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How fast do you start to feel hydroxyurea symptoms?
Blood Cancers & Disorders | Last Active: 3 hours ago | Replies (75)Comment receiving replies
mlm0601, I have had little or no effects from taking Hydroxyurea (Hydrea) for 6 years now. I do not know too much about ET but I do know about Polycythemia Vera (PV) which is one of the evil Myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) sisters. I was diagnosed with PV 6 years ago but probably had it long before that. My platelets were in the high 500,000 range, now they are under 400,000. I get tired late in the afternoons and evenings but is that from being 65 years young? Who knows? I find staying active, going to my gymnasium, and being part of 3 volunteer groups helps immensely. I caution you not to look for medical advice on the internet. It is a landmine of partial truths, exaggerations, and wild information. I am told taking Hydrea outweighs the risks of no treatment at all. I wish you the best in your journey. I am about to start another busy day which is how I like it. J.
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Yes, age or ET is one of my constant questions. I'm 70 now.
Just based on how my dad's aging process went with ET, I'd say ET accounts for about half the fatigue issues. He and I were constitutionally similar: high energy, lean, active. We both crashed about age 55-60: falling asleep in our chairs in evening, less stamina, weight gain, and depression from feeling useless.
I may be in better shape because I don't smoke or drink, and I am more adaptable to spending an afternoon reading or knitting (though I am itching to wash screens and rugs now that spring is here). I also started ET treatment earlier, so I hope to avoid the clots and spleen enlargement Dad dealt with.
I recently learned that Dad's biological father died from a massive, sudden coronary embolism at age 61 back in 1959. The biological father's family told me that relatives noted he had become very tired. I have to wonder if ET was an underlying factor. It's not an inherited disease, but researchers think that the tendency to the genetic driver mutations might be.