The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - Fighting Blood Cancers
9 Replies Last post: Nov 10, 2009 2:13 PM by Jadrian  
Jadrian   28 posts since
Sep 30, 2009
Currently Being Moderated

Nov 6, 2009 1:35 PM

Mobile Blood Tracker App?

Hey fellow Camels!

 

How many of you would have interest in a free downloadable mobile app for your iPhone, Blackberry, PDA, etc. which tracks and graphs your bloodwork stats over time? I was searching the iPhone app store yesterday for something like this, as I feel it'd be a great and useful tracker for me, as well as helpful for explaining my health situation to curious family and friends with more ease. However, I don't believe this app exists yet.

 

So I want to make it. And I'm trying to just gauge interest from the community to see how others feel about the possible usefulness of such an app. I'd like to make it a free app, but have been considering making it very very cheap (a la $0.59 or $0.99) and donating ALL profit to the LLS. Ideally it would be able to grab templates for different types of diseases which include the standard bloodwork stats to be tracked for each disease, so that there's little to no guesswork as to the type of statistics you'll track for any particular condition.

 

But I need your help in starting to formulate the design and mechanism of the app itself. I'd appreciate hearing your feedback to the following questions!

 

Have you heard of or do you currently use an application like this?

What specific stats for CML would you be interested in tracking in an app like this (WBC count, hemo count, platelet count, etc.)?

What other features would you like to see in an app like this?

What mobile platform do you primarily use (iPhone, Blackberry, Palm, Android, etc.)?

 

Thanks a bunch for your feedback gang! I'm pretty excited to start work on this, and hope to make something that's useful to a broad community.

 

Cheers,

-j

Randy   56 posts since
Sep 22, 2009
Currently Being Moderated
1. Nov 6, 2009 2:07 PM in response to: Jadrian
Re: Mobile Blood Tracker App?

Have you heard of or do you currently use an application like this?

Closest thing I can think of is Google Health, but it seems to be very barebones and not very automated (though, I expect you would also have users enter results by hand).  Also, there's no mobile version of it, which is pretty odd for Google.  I think they don't support that app very much.

What specific stats for CML would you be interested in tracking in an app like this (WBC count, hemo count, platelet count, etc.)?

CBC...  I guess FISH and PCR?  I haven't had either of those tests done yet, so I don't really know much about them.  I'd also love to be able to check out my karyograph, but I'm sure you'd need to automate that. 

What other features would you like to see in an app like this?

I guess a pill reminder, though I tend not to rely on my iPod touch for that (since if I have headphones in it the alarm won't go off... dumbest feature ever).

What mobile platform do you primarily use (iPhone, Blackberry, Palm, Android, etc.)

I use an iPod touch, but I'm thinking of getting one of the new Droids. Maybe when I finish grad school at the end of next year...

 

 

Thanks a bunch for your feedback gang! I'm pretty excited to start work on this, and hope to make something that's useful to a broad community.

Have you made an iPhone app before?  I haven't, but I should probably learn how to do it, so let me know if you want my help. 

PhilB   236 posts since
Apr 7, 2009
Currently Being Moderated
4. Nov 6, 2009 3:32 PM in response to: Jadrian
Re: Mobile Blood Tracker App?

I'm suddenly feeling very old !

 

The only 'App' on my phone is a flashlight and I can't remember how to work that.  For those rather closer to the cutting edge though I can see there may be an appeal in something like this.

 

Tricky issue for you is going to be the differing timescales for the tests.  For most people they will have complete haemetological response well before the 3 month point at which they get their second PCR and/or cytogenetics.  You are probably therefore looking at potentially three separate data sets which may be difficult to combine:

  1. Blood counts with plenty of weekly data at the start and a linear scale (this is probably where an app might be most use); then
  2. PCR tracker which will be quarterly / six monthly data with a single figure each time and needs to be on a logarithmic scale.
  3. Cytogenetics if you wanted them would for most people not have anyhting but 100% at dx, maybe a small number at 6 months (if done) and then probably zeros from then on.  For people with slow response though you might continue to have non-zero results but still no more than a quarterly or half yearly figure and needing to be a linear scale not logarithmic

 

Best of luck

Phil

kenb   10 posts since
Apr 3, 2009
Currently Being Moderated
5. Nov 6, 2009 6:57 PM in response to: PhilB
Re: Mobile Blood Tracker App?

Phil,

 

I too am "Appless" but I hope not "Hapless". I noticed in your tracker comment that PCR was quarterly/six months. In Dr. Cortes recent teleconference transcript he alluded to a similar frequency for PCR testing. I may have missed something along the way but I was under the impression that 3mo. PCR testing was the norm, even after achieving CCyR.  Is 6mo. considered adequate PCR frequency?

 

Thanks,

 

Ken

hannibellemo   208 posts since
Apr 3, 2009
Currently Being Moderated
6. Nov 6, 2009 7:20 PM in response to: Jadrian
Re: Mobile Blood Tracker App?

Jadrian,

 

I have set up an Excel spreadsheet to track my CBC, Differential and Metabolic panels + magnesium. It needs some tweaking though because I want it to highlight when I am outside normal ranges and I just haven't taken the time to do that. I would like to track FISH and PCR, too, I guess. I am so bad at thinking 'what else' because it seems like anything is possible anymore when it comes to applications!

 

I use a Blackberry Bold (9000)

 

Matt, who writes a blog called "My Blood Hates Me" (if you haven't found it I think you young guys - you know who you are - who were recently diagnosed will be able to relate and enjoy his blog) wrote a program called hematrak located at this link:

http://www.lycono.com/hematrack

 

I could never get it to download, disappointing because it sounded useful. He discusses it in one of his 2009 blogs.

 

I'd be interested, Jadrian if you get something set up, free or not. Thanks for thinking of it!

 

Pat

ChrisC   56 posts since
Apr 3, 2009
Currently Being Moderated
7. Nov 6, 2009 11:50 PM in response to: Jadrian
Re: Mobile Blood Tracker App?

Hi Jadrian,

 

Thanks for your efforts to supply an app for our needs! I have an iPod Touch, so an app for that would be handy.

 

I've been using "My CML Tracker" available here on the LLS site:

https://www.cmltrackerlls.org/

 

However, it only has listings for entering some of the CBC test results, so more range than they offer would be great. Not that I understand all of the categories, but if they test for them, then why not have them all?

 

Sometimes we have other tests done, such as liver function or even the Gleevec blood level test, so if we can add our own categories to your app ourselves, as needed (who knows what they'll be testing us for next?) that would cover us all.

 

Of course, listings for FISH results and PCRs are ideal, too.

 

Very useful is your offer to put in the "normal" range for each test, so we can see at a glance how far inside or outside the norm our results are at any time, and over time.

 

My hospital says they will have all our charts and info on their computer system by early 2010, so that would be an easy way for me to see my test results without begging them for printouts that are sometimes incomplete. Once the results are available online, having a secure means to transfer the results to your app would be ideal. So far, it's necessary to enter everything by hand, though that is a chore I'm happy to do as then I'm focused on the results and making comparisons.

 

I was reading about Google Health awhile back, and the question of privacy and security arises. Not sure if having a link to my hospital files is safe, actually, so perhaps entering results by hand is necessary?

 

Enjoy the process of creating the app, please!

 

Chris

 

 

Oh, one more thing: if we could email all or part of the results to ourselves and others directly from the app, that would help! Thanks again, C

PhilB   236 posts since
Apr 7, 2009
Currently Being Moderated
8. Nov 7, 2009 1:48 AM in response to: kenb
Re: Mobile Blood Tracker App?

Hi Ken,

I believe the latest ELN guidelines are calling for 3 monthly PCRs until MMR is achieved and only 6 monthly thereafter.

Best regards

Phil

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