I had to reply to this also. Mike's ferritin was over 6000 at 5 months post transplant. His HGB was 17. They began phlebotomy at 6 months post transplant. They said they usually begin phlebotomy at one year out, but because of his HGB, they began early. He has never had a problem/side effect from the procedure. They always give a saline drip for half hour after the blood draw. They have been taking 250 ml on a monthly basis, since. This has been 19 months now and his ferritin yesterday was a little over 1500. He has maybe missed a couple of months because of vacations, but as you can see, it takes a while. Be patient with the process.
How are your other counts, otherwise? Mike had issues with elevated liver enzymes. A liver biopsy showed excess iron stores. After a few months doing phlebotomy, the counts normalized. I hope that you are feeling well and enjoying this new gift of life! We certainly are giving thanks for our blessing.
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Mary, wife of Mike age 70; diagnosed MDS RARS 1999. Tried Vidaza, Revlimid, and Dacogen. SCT 10/1/09 at U of MI; induction FluBu2; sister perfect match donor. 5 years out, little to no GVHD. Off all meds. God is good 
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