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Originally Posted by stayinghopeful
The doctos explained that MDS doesnt have stages, so based on his levels before any blood transfusion (see above), is his condition bad? I mean, his blood count was normal back in Nov.
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Hey Stayinghopeful!
I'm a 54 year-old guy with MDS. It is a bit of a shock to be diagnosed, but your Dad definitely has a variety of treatment options. And he has you to get on the internet and participate on forums like this, which are full of knowledgeable folks who've been down the same road.
MDS doesn't have "stages," but there are "scoring systems," and it's really important to figure out your Dad's score, because that has implications for what kind of treatments might be best now and in the future. Your Dad's hematologist will likely have already calculated something called his "IPSS score," which is based on the number of low counts, the percentage of immature white blood cells in his marrow (called "blasts"), and the number and kinds of chromosomal abnormalities in his marrow. It's useful to know that number.
Is your Dad seeing an MDS specialist?
Do you know the name of the drug that your Dad will be treated with?
Take care!
Greg
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Greg, 59, dx MDS RCMD Int-1 03/10, 8+ & Dup1(q21q31). NIH Campath 11/2010. Non-responder. Tiny telomeres. TERT mutation. Danazol at NIH 12/11. TX independent 7/12. Pancreatitis 4/15. 15% blasts 4/16. DX RAEB-2. Beginning Vidaza to prep for MUD STC. Check out my blog at
www.greghankins.com