INDICATIONS (1 of 3)
REBLOZYL® (luspatercept-aamt) is a prescription medicine used to treat anemia (low red blood cells) without previous erythropoiesis stimulating agent use (ESA-naïve) in adult patients with very low- to intermediate-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) who may require regular red blood cell (RBC) transfusions.
It is not known if REBLOZYL is safe or effective in children under 18 years of age.
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Tracking results
and treatment
goals
Tracking results and treatment goals
Your treatment plan and your goals will go hand-in-hand, helping guide your healthcare team’s decisions. It’s important to talk openly with your healthcare team about what you’re looking for from a treatment plan. These conversations can help you and your healthcare team understand what your goals might be.
Setting treatment goals
Your healthcare team can help set treatment goals, such as target Hgb levels,
transfusion needs, and symptom levels.
You and your healthcare team should work together to set both right-now and long-term goals for your treatment and to figure out how your treatments are working at each appointment.
It’s very important that you understand your treatment goals—so, if you have questions, or if the goals are confusing, speak up. Don’t be afraid to ask for further explanations or clarify any confusing information.
An example treatment goal might be:
Reducing how often you receive RBC transfusions. If this is your goal, you'll also want to track your Hgb levels. Hgb ranges can be different from person to person, so make sure to talk to your healthcare team about what range works best for your treatment goals.
Setting activity-based goals
Activity-based goals can help you understand how MDS-related anemia is still impacting your day-to-day life. Like your healthcare team’s treatment goals, your activity-based goals can include right-now and long-term goals to help measure your progress. When you’re setting activity-based goals, think about how the severity of your symptoms has impacted your daily life.
Work with your loved ones to answer questions like:
- What activities have become difficult for you?
- What have you had to stop doing?
- What parts of your daily routine have you had to change?
- What would you like to do more often or more easily?
- What would you like to be able to do with less help from others?
- What part of your treatments are the most inconvenient or unpleasant?
Speaking up with your healthcare team and discussing your answers to these questions will help you know what symptoms might need attention.
Once you, your loved ones, and your healthcare team have agreed on activity-based goals, write them down. Be sure to discuss your progress toward your activity-based goals frequently, both at home and during visits with your healthcare team.
For help talking about goals, use the REBLOZYL Doctor Discussion Guide
Download Doctor Discussion Guide
Why is tracking important?
To make the most out of any treatment, it’s important to keep track of how you respond to that treatment. Tracking how you feel right from the start of treatment and sharing your notes with your healthcare team provides them with important information that allows them to make adjustments to your treatment.
What can I track during appointments?
Depending on the type of appointment, make sure to write down the following:
- Treatment information, including dates and dosages
- Having information about your current and past doses helps your healthcare team understand when a change may be needed
- Test results, including Hgb and any info about changes in your levels
- Hgb levels can be different from person to person, so keeping track of them during every stage of your treatment journey can help you and your healthcare team see when changes are happening
- Transfusion information, including dates and number of units
- If you’re getting more transfusions over time, you can bring it up with your healthcare team. It may mean you need a change in treatment or an increase in dosage
Your appointment is your time. Take notes and don’t hold back any questions. Bringing someone with you can be helpful.
What can I track in between appointments?
Your day-to-day tracking is just as important as the information from your appointments. At home, you and your loved ones can note:
- How you feel right after a transfusion (for example, usually pretty good)
- How you feel in the time leading up to your next transfusion (for example, typically not as good)
- Your progress toward your right-now and long-term activity-based goals
- Any changes in your symptoms that keep you from feeling like yourself, including increases or decreases in tiredness, pain, dizziness, lightheadedness, headaches, muscle aches, and muddled thoughts
Your healthcare team doesn’t know what you don’t share with them. Taking an honest and open approach will help them understand how you are progressing toward your goals.
How can I talk to my healthcare team about my tracking?
Try starting each conversation with your healthcare team by sharing what you’ve been tracking and asking questions like:
- What might these symptoms I’ve been experiencing recently mean for my treatment?
- How am I progressing toward my treatment goals?
- Is there any information about my test results, transfusions, or treatments that you need from me?
- Have you been able to connect with the providers who help me at other facilities?
- I know some symptoms may seem typical—can you help me figure out what might be a treatable symptom of my MDS or anemia?