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@cec2 Hi, if you don't mind, I'll add my information here. I am ET with JAK2 also—age 76, male. When my platelets hit 600, my hem/oncologist told me to take one or two baby aspirin 81 mg/day. I did some deep research on it from many different medical articles. Many doctors suggested their patients split the dose, with one aspirin in the AM and one with or after. The reason was that research showed that the risk of thrombotic cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes, peaks in the morning, particularly between 6 a.m. and noon.

So, taking one in the evening ensures you still have a high level until you take your morning baby aspirin. Made sense to me! So I take mine with breakfast or after breakfast, and with dinner or after dinner.

As far as "dreading" hydroxyurea, please don't have anticipatory anxiety about it. It's been used for 47 years, and many people have no or minor symptoms. I started it 8 months ago at 500 mg/day, and my symptoms are very minor, off and on, skin itching (not a big deal), and sometimes feeling a bit sweaty at night. But I do not sweat much at all—no soaking sheets or T-shirt—and it is again, not painful or very bothersome. I wear bamboo fiber tees and jockey shorts to "wick" away moisture. But as I said, it is a minor percentage of people who have side effects bad enough that they need to quit. The alternative 1-2 drugs have different and, in many cases, worse side effects.

If you want to keep all side effects and also your cancer as stable as possible, switch lifestyles if you have not read about the importance of low-inflammatory diets, daily exercise, weight control, taking anti-inflammatory supplements, stress control, and 7-8 hours of sleep nightly. The Mediterranean Diet and supplements like Omega-3 Fish oil caplets daily have improved my quality of life more than anything else. Those lifestyle changes also keep platelet count lower (high stress raises platelet counts) to a healthier level.

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Replies to "@cec2 Hi, if you don't mind, I'll add my information here. I am ET with JAK2..."

@circawdm
Thank you so much for your reassurances about HU. I've read a good bit about it and the research done with it and other meds prescribed for ET, and HU does (for most people) seem to be the treatment with the fewest side effects and the best tolerated by most. If I have to go on a chemo pill, off the top of my head that's the one I'd prefer unless my specialist has a very good reason for prescribing something different. I also know that many children are on HU for sickle cell disease. It sounds as though we with ET should be very thankful for HU.

My h/o put me on one low dose aspirin immediately and said if my platelets went above 600k he would prescribe a chemo pill. My primary care doctor at my last checkup increased that to two a day related to prior cancerous colon polyps. (He said there is some evidence aspirin may help prevent those, and I'm now at an age where yearly colonoscopies aren't advised.) Your advice about taking one with breakfast and one with dinner in the evening makes sense so that's what I'm doing.

I try to incorporate a lot of the Mediterranean diet into my meals. I don't sleep well but I've had that problem for years. What anti-inflammatory supplements do you recommend?

I do have to watch adding to my supplements because I'm already on a large dose calcium and D supplement for osteoporosis of the lower spine and hip, and on AREDS2 eye vitamins for macular degeneration, both on my doctors' advices. I discontinued my daily multi-vitamin for women because of the other two. When my PCP checked my iron and B levels because of my increasing platelet counts, those levels were normal.

Thanks so much for your very helpful post and best wishes for good health.