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Old Mon Jul 17, 2017, 11:46 PM
David M David M is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Fayetteville, TN
Posts: 89
Yearly Update -- 2017

Hello All,

Well, it is time once again for a yearly update. I am very thankful to report that once again, in the past year or so, very little has changed with my condition. Pancytopenia is still a reality for me, but as far as I can tell, it has gotten no better -- and no worse -- during this time.

Below are counts from my last 4 CBCs... (10/17/16, 4/17/17, 7/3/17, 7/17/17):
RBC: 2.83...2.61...2.67.... 2.71
WBC: 3.9...3.4...3.1... 3.4
Lymph #: 1.6...1.5...1.17.... 1.2
Lymph %: 42...45.3...37.6.... 36.7
Neut #: 1.48...1.18...1.27.... 1.40
Neut %: 38.1...34.9...40.9... 41.8
Hgb: 10.5...9.5...9.9.... 9.9
HCT: 30.5...29.1...Not avail... 29.8
Platelet: 56...42...42.... 41

I have had pretty good energy in the last year, and did some pretty regular exercise during much of this time. However, I have been feeling quicker to become out of breath and tire out -- and slower to recover from activities requiring strenuous effort. Overall, I'd say my fatigue factor has increased slightly during this time.

I have not been sick (any more than usual) during this time, and no abnormal bleeding or bruising. Still not on any medications for this condition -- thankfully! No transfusions or treatment needed to this point.

My hematologist at Vanderbilt (who is retiring in the next year) said on my 7/3/17 visit -- "Your counts are amazingly stable!" I guess I am something of an anomaly, but I know there are others out there with similar symptoms as I have. And we all know how these things can change -- and change quickly. So, we will continue to "watch and wait."

As I said above, I have felt a bit more fatigued in this past year, and I have also felt (or at least I think I have felt) a higher level of "brain fog" setting in -- although both these things are hard to pinpoint exactly. How do you quantify "fatigue" or "brain fog"? How do I know if I have more of this than "normal" for someone my age? Anyway, I THINK I am experiencing these things.

To sum up, I am very thankful for the very slow changes -- the apparent plateau -- that my counts seem to be on right now. Everyone is different, and we all have different battles related to our bone marrow. I am very thankful for this forum, although I don't comment that often. I am amazed at some of the stories on this forum -- the battles that many are going through. You all help me to be strong!

David M

P.S. -- One more thing... my hematologist at Vanderbilt (who is a bone marrow transplant specialist) commented that in the time I have been going to him (since June, 2009), transplant technology has improved significantly. He said age is not nearly as great of a factor as it was just a few years ago (now more about the current physical strength of the patient going into transplant), and they are now doing more and more transplants with un-matched related donors! Well, I don't know much about transplants, but his point was, transplant technology is marching on at a rapid pace!
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David M, reds/whites/plats slowly declining since 2000; hypo-cellular bone marrow; diagnosed Mild AA; low counts, but stable since 2009; watch and wait -- no treatments required to this point.
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