Reading this last message had me holding my breath! Your poor, sweet sister! That’s just crazy with her insurance provider mandating that her blood numbers have to drop six weeks in a row before approving a biopsy! That should be at the discretion of the hematologist oncologist!

I know her doctor is waiting for the full cytology report from her biopsy before he sees her. But she doesn’t need to be stoic while waiting. There are no awards given for feeling so awful. She may even check in with her oncologist to see if a blood transfusion might be warranted. She may feel a heck of a lot better with an infusion of red blood cells. In the meantime before her appt, if she starts feeling very weak, is extremely fatigued, or has shortness of breath or dizziness she may need to scoot to the ER.

I know this all sounds frightening and it is disconcerting to see your sister suffering. But try not to despair. There is hope for MDS patients. If her MDS is proliferating, her doctor will talk about a couple of treatment options to help restore her to good health. Will you please keep me up to date on your sister?