[Greg H]

Hey Janice!

Sorry . . . my intent wasn't to slander your docs, I was thinking not of your specific case so much as the general state of things. Docs are all different (like people) -- some more anxious to get moving on a therapy; some more apt to move with a degree of caution. We're kind of culturally programmed (at least in the US) to want a cure, right now, and sometimes docs get infected with that mania.

Your ranges are pretty much the same as the ones I'm used to -- so it looks like you may have more of a WBC and Platelet problem than an RBC problem. It's great that they haven't caused you much trouble.

I participated in a conference call on MDS with Dr. Yee; she was great! Very knowledgeable and able to talk about MDS in language a layperson could understand.

Work and insurance are indeed big factors in my decision-making about transplant right now. But, frankly, even if I were a billionaire, I wouldn't do transplant at this stage in my disease. The risk profile just doesn't cut it for me. And, when I say risk profile, I'm not just thinking about risk of death. I'm instead thinking about the quality of life issues -- that is, coming out sicker on a day-to-day basis than you went in.

But, for some folks, the strain of knowing you are living with an incurable disease that can get nasty fast -- that is a quality of life issue. Everyone's different in terms of what makes sense for them.

Most folks who have transplants don't have much of a choice; the disease forces your hand at some point. I fully expect to get there. But getting there while I'm still a lower risk MDS-er doesn't make sense from where I am sitting.

Take care -- and have a great weekend!

Greg