[Barbara K]

Hi, Everyone. I've been mostly lurking on this site for a couple of years now and made a couple of posts but haven't officially introduced myself. So, hello!

My now-50 year old spouse was diagnosed with suspected early/mild AA during the winter of 2011-12, along with iron deficiency and monoclonal gammopathy of IGM. Only his ANC hovered in the moderate neutropenia range (around 900); his red blood cell count improved to almost low normal with iron supplementation (it was about 3.7 upon diagnosis and now is more like 4.3); and his platelets hover around 120-130. So he has been on watch and wait, and we've gone on pretty much as normal. The monoclonal gammopathy disappeared by last summer, which was a relief. But one of his tests did come back saying that hypogammaglobulenemia was present.

In his most recent testing, his red counts and platelets remained just below low normal, but he had large platelets (a frequent finding) and two nucleated red blood cells. This is the second time nucleated red blood cells have appeared (he had one a year ago). His white cell count was 1.9 and his ANC was 940. He showed toxic granulation, which has shown up pretty regularly before, but also Dohle bodies and nuclear vacuolation, which were new. His hematologist scheduled him to return for updated labs in three months and said she might want to do another BMB pending what the peripheral blood shows. His first and so far only BMB two years ago showed 25% cellularity and no significant dysplasia. Because I know his hematologist likely wouldn't be talking about doing another BMB if she thought everything was still stable, I'm finding it hard not to start googling the lab findings and reading random web sites that pop up. If anyone has experience with these kinds of lab findings, I'd be grateful for any words of advice or wisdom! Are they just signs of bone marrow under stress?

So, that's our story. I really admire how supportive you all are of one another and wish everyone the best in your journeys. Thanks!