Hi,

I'm new here and know very little, if anything, about Polycythemia Vera. My last two blood works (from an annual physical) say that I have more red blood cells than I'm supposed to have.  On July 28, 2022, my WBC was 9.5 (range 4.0-9.6), my RBC was 5.84 (range is 4.2-5.6), my HGB was 18 (range 13-17) and my HCT was 53% (range 39-51). My WBC was normal. They re-tested me Aug. 2, 2022 and WBC was 7.8, my RBC was 5.8, HGB was 17.6 and my HCT increased to 57%.

It seems strange to me that last Feb. and March 2022, just 4 months earlier, when  I had an angiogram, the doc did a CBC on me twice and my numbers were perfect. Not even near the margins! Can PV come on this quickly? 

Like I said, I don't know anything about PV but I have started reading "Verywell Health" on this site to try and learn. What I've read so far makes me nervous and frankly kinda afraid, not knowing what to expect. I am a 70 year old male.

I already have one incurable disease, Adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN) and can't really walk, along with other symptoms of AMN. I also have some blockage but no stints. The one to my kidneys was 60%.

Will I have to have a bone marrow biopsy? How long and how often will they do "blood letting"? Could that be the extent of the treatment? I have a million questions.

Any advice or sharing your story would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

John

 

This is John again.

I am scheduled for more lab / bloodwork in two weeks. They wany to do another CBC and a JAK2 and EPO to see if I have the PV genes.

Thanks again,

John