[Greg H]

"Hey, you never know!"

That's my all-time favorite advertising slogan. It was used by the New York State Lottery in the '90s and evidently is still in use -- at least on their website.

Sometimes, it's a pretty good slogan for the intrepid MDS warrior:

Hey, you never know -- 'til you see the CBC.

Hey, you never know -- 'til you get back the BMB.

Hey, you never know, period.

I figured in did know what I'd be looking at when I went to my local hematologist's office on Tuesday for my regular two-week CBC: a 7.7.

A 7.7 hemoglobin count was what I was expecting, given my recent trend of HgB falling off the cliff, resulting in a two-week transfusion interval. I figured a 7.7, followed by a transfusion on Friday, with a bone marrow biopsy thrown in for good measure. That was the plan, after which we'd figure out whether it was time to move to Revlimid or some other new drug.

But, hey! You never know!

I got an 8.6. That's no great shakes, but it's above my transfusion level. And my reticulocytes, which had slid way down into the 40s, were back in the 80s. (Platelets, ANC, & lymphocytes all pretty much in my normal ranges, thank you for asking.)

So, despite having the pleasure of wearing my little green blood bank bracelet with the peel off stickers to the supermarket, no transfusion.

And, since my local heme and I have no idea what to make of this at the moment, no BMB either. We're going to wait and see what happens before poking yet another hole in my behind.

I'm back to his office on Tuesday for another CBC, which I fully expect will put me in the 7s and in line for a transfusion on Friday.

But, hey, you never know.