I was diagnosed with Severe Aplastic Anemia Aplastic Anemia: (ay-PLASS-tik uh-NEE_mee-uh) A rare and serious condition in which the bone marrow fails to make enough blood cells - red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The term aplastic is a Greek word meaning not to form. Anemia is a condition that happens when red blood cell count is low. Most… on February 1, 2011, just 10 days after being in a car accident and getting staples in my head. This couldn’t have come at a worse time because I was in my final semester at Central Connecticut State University.
Before my diagnosis, I noticed a rash all over my legs (which I later learned was Petechia), and weight loss. I lost 17 pounds in 10 days, but I thought it was part of “biggest loser challenge” at work. I went to a walk-in clinic because I had cold symptoms, so the doctor gave me prednisone prednisone: Prednisone a man-made version of a hormone produced naturally by the adrenal gland that can help reduce inflammation and stop allergic responses. It is prescribed when the body is not producing enough of this chemical on its own. How does it work? For PNH, it may be used to decrease… and a z-pack, but also ordered blook work. The next day I had a panicky-sounding voicemail from the doctor who said he had my blood test results and I needed to go to the emergency room immediately. It was a crazy blizzard that day too---he said if I couldn’t drive myself then I needed to call an ambulance.
It was the scariest voicemail I’ve ever received.
That hospital ran more blood work because they thought there was a lab error. When they received the same results, they sent me to another hospital by ambulance for a bone marrow biopsy bone marrow biopsy: A medical procedure to remove a small piece of solid bone marrow using a needle that goes into the marrow of the hip bone. The solid bone marrow is examined for cell abnormalities, the number of different cells and checked for scarring of the bone marrow. to check for leukemia. Thankfully, I had severe aplastic anemia, not cancer, but the two have very similar symptoms. It’s hard to tell them apart without a bone marrow biopsy.
Due to my new diagnosis I had to take a medical leave of absence from school and had to quit both of my jobs. In short order I was admitted to Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven Hospital for 10 days of ATG treatment, hoping to “re-boot” my immune system.
About a month later, the doctors told me that the treatment didn’t work. The only other option was a bone marrow transplant bone marrow transplant: A bone marrow transplant (BMT) is also called a stem cell transplant (SCT) or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT).The procedure replaces unhealthy blood-forming stem cells with healthy ones and offers some patients the possibility of a cure. But for many patients, a BMT is not an option due… . My name was added to the donor registry and soon after the hospital called me with the good news that they found a donor, a perfect match!
In late August of 2011, I had my bone marrow transplant and began my journey down the long road of recovery. This road got much longer when I was admitted to the hospital for a month in October to treat Graft vs Host disease. During this month-long stay at the hospital, I was in a lot of pain. I was given a lot of medications that made me sleep most of the time, causing severe muscle atrophy in my legs. Once I was able to finally leave, I had a physical therapist come to my house twice a week to teach me how to re-learn how to do basic things such as keep my balance and walk up and down my stairs. I had to take about 30 pills a day, including insulin thanks to my newly developed Diabetes.
Despite what seemed like a never-ending battle, I was able to finish my bachelor’s degree at CCSU and even made the Dean’s List! Finally, I was able to work again. I met my donor, Gio, and I keep in touch with him to this day, even attending his wedding.
Now I am SAA free and have a 6-month-old daughter, Madison, who is the love of my life. I have a few lingering symptoms, including dry eyes (I’m not able to produce tears anymore - that’s due to the radiation I received before my transplant). I also have avascular necrosis in my ankle which will require surgery to correct. I’ve already had the same surgery in my left elbow.
I would tell someone newly diagnosed that it is a very long, hard, road ahead but the road eventually ends. Aplastic anemia is a terrible disease, but it’s a curable one. You have to stay as positive as you can and know that things will get better.