Hi June,
As Ruth said, your dad has received 5 units. Typically, we begin to worry about iron buildup, or overload, in the 40 unit area, no matter how long it takes to get there. The liver gets rid of iron very slowly on its own. Exjade is like a miracle drug as far as getting the overload down. Serum Ferritin is an indirect way of measuring the iron and is normally in the range of 50-160. When it gets to 100 or more is when it starts needing treatment.
As far as taking transfusions all of your dad's life, some people take them for 10 years or more. They get a port installed in their chest, minor surgery, its about the size of a nickel.
Most of us view MDS as a condition, not a fatal diagnosis. He can have many years of quality life. City of Hope is another of the leaders in treating MDS, so if your doc came from there, you've got another good person.
It's not that your dad can't make red blood cells, it's that he makes too few of the normal ones and too many of the ineffective ones. With excess blast cells (immature red blood cells) at a low level, he may be quite a ways away from progressing to a more severe stage, so stay hopeful and enjoy good times with him.
