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On April 15, 2007, my husband Jeff, age 39, tucked our two and three year old boys into bed. He suddenly yelled down to me in a concerned voice, “Honey, my vision is slightly distorted, and it must be a migraine. I’m going to lay down for a bit.”
I was not extremely concerned since Jeff had gotten migraines in the past. But the next day, the other eye was also adversely affected in the same way…
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I was diagnosed with MDS (RAEB-2 -
Refractory
Refractory:
Not responsive to treatment or cure. For example, refractory anemia is a low red blood cell count that doesn't respond to standard treatments.
Anemia
Anemia:
(uh-NEE-mee-uh) A condition in which there is a shortage of red blood cells in the bloodstream. This causes a low red blood cell count. Symptoms of anemia are…
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I was 19 years old when I found out that I had low blood counts. At this time I was just starting college and also working three different jobs. I was having extreme stomach pains and abnormal periods. I went and saw my gynecologist and routine tests showed my low blood counts. I was then sent to the local
hematologist
hematologist:
(hee-muh-TOL-uh-jist) A doctor who specializes in…
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Cyclosporine
Cyclosporine:
Cyclosporine is used along with antithymocyte globulin (ATG), another immunosuppressant, for treating aplastic anemia and some other forms of bone marrow failure.
is a drug that lowers your body's immune response. Cyclosporine is used along with
antithymocyte globulin
antithymocyte globulin:
ATG is an immunosuppressant, a drug that lowers the body'…
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Between 600 and 900 people are diagnosed with
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…
each year…
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What is Graft vs Host Disease or GVHD?
There are two types of GVHD that can range from mild to life-threatening:
Acute GVHD most commonly occurs within the first 100 days after transplant and, while it can affect any part of the body, it typically affects the patient’s skin, liver, stomach and intestines.
Chronic GVHD happens more than 100 days after…
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This is an individual decision and should be discussed in detail with your doctor and the medical team that would be involved in either treatment approach. They can help you understand your specific risks and potential benefits of these options.
The main goal of
aplastic anemia
aplastic anemia:
(ay-PLASS-tik uh-NEE_mee-uh) A rare and serious condition in which the bone marrow fails to…
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When
bone marrow
bone marrow:
The soft, spongy tissue inside most bones. Blood cells are formed in the bone marrow.
transplants were first done, doctors used actual bone marrow from a donor. This was put into the patient’s blood stream where it would find its way to the bone marrow and started to grow. This process was called a
bone marrow transplant
bone marrow transplant:
A…
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Because you have PNH, everyday events can be more risky for you than for healthy people. Here are some examples.
Airplane Travel and High Altitudes
The farther you get from earth, the less oxygen there is. If you have
anemia
anemia:
(uh-NEE-mee-uh) A condition in which there is a shortage of red blood cells in the bloodstream. This causes a low red blood cell count. Symptoms of anemia…
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It is important to weigh both the risks and the benefits of a
bone marrow
bone marrow:
The soft, spongy tissue inside most bones. Blood cells are formed in the bone marrow.
/stem cell transplant. A transplant doctor can answer your questions and help you decide if a transplant is an option for you.
A
bone marrow transplant
bone marrow transplant:
A bone marrow transplant (BMT…
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If you have a bone marrow failure disease like aplastic anemia, MDS or PNH, and your doctor thinks you may be a candidate for a bone marrow or stem cell transplant, you should start looking for a donor now. It can take a long time to find a matched donor. This section provides information and resources on bone…
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Doctors will sometimes refer to certain treatments as supportive therapy or
supportive care
supportive care:
Care given to improve the quality of life, or comfort, of a person with a chronic illness. Supportive care treats the symptoms rather than the underlying cause of a disease. The goal is to help the patient feel better. Patients with low blood counts may be given blood…
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My odyssey with
bone marrow failure
bone marrow failure:
A condition that occurs when the bone marrow stops making enough healthy blood cells. The most common of these rare diseases are aplastic anemia, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). Bone marrow failure can be acquired (begin any time in life) or can be…
diseases began on Mother’s Day,…
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Because you have
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…
, everyday events can be more risky for…
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The
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…
& MDS International Foundation focuses much of…
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This article was originally published in the MDS Beacon by David Steensma, MD, FACP. Dr. Steensma is a physician at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. His primary area of research focuses on myelodysplastic syndromes and related conditions. Dr. Steensma also serves as a member of the AA…
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What is myelofibrosis?
Researchers believe that myelofibrosis is caused by abnormal
stem cells
stem cells:
Cells in the body that develop into other cells. There are two main sources of stem cells. Embryonic stem cells come from human embryos and are used in medical research. Adult stem cells in the body repair and maintain the organ or tissue in which they are found. Blood-forming (…
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This article describes some of the most common types of research articles published in medical journals. Medical journals publish many types of articles not discussed here. A comprehensive list is available from the National Library of Medicine.
Research articles can be primary or secondary. A primary research article describes the design, methods, and results of a study. A secondary research…
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When the
bone marrow
bone marrow:
The soft, spongy tissue inside most bones. Blood cells are formed in the bone marrow.
fails to keep up with the body's needs and doesn't produce enough red cells, white cells or platelets, or when those blood cells that are produced are damaged or defective, you have
bone marrow failure
bone marrow failure:
A condition that occurs when the…
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One important test your doctor will ask you to get is a complete blood count, or CBC for short. The CBC measures the number of each blood cell type in your blood sample. Below are the types of information the CBC measures.
Red blood cell count (RBC) measures the actual number of red blood cells in a given volume of blood. A low count is called
anemia…
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