Another blood-test and consultation today. The results were a bit of a mixed bag... platelets, WCC and neutrophils have all risen a tad but remain well below bottom-limit. Hb has dropped again and is now slightly below bottom-limit. They didn't give me a result for serum ferritin but from the way I feel I suspect that it has risen again. The nerdy counts charts have been updated.
The consultants aren't sure what's going on. The previous three times I was there I've been told that it might be t-MDS (therapy-associated myelodysplastic syndrome), then that t-MDS had been diagnosed, then that I have t-MDS. Now I'm told that I have neither t-MDS nor relapsing AML. In short, they know what it isn't, but they don't know what it is.
I was told that I am now over their two-year hurdle so it's likely I'll make five. I beg to differ - I feel like I'm stuck with one leg either side and my nuts squashed against the woodwork.
I may ask for a second opinion from someone who claims to know about what's known and what's not:
We're in "watch & wait" territory. Another blood-test three weeks hence, then a blood-test and consultation three weeks after that.
If there's one lesson to be learned, it's this:
When I get concerned about a result that's much worse than the trend, I'm told that it's a blip because it's out-of-context...
But when they triumphantly announce a result that's ever-so-slightly better than the trend, I'm told that it's a sign of recovery even though it's out-of-context.
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