Sorry guys,
I just got out of the hospital the other day.
I handled the ATG treatment very well. I had no rigors or fever at all. It was kind of relaxing. The only real discomfort was my feet hanging over the edge of the bed. (I'm 6'3") Ouch! And the $12 per day television fee at Lahey.
The nurses at Lahey were outstanding though, especially Paula. She was "that" nurse who had been there in the system for 10+ years and knew how everything worked. Anyway, she had 3 other AA patients in her career and all of them did well. She also spoke Portuguese, which was a plus in my book.
On a personal note, I'm a Spanish/German teacher (MA in Spanish linguistics) and was preparing a dissertation proposal when I got hit with this. Oh well!
I was having low counts starting in May. My AA dx took so long because I came back from Mexico with typhoid. The first crew of doctors attributed the pancytopenia to the typhoid. It ended up being a red herring.
Let's see, some of you had questions:
I had three BMBs because the first one was "too small a sample." (Done at a rural hospital)
The second one showed a "possibility" of hypo-MDS.
The third one confirmed that it was "just" AA. The doctor at Lahey sent the sample out to the Mayo and some other clinics to confirm AA.
I'm okay. I just feel really icky at times. My legs have a mild achy feeling
and my hips feel like I've just ridden on a bike for 30 miles. I'm also a little "foggy" too.
I am on such an array of meds right now. It's almost like a fourth meal that I have to chase down with that radioactive mustard. The steroids also taste like poisonous berries. Do any of you have any tips as to how to make the pill-popping go any easier? Hope the taper starts soon!!
I had another CBC done today:
HGB: 9.2 up from 7.6
Plat: 14 down from 20
WBC: .7 (I usually ranged in the low 2's until the ATG. This was at .5 on Friday) The doctors told me that a WBC drop is normal during ATG.
Well, thanks for your interest. This is such a great place for support!