Knowledge Gives Us Hope

My name is Ed and I’m a patient, not a doctor. (See About the Author.) Understanding Myelodysplastic Syndroms (MDS) requires making sense out of a lot of obscure medical jargon. But the effort is worth making. Now I have peace with understanding. I created this web site to speed your understanding and reduce the burden of translation. It is a chronicle of one man’s experience with MDS intended to ease your burden.

What is Myelodysplastic Syndrom (MDS)

MDS is a bone marrow disease. The bone marrow produces three types blood cells:

  • Red Blood Cells:

      blood cells that transport oxygen from the lungs to the tissues,

  • White Blood Cells:

      blood cells that fight infection, attack disease, mediate allergic responses, and heal damage to the body, and

  • Platelets:

      blood cells that produce clotting that stop bleeding.


When the bone marrow produces too few blood cells (cytopenia) you may recognize certain symptoms:

Symptoms of Cytopenias

Anemia*

(low red blood cell count)		 Fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, palpitations and looking pale

Leukopenia*

(low white blood cell count)		 Trouble fighting infection with a host of vague symptoms.

Thrombocytopenia

(low platelet count)		 Bleeding in the skin, appearance of many tiny red dots in the skin, bleeding gums and blood in the stool or urine.
* This is my diagnosis.

Of course, symptoms can have many causes. So, you must press for a diagnosis and learn to interpret the results.