View Single Post
  #9  
Old Mon Jun 10, 2013, 01:07 AM
KMac KMac is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Golden, Colorado
Posts: 103
Hi Curlygirl,

Regarding your question on whether ANC & Platelets bounce around for anyone else with aplastic anemia, my ANC bounces around even more than your son's. Some examples below:

- My ANC was 200 at diagnosis.

- Went down to 0 during ATG.

- Went up to 650 within about 2 weeks post ATG.

- Fell back down to about 100 a week or so after that.

- Started responding shortly thereafter to regular neupogen shots.

- Went as high as 8000+ with neupogen.

- Fell back down to 240 after stopping neupogen.

- Rose to 2800 without neupogen, due to fighting a cold.

- Now, 15 months post-ATG, it bounces around between 500 and 1700. I never know what it is going to be when I go to clinic for my CBC.

My platelets bounce around too, but not as much as the ANC (between about 110 and 150 recently). My Hgb is more stable.

But (knock on wood) I feel pretty good and don't get sick. This is a strange disease. My most recent bone marrow biopsy showed a good number of white blood cells in the marrow, so my doctor thinks it's a mobilization issue, i.e. as my body fights to recover, the marrow sporadically distributes neutrophils, and hopefully as time goes on this will become more stable. That is his optimistic hypothesis. But on the other hand, he's sometime concerned I may still have an active autoimmune process destroying cells, so we consider another round of ATG if my counts were to fall more. I am hoping his optimistic hypothesis is correct!

I think my doctor is excellent. But with aplastic anemia, when counts bounce around, the reason is often a mystery to even the best doctors.

But despite these uncertainties, the ATG/cyclosporine treatment has given me my life back. I work, ski, climb mountains - I am so grateful for it.

I hope for the best for your son as he goes into ATG treatment.

Best Wishes,
__________________
Kevin, male age 45; dx SAA 02/2012 - Hgb 5.8, platelets 14, ANC 200, 1% cellularity. Received ATG 03/2012. As of 03/2015, significant improvement - Hgb 15, platelets 158, ANC fluctuates around 1000, Lymphocytes 620. Tapering cyclosporine. BMB 20-30% cellularity.

Last edited by KMac : Mon Jun 10, 2013 at 01:24 AM.
Reply With Quote