Welcome to Marrowforums, Amy. We're sorry you have to be here but glad to know you found useful information for understanding your mother's diagnosis.
I agree with Vera that the doctor should not be telling your mother that she has only a few years to live. As you know from reading this forum, people can and do live for many years with good quality of life after they are diagnosed with a bone marrow disease. In just the last couple of years, huge strides have been made in developing new drugs can help keep MDS at bay. The only true cure remains a bone marrow/stem cell transplant, but there is a lot that can be done for patients when a transplant is not possible or desirable. It is important to choose a doctor with experience treating MDS. Our list of
U.S. Treatment Centers by State can help you identify major centers near you.
From the blood counts you've shown us, the drop in your mother's HGB despite taking Aranesp seems significant. Also, the drop in her WBC means she should be especially careful to avoid any sort of infection. Her platelets seem pretty stable--small variations from test to test are normal. Her increasing RDW (red cell distribution width) is indicative of increasing anemia. Taken together, it does seem that her doctor should be considering the possibility of other treatments beyond Aranesp.
I hope this helps you. If your mother's health is not compromised by other than her MDS, she should expect to do very well on one of the currently available drug treatments (Vidaza, Revlimid, Dacogen).
Regards,
Ruth Cuadra