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Good luck! You’re not alone …. I just did it a couple of weeks ago …. same motivation. I’d been turned away for a few years due to my own anemia!! But mine was solved by a hysterectomy (sorry “guys”) Now my blood is healthy and strong and I’d meant to be giving again. Mom’s dx made me follow through. Want to get on BM donor registry next! CARRIE!! YOU CAN DO IT! BE STRONG …. BREATH SLOW & SURE. SPEAK OF YOUR INNER STRENGTH IN YOUR HEAD. You’re not alone & YOU CAN DO IT!

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Good work Dawn. It sound like you feel a bit more empowered. That’s what this place is all about.

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WOW!!! I feel like I can see all of your “faces” or something. This really helps to paint an immediate picture (the informative signature line)….. not a COMPLETE picture … as we are all SO MUCH MORE than this stuff! But this helps. Carrie deserves the credit for the clever idea. Hope it helps all of you as much as it does me.

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I forgot they may not be like me … I pretty much read all of them … regardless of the subject line. That’s part of what takes so darned long … but you never know where little kernels of information and insight might be buried. Thanks for the pointer.

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I’m sure he didn’t really mean he didn’t expect to live this LONG … like you said … it’s not THAT long. My great aunts didn’t start making that comment until they were each over 90! I think he just didn’t ever think he’d live LONGER than your mom. My mom saved my dad’s life quite literally by jumping on the bed and on his chest and doing CPR for several minutes before they arrived with the paddles. Miraculously he survived in such fashion that his quality of life has not really been diminished. He’s 72 and she’s 69. We’ve all been watching him like a hawk .. his every cough and twitch (he suffered a TIA 2 years after the sudden death episode) ever since.
When mom was diagnosed in November with MDS … WOW … what an upsidedown thought … that there was even a chance that she could be gone first … leaving him here alone. I don’t think any of us had ever considered that possibility. Maybe your dad had never considered that either.

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PS – I realize that to date … my story is short and sweet … and that many other stories are much longer and much more complicated to sum up … but a brief, abbreviated form of the essentials would still be really helpful to me.

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Dawn, I asked you at your “WA” posting where you were – but I’ve read some more now and find you are in Republic. There are better experts than lil’ ol’ me here … I’ve only been reading for a little over a month. But I’ve read a number of postings indicating that if iron levels are low …. then red cell production boosters of all types will not take hold and work as well as they should. That is worth checking on. The Aranesp is working well for my mom … but her iron levels were sufficient when the injections began.

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How far from Seattle are you? The Hutch is the only Center of Excellence listed here at this site within Washington state. I’m in eastern WA – near Idaho border – but my mom (she’s the patient) is receiving her care in Seattle …. not at the Hutch – yet – but contemplating a 2nd/follow-up appt sometime this year with Dr. Deeg. The patient liason here at the site will at least OFFER to help expidite an appt there if needed.

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Welcome to the Web site of the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), the credentialing agency for the American Dietetic Association.

Tahoe … check out the websites of the

ADA,
CRD as well as CADE

CADE (see below)

The Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education is ADA’s accrediting agency for education programs preparing students for careers as registered dietitians or dietetics technicians.

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Tahoe … found this in case you didn’t. It could either add to or diminish somewhat your satisfaction in making your point ….. it’s not much …..

Why don’t YOU become one?? You seem like you’d be great 😉 … it’s obvious you are enthused …. and it looks like you could be rolling by Flag Day!!

http://www.nyu.edu/cas/prehealth/path.htm#DI

Dietician (Nutritionist)
“Dieticians and nutritionists use their knowledge of the principles of nutrition to help people develop healthy eating habits” (Careers for the 90’s, 1991, Research and Education Association). Nutritionists and dieticians plan nutrition programs and supervise the preparation and serving of meals for such institutions as schools, hospitals, hotel chains, and prisons. They help prevent and treat conditions such as hypertension and obesity by promoting healthy eating habits.
To become a registered dietician, you must complete an academic program and a clinical training component of roughly half a year’s duration before sitting for the registration exam. There are several different ways in which you can complete the requirements to become an RD; for a student with a BA degree, however, earning a master’s degree in nutrition appears to be the most sensible approach.

Requirements:
Students must be well grounded in biology, chemistry, physiology, and computer applications, as well as social sciences.
NYU Contact:
Department of Nutrition
NYU School of Education
35 West 4th Street, Suite 1201
New York, NY 10003
Tel: (212) 998-5580

For further information:
American Dietetic Association
216 West Jackson Boulevard
Suite 800, Chicago, lL 60606-6995
Tel: (800) 877-1600

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PS – I guess I was just surprised … with the warnings about hypertension with relation to epoetin injections ….. that they wouldn’t be closely monitoring blood pressure …. just for their own liability if for no other reason. I had a bad experience years ago with Phen/Fen …. learned my lesson BUT GOOD!!

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Thanks Neil. From what I can tell – Mom is on Aranesp. Her blood pressure is high/normal …. like 148/78 without treatment for it … always has been. She has the bad family tree for bp/cholesterol issues …. heart attacks in the late 40’s for her dad and brother. But her stats seem to be holdin in a fairly decent range without and diruetic or statin or anything. The only thing she is taking right now is the Aranesp.

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I have confirmed that this is what my mom is receiving – once every 2 weeks. A # of $4100/per injection was mentioned … but we haven’t seen any paperwork as of yet. We are very lucky – my mom’s numbers are very good and slight improvements have been steady. She has RA with “q 5-” – or however you say that – abnormality of the 5th chromosome …. which under this classification is actually a GOOD thing. Her Hgb and Hct are really the only thing we are focusing on – for now. Her Hgb was 10.6 and came up to 10.7 in the first 2 weeks. Haven’t heard about that # since. Her Hct was 31.8 (not very low) and came up in 2 wks to 32.4 and was 33 at the time of the 3rd injection on Dec 30. As I said – for now we are lucky and improvement is steady and evident.

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How is your son Chris doing? I have been wondering.

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PS – I’m no expert – but am pretty certain that at our mother’s ages …. they are not considered eligible for BMT. In a way – it’s a relief to know that it wasn’t even an option – for me, anyway. I, too, am in my mid-forties. We have a few things in common at this point.

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