Low ANC, high lymphocytes, MDS-unclassified

[Meredith S.]

Hi there:
I have posted only one other time in the caregiver section. I am trying to figure out what the status is with my husband, Jim, 76 yrs old. He was diagnosed with MDS-Unclassifed in Jan. 2018. He was having a lot of fatigue then, but also had a couple other complications, now resolved. He is not terribly interested in learning about his disease, but I am.

His last blood tests were in April. He had:

WBC 2.3
Neutrophils 0.3 15%
Lymphs. 79%
Platelets 128

This is the highest the platelets have been all year. They were 35 last November. All his other values are within normal limits or just slightly off. He has never had anemia. The fact that he has such a low neutrophil count is worrisome, but no illness at all since sinusitis last winter. He complains of tiredness, but this week he cut down a tree and chipped it up into mulch. He works outside all day every day.

He had a BMB but we were told almost nothing except "no blasts." He is not having any treatment. No prognosis has ver been mentioned. The hematologist said that he will get Neupogen right away if he gets any infections.

Thoughts or comments?

Thank you,
Meredith S.

[Meri T.]

Hi Meredith,
No blasts, quite good ! And the platelets at 128 are looking good too!

When my WBCs were that low, I got anabolic steroids. For the low neutrophils, I got antibiotics. I think the neupogens were too costly for the hematologist to render me some :o.

Try wearing a mask to keep off the mold and other viruses.
As for you, learning about his disease is what's best for him. Take care Meredith.
Meri.

[Meredith S.]

This article helped me understand what is happening with husband. For others with unclassifiable MDS, you may find it valuable:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3981947/