyderabad, 2011
I introduce myself as Mrs Tatavarthy Bharatham Usha residing at Hyderabad and a patient of Chronic Mylelogenous Leukemia. I left India in the month of September 2007 on a visiting Visa to U.S.A after my relatives had sent me a ticket. Suddenly in the month of December there was a development of on and off high body temperatures. On 12th Dec 2007 I collapsed and was admitted to Albany Medical Center in New Your State. At the time of admission, I was suffering from abdominal pain, and some alarmingly abnormal blood counts. It was worrying for above all I am a chronic diabetic patient with high fasting blood glucose levels.. A Bone marrow Aspiration was conducted and I was diagnosed with C.M.L in early blast phase. After the other symptoms subsided, Dr Bindra put me on Glivec. Thereafter I recovered and was in a position to travel back to India on 23rd Dec.
Albany Medical Center had issued a letter to Dr. Raghunath Rao of N.I.M.S Hyderabad stating that patient is on Glivec and her treatment should be continued. After returning to India I consulted Dr Raghunath Rao and he went through all my reports including a Bone Marrow Test. Doctor was kind enough to recommend me to Max Foundation for the GIPAP program run by Novartis , considering my poor financial status and an aged husband.
In the very first three months of administration of drug I had nausea and vomiting, hair loss, and the body pains were unbearable. Gradually I got adjusted to the drug and most of the symptoms disappeared. After six to eight months the doctors advised the BCR-ABL test and results were very positive. I get this test conducted periodically and the results have been excellent so far.
If it was not for GLIVEC, I would not have been surviving to write my experiences. I sincerely thank Dr Raghu for his patience and making the patient feel homely.
I am extremely grateful to Viji madam, the commander in chief of this project. I would like to end by saing that madam commands grace, elegance and a spirit of magnanimity in all she says and does…
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