Hello, Will. I hope you and your family will be able to connect with other MDS patients from the U.K.
I'm glad to hear about your father's excellent prior fitness. General health can make a big difference for MDS patients. Walking a mile may be a letdown for him, but many MDS patients would be quite proud of themselves to walk a mile with low red cell counts. I guess it's all relative to what you are used to doing.
Was your father hoping to get a transfusion because he was feeling poorly or because he knew his counts were low? While it's nice to have all the energy you are used to having, it's also beneficial to keep the number of transfusions down if you can. Many patients do fine living with somewhat depressed counts. Whether or not he gets transfusions, the risk of infections from having a low white count will be a concern. I hope you are able to talk directly with your father's doctor so you and your father can both get all of your questions answered and understand the treatment plan.
Do you know your father's blast count and his IPSS classification (Intermediate-1, Intermediate-2, High risk)? The
European Commission approval of Vidaza was for Intermediate-2 and High risk cases.