|
Chromosomes are the key (as explained to me)...
Everyone's Chromosomes deteriorate over time, and that's why MDS is considered and 'older' person's disease...
Example:
Every one has gotten ditto's in school that had been copied year after year (for decades), to the point of illegibility (can't make out everything perfectly)... basically Chromosomes are a recipe for making blood, and the recipe is like the ditto, problem is chromosomes never use the original copy, only the copy of the copy of the copy of the copy....
After many years, and who knows what (environmental, viral, bacterial, fungal infection, copier malfunction, etc...) your chromosomes can develop a tear that will be compounded with time...
I was born premature (6 months back in 1968), and I suspect that I may have had a .0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001 tear in my chromosomes at birth that was then multiplied to .0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000002
.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000004
.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000008
.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000016
.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000032, etc...
after 45 years, it was at .75 or 75% of my chromosomes shot, and high risk MDS...
I was lucky that Dacogen bought me into full remission, and that my brother was a perfect match, now at day +92 and doing very well...
__________________
Married, father of three daughters; now 46; diagnosed w/ Major form MDS 6/18/2013; had low counts across the board; Multiple chromosome abnormalities; Finished 2nd round Dacogen 9/13; SCT - Oct. 31, 2013; Sibling match 10/10  ; 5.5% blasts down to 3%, now 1% (post BMT)
|