Health update: bone marrow biopsy and blood cell count

Yesterday I got the results of both my biopsy of two weeks ago and last Friday's blood count.

First the counts -

• my white blood cell count (CBC) is a little low at 3.1 (normal is 4-11).
• Red cells (RBC's) a little low at 3.98 (normal 4.2-5.6)
• Hemaglobin is 12 (normal 13-17)
• My platelets are normal.
• One of the key components of my WBC was labelled the GR cells in other reports - in this report it has a different name and seems within normal range.

The bone marrow report runs to five pages.

Here's part of the "MD comment": This is a mildly hypocellular marrow with normal numbers of megacarocytes.

Here is the "impression": Mildly hypocellular marrow with some erythroid dysplasia.

As these kinds of reports frequently are, there is an element of ambiguity with a "close clinical follow-up with re-biopsy recommended." But at least it seems to confirm that I do not have this Myelodysplasia syndrome (MDS), which is the big concern, and would be very serious.

I will be having another CBC tomorrow and will try and get the results the day after Christmas. It will be interesting to see how my white count is, since it will be exactly one month since Dr. Zelentez gave me a shot of Neulasta (the white blood cell booster that's frequently advertised on television) and in the past my count three to four weeks after the shot have been around 2.0. Hopefully it will be higher then that.

And two weeks from tomorrow I will be seeing the hematologist, Dr. Klimek, who by then will have further studies from the bone marrow biopsy - the cytogenetic study.

Go here if you are interested in my first meeting with Dr. Klimek.Tom Faranda's Folly: Health update: meeting with the hematologist

Comments

[Theresa]

Sounds like your report was relatively good...praying....