June 20th, 2008 I was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia. I was pale as a ghost and had thousands of symptoms. It all started around the end of April that year. My wife of 7 months and I decided to start exercising. We went to the park to walk and after a few minutes my legs began to cramp. I sat down for a few minutes and still my calfs were rock hard and I couldn't loosen them up. This would happen everytime I walked anywhere.
Soon after I began having very high blood pressure and it was hard to even get around the house. My heart was working double-hard. I could feel my pulse in my chest and lips. I could hear my pulse in my ears like a swooshing sound, and I could see my pulse in my vision like flashing lights in the corners.
My higher blood pressure popped blood vessels in my eyes, which caused spots in my vission. i could read or drive. I was litterally dying quickly, as this all happend within a few weeks.
The diagnosis was difficult to take. A rare blood disease that I had never heard of before was killing me, and I had no information about it at all.
Aplastic Anemia is when your white blood cells begin to attack the bone marrow in your body. This causes a drop in production of blood cells. I was at a critically low red blood cell count.
The treatment was chemo-therapy to wipe out my immune system. This was tough. I was given a list of side effects associated with ATG, the horse hormone I was given to wipe out my immune system. I think I had every reaction they listed. My legs were shaking the bed so hard it rattled, I got a rash all over my body, I was naucious, it was all bad. Even the machines around me were failing, one of the machines actually broke halfway through my treatment from being rattled so much.
I passed out within an hour, which was for the best because I didn't want to experience that.
The week was better. I spent nine days total in the bone marrow transplant ward, completely shut off from most visiters and patients. My wife and mother obviously were allowed to see me after wearing masks, body covers, booties, and scrubbing up really well. I was exausted, but I would walk around my large room with my wife, and sometimes down the hall late at night when everybody else was asleep.
My wife was so good with me. She would stay late to visit, even though she had work in the mornings. She works with children with autism, so her job is demanding and takes a lot of energy, yet she found enough strength without hesitation to support me. She's a wonderfull women.
After nine days I came home, to a new appartment (we had just moved the week I was diagnosed). It was clean and comfy, thanks to me wife. I was taking 17 pills per day, including some anti-naussia meds and anti-anxiety as well. Soon I developped Jondice from the over-medication. I was cut back to 12, then 8 and finally 7 pills per day. This was what my doctor called the sweet spot, not too much but still enough medication to be effective, and it was.
My blood counts have improved back to normal for the most part. My platelets and red blood cells fluctuate at the low side of normal, but I am feel much better. I am able to work again and thank God for everything.
It has been very hard on us. We've been living on one income for 10 months, and my wife struggled to pay all the bills herself.
We aren't out of the woods yet however. I'm not able to do my old work which was very laborous, so I'm having to fight the cut-throat job market to find work. In Sacramento where I live the unemployment rate is over 10% and it's been hard to find anything that will help us catch up to our bills and climb out of the hole we're in. God willing we will climb.
Thanks for reading and allowing me to share with you my experiences with the hardest year of my life. God Bless.
Soon after I began having very high blood pressure and it was hard to even get around the house. My heart was working double-hard. I could feel my pulse in my chest and lips. I could hear my pulse in my ears like a swooshing sound, and I could see my pulse in my vision like flashing lights in the corners.
My higher blood pressure popped blood vessels in my eyes, which caused spots in my vission. i could read or drive. I was litterally dying quickly, as this all happend within a few weeks.
The diagnosis was difficult to take. A rare blood disease that I had never heard of before was killing me, and I had no information about it at all.
Aplastic Anemia is when your white blood cells begin to attack the bone marrow in your body. This causes a drop in production of blood cells. I was at a critically low red blood cell count.
The treatment was chemo-therapy to wipe out my immune system. This was tough. I was given a list of side effects associated with ATG, the horse hormone I was given to wipe out my immune system. I think I had every reaction they listed. My legs were shaking the bed so hard it rattled, I got a rash all over my body, I was naucious, it was all bad. Even the machines around me were failing, one of the machines actually broke halfway through my treatment from being rattled so much.
I passed out within an hour, which was for the best because I didn't want to experience that.
The week was better. I spent nine days total in the bone marrow transplant ward, completely shut off from most visiters and patients. My wife and mother obviously were allowed to see me after wearing masks, body covers, booties, and scrubbing up really well. I was exausted, but I would walk around my large room with my wife, and sometimes down the hall late at night when everybody else was asleep.
My wife was so good with me. She would stay late to visit, even though she had work in the mornings. She works with children with autism, so her job is demanding and takes a lot of energy, yet she found enough strength without hesitation to support me. She's a wonderfull women.
After nine days I came home, to a new appartment (we had just moved the week I was diagnosed). It was clean and comfy, thanks to me wife. I was taking 17 pills per day, including some anti-naussia meds and anti-anxiety as well. Soon I developped Jondice from the over-medication. I was cut back to 12, then 8 and finally 7 pills per day. This was what my doctor called the sweet spot, not too much but still enough medication to be effective, and it was.
My blood counts have improved back to normal for the most part. My platelets and red blood cells fluctuate at the low side of normal, but I am feel much better. I am able to work again and thank God for everything.
It has been very hard on us. We've been living on one income for 10 months, and my wife struggled to pay all the bills herself.
We aren't out of the woods yet however. I'm not able to do my old work which was very laborous, so I'm having to fight the cut-throat job market to find work. In Sacramento where I live the unemployment rate is over 10% and it's been hard to find anything that will help us catch up to our bills and climb out of the hole we're in. God willing we will climb.
Thanks for reading and allowing me to share with you my experiences with the hardest year of my life. God Bless.
