[junglegirlsue]

My Mom is 76 and was diagnosed with MDS six weeks ago. She went in for a heart stint and was so anemic they had to do a transfusion before doing the stint. She left the hospital at 10 for hemoglobin(?). She is low in red blood cells but ok on the lother levels. I think that is the test. Two weeks later she droped to 8.1 so they gave her a shot of aranesp with no transfusion. Seven days later she was up to 8.8. Four days after that she was up to 9.2. Two days later she droped to 8.1 so they gave a second dose of Aranesp.

Does anyone know what the key is to going up and down on Aranesp? Is there a corelation between physical exertion and your numbers going down? or diet? The doctor said that the drop from 9.2 to 8.1 in four days may have been due to sugar. She ate a couple of bags of left over easter candy. Can anyone confirm that with experience?

Also I am arguing with her that she needs to not do so much and maybe her numbers will build. Is that true. My Mom is very active, she heads the bridge group at the senior center. So she doesn't sit around. I live with her with my 3 year old too. She usually did all the house work. I keep telling her to let me do it and conserve her energy. She won't believe that stuff like that effects her numbers. Who is right? She thinks that as long as she can sit and catch her breath between activities she is ok.

Tonight she was lifting 30 pound bags of fertilizer and fertilizing the lawn while I argued with her that she couldn't do that anymore and we needed to hire it done. Does it hurt? How much should you do or not do and does it effect the numbers? I would appreciate any feed back.