I got all of my results back from my blood work and bone marrow aspiration yesterday. I already had a diagnosis of myelofibrosis but I didn't know if it was primary or secondary and until I knew, I didn't want to panic. It's secondary which is a great thing! I will be having blood work done on a regular basis and follow the course of treatment that I decide on. I'm not ever going to have an easy path but I'm so thankful to have a path to follow!
If I had been diagnosed with primary myelofibrosis, then the prognosis would have been pretty bleak. I would have been given a survival rate of between 5 to 7 years. There is no effective treatment for primary myelofibrosis in my case. Lupus complicates every health problem whether it's obvious or not. I'll always have to be vigilant because the only consistent aspect of lupus is it's inconsistency! I'm not going to hear hoof prints and think "horses" from this point on because sometimes it really is a zebra.
I'm still processing all of the information that I've been given and I haven't quite pegged down what I'm going to do for a course of treatment yet because I just didn't know what I was planning for. It's going to be complicated because I have multiple system involvement with lupus and it's not helping to still be in the same flare that I was in a year ago. Whatever I do, the biggest piece of getting healthier will be keeping opportunistic illnesses in check and keep up with regular blood testing.
While the news is awesome and I am thankful for it, I know how easily it could have gone the other direction. I know that I'm at risk for blood related cancers and today's negative isn't a guarantee for the results that I'll get the next time around. I'm just incredibly thankful for now.
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