Originally Posted by David M
Hello All,
It's hard to believe it has been a year, but here we are! I wanted to give a little update to "My Story" for 2025 -- and if you haven't noticed, my story has been going on for several years now! I'm thankful for that!
Below are counts from my last 3 CBCs (12/2/24, 4/2/25, 8/19/25):
RBC:........2.68....2.74....2.77
WBC:.......4.2........4.0....4.2
Lymph #:..1.7......1.8....1.73
Lymph %:..40.9....44.9.....41.6
Neut #:....1.32....1.3....1.51
Neut %:...31.7....32.3.....36.3
Hgb:........9.8....9.9....9.7
HCT:........29....29.6....30
Platelet:...62.......76......74
Blood-wise, things appear to be stable, and for that I am thankful! It seems a little strange to say -- but boring is good (at least in this case)! Of course, I'd love to see dramatic overall improvement, but "no change" is also acceptable.
Today, I had an appointment with my hematologist at Vanderbilt in Nashville, TN. I go there once per year for a sort of "second view" of my situation, and it is always interesting and informative. He said he'd classify me as having Moderate Aplastic Anemia. He also said the appearance of my cells under the microscope was very good -- no abnormally formed or cancerous cells. It is interesting to see how his thinking on Promacta has changed over the years now that Promacta is a much better known drug. He said he'd even be open to me requesting to be put on Promacta -- but again, since my numbers are as stable as they are, and since I am not having major issues with sickness, bleeding, or undue lethargy at the moment, he advised against it. Although Promacta is a better-known med now, it still is not without side-effects (e.g nausea, potential liver damage)... and there's no guarantee it would give me more energy -- which is my main complaint. So, for now, I am not requesting to be put on Promacta, although it is good to have it as an option.
Overall, this past year has been good. My stamina/endurance is still pretty low, but as far as I can tell, it hasn't gotten any worse in the last year. In fact, I'm thinking maybe it is a tad better. (I'm not sure how to quantify a "tad"; I'm thinking it's just a smidgen more than an iota).
On a side note, I am still drinking 2 oz. of Pomegranate juice every morning. If nothing else, it's pretty tasty -- I like to think it is helping me somehow.
Also, I mentioned earlier that my GP has diagnosed me as being Type 2 diabetic, and I am trying to control it with diet and exercise. Also, due to my slightly above average cholesterol numbers and my age and my diabetes -- my GP recently put me on 10 mg Crestor daily. I don't like taking meds, but maybe this is worth it. I hope so -- I guess it beats having a stroke or heart attack. At least it is a small pill.
Overall, I don't have a lot to report, but again, boring is good! I'm still needing to find my groove in doing exercise. Not doing anything regular right now, but I am still pretty active in working around the house, etc. I just have to take occasional breaks to recharge... then I'm back at it. Still, I need to find something regular exercise-wise to do. Any ideas?
Thanks for checking in with me! I hope you are all doing well!
Until next time,
David M
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