u/PoolMotor8112

Back in January my BCR/ABL was at .021 and I was pretty happy with it especially since I had only been diagnosed eleven months earlier. In March it was still at .021 and they decided that instead of coming in every month, they'd only have to see me once every three months. I was thrilled that the treatment was working so well!

Still I was noticing some unfavorable side effects from Sprycel 50mg, particularly in fatigue and apathy. So, in May and on my own I started cutting my pills in half and some days I wouldn't take any at all. Within two weeks I got some of my energy back and was feeling great. Actually did a good amount of yard work that I'd been meaning to get to but never felt like it. I figured when I spoke to my doctor in June I'd see what my numbers were and maybe I could stay at 25mg.

In early June I had to go to the hospital for what turned out to be a perforated gall bladder. They wanted to take it out right away but found out that the Sprycel was also keeping my white blood cell count low. The surgeon was worried about infection so it was determined I should go off Sprycel altogether for about a month until my wbc count came up some.

They finally got around to removing my gall bladder two days ago. So for three weeks I took a half dose and for five weeks I took nothing. I had a blood test just before I had surgery and was rather worried about the results. Two months of little or no Sprycel. What if I really screwed up my treatment?

I got back the results about two hours ago. My BCR/ABL went from .021 in March to .005 in July with little or no medication! If I wasn't in so much pain from the surgery a couple days ago, I'd be dancing and having a celebratory shot of whiskey! I don't know what happened in the couple of months with almost no Sprycel but I know this can't be a bad thing! I don't want to jinx it but in my head I'm saying the words "treatment free?"

So, how's that for a feel good story? Keep the faith everyone. It can happen!

In a couple days, we are traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto and plan to take the Shinkansen. There are three of us with two pieces of luggage, one is 158cm and the other 145 cm. I looked into the special luggage seats but they appear to sold out. Can anyone tell me what the general luggage situation is on the Shinkansen? Do you they have any other place to store luggage? I know there is an overhead but the larger bag may be a little heavy and unwieldy to get it up there easily. Any help is appreciated.

Hello there, this isn't like a big problem, but it is mildly infuriating. We are arriving at Narita on June 15 and taking the Access Express to Asakusa station. Because we will have a couple of bags and a rather small child, I thought the best idea to get to ground level is take an elevator. It appears that the only elevator is at Exit A2b. Wanting to be thorough I wanted to see where Exit A2b reached the ground level so I could quickly orient myself. It turns out this is apparently difficult to answer. Most likely it is at the southeast corner of Kaminarimon-dori and Edo-dori Ave., but I have also found at least five other places where it comes to ground level! All of them are within a few hundreds meters of each other, so no matter where it is, I'll know where I'm at, but I'm losing sleep over this! Does anyone have first hand evidence where the elevator for Exit A2b comes out at street level? Thank you in advance and I'll dedicate my first drink in Tokyo to you!

Edit: I want to thank the first several people who responded. Putting your responses together I believe I can definitively say that it is on the street corner I surmised it was on. Not being one to shy away from a reason to drink, I will have a drink for each and everyone of you! Many thanks!

We're going to be in Japan for 12 days, mostly in metropolitan areas. Should get an eSIM or just wing it? And if you think I should, have you got any suggestions? Or are they all mostly going to cost the same and do the same. Thank you in advance!

We are flying into Narita before taking the Skyaccess to Asakusa. My wife and I will have our Suica cards on our iPhones. However, I am traveling with my nine year old son and I know he has to have his own physical card. Can I purchase this at Narita and if so, where? Also, should I purchase it Narita? I mean, if I have to go to another terminal to get it, maybe I'd worry about it later. Finally, if I don't buy it at the airport, do I just buy him a paper ticket for the Skyaccess?

Oh, and since I have you here, how much should I start out with on my Suica card? We're running around Japan for 12 days, mostly in Tokyo. Thanks in advance and I'm sure you'll be hearing from me again before we leave in 12 days

We are going to Tokyo next month just as the rainy season and humidity starts. My wife wants to buy certain items for the weather, namely umbrellas, hand held fans and shoe covers to keep our shoes dry. It seems to me that this things would be readily available at the local 7/11 or department stores. So, what do you think: bring 'em or buy 'em there?