Reticulocyte count

Stuart2412
Stuart2412 Community Member Posts: 20 Listener
in Everyday life

Hi my name is Stuart I have mpn which is a blood cancer I also cannot walk because I have fnd am in a wheelchair due to when I try to walk my legs start shaking I am now having a injection called alpha2b I had my bloodtest today and my Reticulocyte count is high which means my red cells are being destroyed so things are bad and is messing my mental health up bad any advise

Comments

  • Rosie_Scope
    Rosie_Scope Posts: 9,376 Online Community Team

    I'm really sorry to hear you're having such complex health issues @Stuart2412, it's never nice when it's just one thing after another. Has your medical team been able to suggest anything to help with your issues?

    It can be really rough keeping your mental health up when your physical health isn't doing too well. Do you get any mental health support at the moment?

    MPN Voice have some pages about coping that you might find useful if you haven't already seen them: https://www.mpnvoice.org.uk/living-with-mpns/your-state-of-mind/

    I hope the community can be a supportive place to be too. I'm sure lots of our members understand how horrible it can be.

  • MCMikey
    MCMikey Community Member Posts: 64 Empowering

    I hope someone else who is more knowledgeable and/or more aligned with your condition can speak out and help.

    On the injection, i think you need to speak to a professional to decide wether the side effect(s) are worth persevering with in order to achieve its longer-term beneficial goal.

    Best wishes

  • figraspberry41
    figraspberry41 Scope Member Posts: 190 Empowering

    #@stuart2412

    Hi Stuart,

    I am very sorry to hear about your condition, it is not a particular condition that I am familiar with. I have had some of similar conditions as I was a Community Nurse for sometime. Rosie's suggestion is probably a good place to start, if you have not done so already. Have you been signed a McMillan or Specialist Nurse that may be able to offer more support or at least point you in the right direction? Your mental health and well being are as important as you coping with this condition, so perhaps a chat with your GP who should be able to suggest or offer you access to a Mental Health Team, however, it still may take a few weeks to get an appointment. Also, if you are having difficulty getting an appointment with your GP try asking the surgery if there is a Community Practitioner, who also should be able to put you in touch with a Mental Health Team or other people who may be able to support you through this.

    It can be very difficult to decide whether or not to continue with treatment choices, I can appreciate this dilemma, from my own personal experience (but not with injection). Sometimes the side effects create more issues with side effects which make it more difficult to decern which benefits out weigh the negatives of the side effects. In the end only you can decide what you feel is the 'right' thing for you but before you make any 'rash' decisions, please try to find out more information about the treatment and if there are any alternatives that may have fewer side effects (or at least side affects that you can 'live' with).

    I hope this may be helpful to you. Good Luck!

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