Yes, congrats are in order.
I wuz dx with the entry-level RCMD mds rating in Jan 06. The percent of looney toon blasts in my marrow was 4%.
A bone marrow biopsy this month shows that 6% of the little immature suckers are now aimlessly running around doing nothing but knocking into stray leukocytes. It seems that 5% is a demarcation for foolish blasts activity. Thus, from here on out, however long that is, I shall be known as:
Mr. RCMD “With Excess Blasts” Anderson.
I’ll just go with my new nickname acronym of “Web” Anderson.
On the serious side. My rbcs production remains steady running a 40% deficit, except for a couple odd months when I was able to forego a transfusion. My whites and platelets are still normal and I feel about the same. With the bump in blasts, my dr. now says the writing is on the wall so need to make decisions regarding a sct.
Tomorrow I’ll get a Ferritin count so I’ll be able to give y’all feedback on whether Exjade is working for me. On a side note, the literature says that a small group of people who successfully get treated for iron chelation actually become transfusion independent, (not to be confused with ‘cured of mds’). I got this tidbit from the NCCN practice guidelines for myelodysplastic Syndromes. You never know. One wants to hope one falls into some small group of people who beat the odds against something bad.
Regards!
Web Anderson
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