Many of myPICCLine.com’s readers are those who have themselves been, or had family or friends diagnosed with aplastic anemia (AA). There isn’t much patient perspective information out there, deciding against sharing the stories or wise words others have passed along would be a disservice to the entire community.

Below is a recently received e-mail.


“I went through the four days of ATG. Then went on to Prednisone and Cyclosporin; also antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, folic acid, B12, magnesium, calcium etc, u get the idea. At one stage I was taking 43 tablets a day.

I was only home for a week, had to go to the Emergency Room with a high temperature. After three days in the hospital I had two heart attacks because of low hemoglobin. I was sent to ICU, the fever got worse and I spent another three weeks fighting a lung infection.
Two years later I relapsed and had to go through it all again.
The hardest thing for me was the fact that I was never sick and found it very hard to accept. Not being able to be active was bad for me.
I was a person who would do anything physical (a real tomboy all my life) and it I found I lost my physical confidence especially after the heart attacks.

Some days I was so tired I’d think: I can’t do this any more!!!

But I did.

I thought I’m not ready to go yet, there’s things I haven’t done. Time passes and before I knew it I found I was gradually doing all those things again and life is so good so don’t even think of giving up…”

-Helen

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