Hello @Macymae123 . Thank you so much for updating us. You have been on my mind a lot lately, especially on Mother’s Day. I am so pleased that your lovely son got the send off that he so deserved. He was obviously loved by many. Sorry to hear that you have contracted covid. I do hope that you are not suffering too much. You have been through so much already. Good news that your platelets have lowered to a respectable 480. My last check was lower too, but not as low as yours yet. 601, instead of 626, but a drop non the less. 
. Take care of yourself and get well soon. 
Love from Chris.
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It sounds like he was a well loved and respected young man. 450 people to pay their respects is so lovely - you must be a very proud mum, albeit a very very hard day for you all.
I’m sorry to hear you are feeling poorly now but great news about your results!
Now time to take care of yourself. Thanks so much for updating us all. Sending lots of love x
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Hi Chris
Thank you for your message. I am so pleased your platelets are going down also.
I still don’t understand the way these platelets work but as long as there going down that’s okay .
Considering I have only been on Asprin it’s not bad. Keep safe my friend . xx
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Hi @Macymae123 . Yes, I don’t understand the science of it either, but like you as long as the platelets continue to go down I am happy with that. I am only on aspirin too, and the turning point for me was when I started cycling every day for half an hour. It reduced my blood pressure and the platelets. Also I cut salt out of my diet and excess fat. It all seems to be working so far. 
. Take care of yourself my friend, and pamper yourself more. You deserve it. Love Chris. Xx:bouquet:
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Hi Maureen,
Just wondering how you are doing. I hope that your platelets have come down. Mine have come down, but so has my blood count. The weather here has been dry and hot for weeks. It makes me tired, so I don’t get out much - but it is uplifting to see the blue sky. I hope that your family is well/ Keep in touch.
Lots of love Kate xxx
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Hi Kate it’s so nice to hear from you 
I’m so sorry to hear you can’t get out as much because of the tiredness. The weather in London is strange, this morning it was chilly but this afternoon the sun is shining and it’s staring to warm up.
My platelets have gone a bit wild, they are now at 1590 
l am currently on interferon which l inject once a week while still taking Hydroxy, all be a reduce dose. So now l have to have an appointment with a Specialist at Guys hospital. My local hospital are at a loss of what to do with me l think!!
The appointment is in a couple of weeks so hopefully the Professor will be able to help. There are another couple of other treatments but one of them has to have permission from her, I think it might still on in trials?? Not sure.
Please look after yourself and l will let you know what happens. Thank you so much for reaching out 
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Hi Maureen, How are you? have you had your appointment at Guys? I have had a bad few weeks. I was staying with my daughter for a week in June. I travelled very light - most unusal for me !. Two days before we were going home, I fell and fractured my hip. I spent five and a half weeks in Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham. the operation was fine, but I an infection and my bloods went haywire. Luckily, the ward doctors, after and initial alarm, cheked all my treatment with the haematlogy dept. I was reall poorly for overaweek, and so drugged up that I never had any pain from the operation. the whole experience at QMC was amazing and the kindness and skill beyond praise. Then, I was transferred to my local hospital where mt haematolgist is based and I have just been told that I am going home on Friday. . My mobility is much comprimised, as I missed so much physio at the start. I can only walk using a frame, but I hope that things will improve. It had taken eighteen months to get my platelet count down to almost 400, but it is back over 1000 now, I hope that the treatment works again. It’s not all bad. I had just had a visit to Waterstones andd bought a bag full of books, which I expected to las t a while. It took me ages to start reading again, but now every day is a book fest!.I do hope to hear from you soo. lots of love Kate xx
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Hi @KateS.
Gosh, it’s sounds like you have really been through it lately.
I’m glad you you were taken good care of in hospital and everybody communicated well.
Make sure you take it easy and I hope you start to get your mobility back day by day.
Enjoy all those books and take good care of yourself X
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Hi Kate it’s lovely to hear from you, you have had a tough time l am so sorry. I hope that you do get home on Friday. Once you are home l
hope that you can become more mobile and that before long you’ll be back to your amazing self.
Platelets have a mind of there own l think 
l wonder if things like your hip and having treatment for that affects it???
My count is hovering at 1200 for the last couple of months, and after my Guy’s appointment l had to have a bone marrow biopsy, ultrasound on my spleen and liver and a Fibroscan on my liver. I was back at Guy’s on Tuesday and the biopsy confirmed my diagnosis of Essential thrombocythemia (ET) and there are no other mutations. Thankfully.
They now feel that they have to try a different treatment and have recommended a certain drugs trial but reading through it l have to have 4 more bone marrow biopsies over the time l am on the trial. Personally l found the biopsy very difficult the recovery was fine but the actual procedure was very difficult, I think it’s just me, and the thought of having 4 more sends my anxiety levels through the roof. So I think l am going to pass on this trail and hope there are different ones down the line.
I hope you are getting through your books l know when l read l can escape into the story.
Please keep in touch and l will be thinking of you and that brand new hip of yours 
Take care and l am sending lots of positive thoughts and love 
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Hi Kate I was just wondering how you are
doing?
I think about you often and hope you are recovering well.
Take care and keep in touch
Lots of love
Maureen
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I will copy your post to @KateS for you
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Hi @Maureen31 . I am wondering how you are getting on with the Anagrelide as that will be the next drug that my haematologist wants me to try. I couldn’t tolerate the hydroxycarbamide, so was taken off of it. My platelets are increasing so it won’t be long before I will be needing the Anagrelide. I have Essential thrombocythemia (ET) with jak2 and MPL mutations. I currently just take aspirin, but because I react badly to several medications, my haematologist has delayed giving me the Anagrelide. I am worried about the side effects of it and whether I will be able to tolerate it, so any information about the side effects you have noticed with this drug will be helpful. I see my haematologist again at the beginning of October, and that will be a year since I was diagnosed. It has been a tough year, coping with fatigue, infections, itching skin, headaches with auras. Just some of the Essential thrombocythemia (ET) symptoms. Getting to grips with this diagnosis has been hard, but I think it is finally sinking in that this is for keeps. The rude awakening came at my last appointment when my platelets had increased to their highest level yet. Thanks for any information regarding the Anagrelide that you can give. I find it helpful to read the posts of other Essential thrombocythemia (ET) sufferers.
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Hi @KateS I can’t, I can only do what I can do on our forum, but I will refer you to Blood Cancer UK @BloodCancerUK-SupportTeam and let’s hope that they can help you.
Just give them time.
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Hi Chris sorry to hear you are not tolerating Hydroxy. I am 2 1/2 years down the line and your symptoms from Essential thrombocythemia (ET) are very similar to yours as well as the night sweats and tingling in my hands and feet. This is only my experience and l don’t want to steer you in the wrong direction but l didn’t get on well with Anagrelide. It gave me heart palpitations. I hadn’t ever experienced palpitations before so l was quite worried about them. It’s a very weird experience and l thought that l was being very over dramatic when it first happened. But it kept on happening. Once l told my haematology doctor she got advice from the consultant and they told me to stop thanking them straight away.
I am now on 135mg of Interferon which is an injection and take Hydroxy as well. I am now under Guy’s Hospital which has dedicated Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) team as well as my local hospital. So going between the 2 for appointments.
Again this was just my experience it may work for you.
Talking about getting to grips with it all I recently had a bone marrow biopsy and my Mum thought that l would be cured. It’s very hard to get your head around having Essential thrombocythemia (ET) l and my family are still learning how to manage this as it’s for the rest of my life. So you are not alone. Please let me know how you get on and take care.
Maureen
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Hi Kate are you getting my messages? Let me know l hope you are ok?
Take care
Maureen
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Hi @Maureen31 if you put an @ before the name someone uses on their posts, they will get the message. @KateS although I think they should still get the message if you are replying to their posts.
Hi @KateS,
I hope you are doing okay today? As erica has suggested please do get in touch with us should you continue to have issues connecting back into the forum- Blood cancer information and support by phone and email | Blood Cancer UK
Best Wishes, Lauran
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Thank you @Maureen31 for your reply. I did discuss interferon with my haematologist, and that would be what he would want to try if I don’t cope with the Anagrelide. I do tend to be very sensitive to several medications. That is why he stopped the hydroxycarbamide, as my body had a very bad reaction to it. They did test my heart some months ago in readiness for the Anagrelide, but I don’t like the idea of a drug that damages the organs. There doesn’t seem to be any easy options with this, and like you said, we are stuck with it for life. The interferon comprises the immune system, and after the reaction I got with hydroxycarbamide doing that I am not keen on that either. My experience so far is that the treatment made me feel worse than the cancer itself. It’s a pity that there doesn’t seem to be a treatment with less vicious side effects.
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Perhaps @Chris1 asking if there is a treatment or dosage with less vicious side effects is a good question to ask your haematologist?
Look after yourself and please keep updating us