Molecular MD

Last week I took my first blood test at Dr. Druker's lab in Oregon. The company is called Molecular MD and has extremely accurate PCR tests for CML. Dr. Druker and Carolyn Blasdel (his nurse practitioner) were concerned because the general rule of thumb with blood tests and CML is to have it checked every 3 months. My next local appointment was not until September which was closer to 5 months.

I was not sure how this process was going to work, but it turned out to be very easy. Carolyn sent me a slip for a blood test. She and I also spoke with Molecular MD to have a test kit shipped to me. They sent me a box with a test tube, some paperwork, and a prepaid Fedex slip. All I needed to do was to find a lab that would draw the blood and call Fedex to pick it up. Molecular MD had some relationships with labs around the country and the one closest to me was Quest. It was close to my office, so I stopped by during a cancellation one day. The phlebotomist drew my blood, took care of the paperwork, and shipped it overnight to Oregon. It was so easy. The only difference was that I had to pay out of pocket for the actual blood draw.

Today I received an email from Carolyn:

"Good news, your PCR is very, very low at 0.002%. Report attached. This is an excellent response, well below the level of major molecular response (0.1%) and puts you in the group least likely to relapse."

This was my lowest reading by far. It was great to hear before I head off to Niagara Falls tomorrow.

I think this type of blood test option is great for people who have CML. Any doctor can order this type of bloodwork, so it is certainly worth asking about.

In the meantime, Team Gershon continues to raise money for the Light the Night Walk. We have raised $875 and are just getting started. Please let me know if you are interested in joining the team. It is a lot of fun.