Hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES)

Posted by vkartsona @vkartsona, Jun 26, 2019

Hi everyone, my 5 year-old daughter started having rashes early may, and after the first blood exam, the white blood cell count was extremely high (~40,000) with 69% eosinophils. after excluding parasites (toxocara), other external factors, etc. and with a negative marrow exam, we are left with no real answers. Organs (heart, liver, etc) are intact and normal, and there are no other symptoms. She is happy, looks healthy, and has no other issues other than the rashes on the legs. I imagine the next step is cortizone, but wonder if anyone has a similar case to share on the outlook, treatment, process, etc.. thanks

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Profile picture for anne111 @anne111

Does anyone out there know of any children's hospitals that offer stem cell replacement for patients with HES when other more traditional treatments have failed?

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Hi @anne111 I’m so sorry to hear that traditional treatments haven’t been successful for your child’s Hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES). From my understanding, a stem cell transplant (SCT) may be a potential cure for HES but not everyone’s a candidate. So a consultation with a specialist will be your first step.

This website for bmtinfonet.org can be very helpful in locating a pediatric transplant hospital. You can type in the info for your particular needs.
https://bmtinfonet.org/transplantcenters
I also know that Mayo Clinic offers pediatric SCT transplants. If you’d like to request an appointment at one of the Mayo Clinic campuses, either in Rochester MN, Phoenix AZ or Jacksonville FL, here is a link to start the process. http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63

Has your child’s doctor discussed the possibility of a SCT? Did they offer any recommendations?

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Does anyone out there know of any children's hospitals that offer stem cell replacement for patients with HES when other more traditional treatments have failed?

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Hellob she took it for 4 years and all her exams were normal. She has stopped it one year and a half and everything is still normal 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

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Profile picture for vkartsona @vkartsona

Hi @tiffanyq. Have u done exams for parasites? Especially one called toxocara. That was the first thing they searched for while my daughter had very high eosinophils. Unfortunately she was negative on that. But definetely u should do all the parasites exams before u proceed with other exams. This is what they all told us. My daughter’s case was really hard. Her exams showed 79% eosinophils in 140k white cells count. She was treated with imatinib for 4 years. Wishing u all the best!

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Hi @vkartsona Imatinib is a cancer drug. I thought, per your original post, your daughter tested negative on bone marrow test. How is your daughter doing now? Does she still take Imatinib? What was her diagnosis?

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Profile picture for tissyfreeland23 @tissyfreeland23

Thank you for your kindness I truly appreciate it …it helps lift my faith to endure the really hard days 🥰

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Good morning, @tissyfreeland23 I came across your post this morning and realize it’s been a year ago since we last chatted. You’d been going through a terrible time recovering from meningitis and the symptoms/side effects of your HES (hypereosinophilic syndrome).
I surely hope you’ve had some positive improvements! How’s your health been over this past year?

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Profile picture for Justin McClanahan, Moderator @JustinMcClanahan

Hello @lexgp, I moved your discussion to an existing discussion titled "Hypereosinophilic Syndrome" -https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hypereosinophilic-syndrome/ so you could meet members @vkartsona, @zenk, @tiffanyq, and @tissyfreeland23 who have all discussed having this diagnosis as well.

The discussion is in the Blood Cancers & Disorders support group, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/blood-cancers-disorders/.

@lexgp, are you awaiting the results of your bone marrow biopsy to confirm your diagnosis, or is your diagnosis already confirmed?

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Still waiting for the results of my bone marrow biopsy.

Yahoo Mail: Search, organise, conquer

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Profile picture for lexgp @lexgp

Was diagnosed with Hypereosinophilic Syndrome without experiencing any symptoms. As of now awaiting the results of my bone marrow biopsy. I'm 74 years old and had an Angioplasty and Prostatitis.
Is HES curable?

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Hello @lexgp, I moved your discussion to an existing discussion titled "Hypereosinophilic Syndrome" -https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hypereosinophilic-syndrome/ so you could meet members @vkartsona, @zenk, @tiffanyq, and @tissyfreeland23 who have all discussed having this diagnosis as well.

The discussion is in the Blood Cancers & Disorders support group, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/blood-cancers-disorders/.

@lexgp, are you awaiting the results of your bone marrow biopsy to confirm your diagnosis, or is your diagnosis already confirmed?

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Was diagnosed with Hypereosinophilic Syndrome without experiencing any symptoms. As of now awaiting the results of my bone marrow biopsy. I'm 74 years old and had an Angioplasty and Prostatitis.
Is HES curable?

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Profile picture for Lori, Volunteer Mentor @loribmt

Oh my dear, @tissyfreeland23, you have been in world of hurt for so long. I’ve read through all of your replies a couple of times and marvel at your tenacity to endure all of the events and obstacles tossed in your path. We’re not talking pebbles…more like an avalanche of boulders. If I were sitting across from you right now, knee to knee, we’d be doing what my daughter always referred to as the head bump of compassion…noggins together with nothing but shared silence. It’s what we do when there are no words to convey the emotions felt.

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Thank you for your kindness I truly appreciate it …it helps lift my faith to endure the really hard days 🥰

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Profile picture for tissyfreeland23 @tissyfreeland23

april in 2018 I was on 60 mg of prednisone and 2000 mg of hydroxyurea. I was taking this for about three weeks. It seem to be getting my levels under control but I had no immune system whatsoever. I contracted a headache on a Saturday afternoon and it was so severe it felt like I was being stomped on. I remember asking for a cold compress from my partner and he brought it for me and that's the last I remember after that. Everything is a blur no memory moving forward to Monday at 5 PM when Ed found me on the toilet speaking in gibberish, and when he went to move me, I became violent he had no idea what was wrong with me. Call the ambulance. The ambulance had a hell of a time getting me out of our second floor apartment I was a combative and Ed said it was unbelievable. I've never seen anything like it. They take me to the ER here locally to my local hospital, which is two blocks away and from there they proceed to test me for everything they have no idea what's wrong with me finally they do a lumbar puncture and find out that I have meningitis after much testing and putting me in the ICU. Because I was so near death, they determined that I was suffering from listerial meningitis with Meno encephalitis with sepsis I was in the ICU for seven days. The doctors told Ed to get the family in because I wasn't gonna make it. They didn't think I could make it. They put me in a semi coma to keep me calm and put me on a ventilator. I apparently had an issue and pulled the ventilator out and ripped my esophagus and pulled my front tooth loose so they had to re-intubate me during that time. It was rough. I was covered with cuts, bruises and everything when I came to, I have no memory of it at all. only thing I can remember is my one of my closest friends and her daughter standing over telling me you've got this please fight we love you I don't remember anybody else just those two. It was weird when I finally did come to and they pulled the intubation tube out I was a mess I've never fully recovered from this. It changed my life forever so they took me off the hydroxyurea and that high dosage of prednisone to try to regulate my disease with just the prednisone after I left the hospital with. My recovery was the least of a happy time I spent more time in the hospital than I did at home for the next two years my Mutant eosinophils fills are slowly eating my organ tissues, I'm not a candidate for the other drugs that they have on the market that they use for people with severe asthma I can't pronounce the names of them but I would've tried to put me on them and they don't work for me either so I'm just using prednisone and the doctors have determined just to keep me as comfortable as possible. They've given up on me because they don't know anything about the disease my string apparently does not have the t blast factor That's some strains due, which would be more of a Milo proliferative disorder more like leukemia what I have mimics leukemia in that every bit of my body responds like it. I have leukemia, but leukemia you can cure. You can come back from that this you can't my eosinphil levels cyclically jump from up to no normal to normal. I'm a medical anomaly apparently anyway I wish the hydroxyurea had worked. I wish there was a medication that could help me live longer. I wish there was a medication that could've allowed me to work and still be a productive member of society, but I'm still a member of my family. I still have close friends and family who love me and support me and you're there to lift me up when I have my low days I'm 59 years old. Still vital young in my brain, but my body is turning on Me. I have no immune system still so I have to be very careful and I'm prone to infection and I'm allergic to most IV antibiotics that you use for severe infection So I have that to contend with as well I’m not complaining really I’m just talking about it. I don’t like to be a wow with me person I’m always been very positive that’s probably why I’m still alive anyway after my April 2018 incident, I had many other issues, one of which was an infection in my stomach which ultimately led to his two surgeries, and to open wound vacs on each side of my stomach, it was hell excruciating pain not really sure how it all happened came from a Lovenox shot. My stomach turned black from my pelvic bone to underneath my breast all the way around I blew up like a balloon. I had a hematoma the size of a watermelon. From a Lovenox shot so I could have a colonoscopy because I’m on blood thinners. I’m apparently allergic to it we found that out the hard way let me tell ya oh boy, I thought I could show you pictures your stomach would turn. I was Black literally black never seen anything like it before a hematoma did not subside so they had to go in an operate and remove the dead blood. The wound vacs. We’re on me for 9 to 10 weeks on each side. I had a nurse come in and I have to repack and do the wounds twice a week. But I healed from that without infection, amazingly due to the good care that I had I had a pick line in my neck and IV anabiotic’s over different times at home here administered because I didn’t want to be in the hospital so much I have good doctors and I have a partner who is my caretaker who is become wonderful at his job, and as my companion and supporter I got really lucky there. He doesn’t leave me alone. I guess he takes me to every single doctors appointment. He knows every single thing that goes on he never falters. So I Fight on daily

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Oh my dear, @tissyfreeland23, you have been in world of hurt for so long. I’ve read through all of your replies a couple of times and marvel at your tenacity to endure all of the events and obstacles tossed in your path. We’re not talking pebbles…more like an avalanche of boulders. If I were sitting across from you right now, knee to knee, we’d be doing what my daughter always referred to as the head bump of compassion…noggins together with nothing but shared silence. It’s what we do when there are no words to convey the emotions felt.

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