Thank you for your thoughtful reply, Marlene. I would like to let my mom know that I know about her diagnosis, but she has instructed my father NOT to talk, so I don't want to make trouble for him. Poor guy, he is emailing ME to ask if I can get info on MDS for him so he can understand it (he didn't even know that MDS was an acronym). My mom hasn't even told him what it really is, and she was diagnosed nearly a year ago ...
Anyway, I've never been formally diagnosed with hemochromatosis, so I'm not being treated for it. But I do recall reading somewhere that iron overload impacts the liver, and you've just reminded me of that. I've also not been tested for EPO. I have a physical coming up in December and will send a note to my doctor ahead of it asking if he thinks it prudent to check, given my history and now my mom's, too. Thank you so much!