[Zoe's Life]

Suzanne,

I totally agree with Birgitta, the Aranesp is an excellent idea. I do know that hemoglobin counts can jump around, but she is also correct that after dropping from 10 to 7, they are not likely to go back up that high without treatment. Possible, but not very likely. They will monitor her counts at least monthly (more in the beginning) and they can skip a dose if the hemoglobin goes high enough. Personally, I go for the max at 12, but the high end cut off could be lower. The biggest jump in a month I have ever had is 0.9, and that was amazing. I have only seen it once.

One concern I have is the iron. Has her hematologist tested her iron? Most MDS patients don't take iron. I was told absolutely not to because I face the very real possibility of becoming transfusion dependent down the road, and dealing with iron overload. Aranesp does need sufficient iron to work effectively, however, please be sure she really needs it.

Zoe