Health Update

 I have been a diabetic for over thirty years and struggled with keeping my A1c in a healthy range. This struggle has resulted in not being able to have a knee replacement. Early this year, I spoke with my endocrinologist about possible knee replacement, and he felt that I was ready. I met with the surgeon, and he agreed if I could get all my doctors to sign off on the surgery.

I met with my kidney specialist, who ordered a blood test and a renal ultrasound of my kidneys and bladder. The blood work showed a high red cell, white cell, and platelet count. This was on May 22, 2024, at 9:09 a.m. My platelet count was 1135 103/mm3. The normal range is 150-450 103/mm3. She referred me to Hematology Oncology at Witham. I was able to see them on July 16, 2024. I met with the doctor, and he told me that my platelet count was high and that he needed to determine the cause. He explained platelets are parts of the blood that help form blood clots. Thrombocytosis is a disorder in which your body produces too many platelets.

It is called reactive or secondary thrombocytosis when the cause is an underlying condition, such as an infection.

Less commonly, when the high platelet count has no apparent underlying condition as a cause, the disorder is called primary thrombocythemia or essential thrombocythemia. This is a blood and bone marrow disease. He told me to take an aspirin daily and an iron supplement, and he would see me in two weeks.

The doctor had a family emergency and canceled the appointment. I told the office lady that I was scheduled for knee surgery and needed the doctor to sign off on the surgery. She scheduled another doctor for August 6, 2024. This doctor told me that my blood test came back  with high platelets at 1111 103/mm3, and he would need to do a bone marrow biopsy. The report came back that I had Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), also called chronic myelogenous leukemia. It is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood cells. Blood cells that should become white blood cells (WBCs) do not fully grow. These cells do not fight infection like a normal WBC should. They crowd the bone marrow, preventing normal blood cells from growing and fighting disease. I had no signs or symptoms. Many people learn that they have CML after blood is drawn for tests during a regular medical exam. This may have been the reason I lost my little toe to infection. I had over six weeks of antibiotic infusions to treat infection in my foot.

There are three phases:

• The chronic phase is a period of relative stability, where signs and symptoms are minimal. The CML cells are confined to the blood and bone marrow, without spreading to other body parts. This phase is often the most responsive to treatment, and it's where I find myself currently, instilling a sense of hope and optimism.
• The accelerated phase means you have more signs and symptoms. You also have more CML cells in your blood and bone marrow, which usually have not spread to other body parts.
• The blast phase means there are many more CML cells in your blood and bone marrow. These cells have usually spread to other parts of the body, such as the spleen and liver, and they may be growing faster.
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On August 23, 2024, I underwent a crucial iron infusion, underscoring the urgency and importance of managing my health condition. I go back in four weeks to see if the treatment is working. This is all I can tell you at this point. I thank everyone who has voiced their concern and prayers. There are many more people with health issues greater than mine. i am glad this is treatable,