It is a big decision to start on hydroxyurea and all of us have a different story. I was first diagnosed with essential thrombocythemia when I was 45 years old. As I had no symptoms and was doing well, the doctor elected to wait until either my platelets reached 1 million or until I had symptoms, to begin taking hydroxyuria (Hydrea). When my platelets reached 1 million, I began to have visual problems, so I began the hydrea when I was 50 years old. I went in for weekly blood tests as we were trying to figure out which dosage of Hydrea worked best for me. I am really lucky as I take 500 mg five days a week and have been on this regimen for 16 years now without any problems! As years went by and my platelets continued to be within normal range, I now only see the oncologist once a year as I have been doing so well. Best of luck to you!