Diet I’m not going into details but a relative has been diagnosed with Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) last year. We recently have made sure meat is in everyday diet to boost and dried fruit cake raisins r saltanas to help placlet levels. The change has been 3 weeks no placelets and 1 unit blood. A change as my relative was usually 1 unit r 2 units of blood a week and placelets weekly. Medication only is 4 cellcept a day for 6 months. I can’t say it’s a cure r work for others. But dried fruit is good for placelets and meat is iron which helps blood. I want to tell others incase their diet isn’t great and part of reason for weekly blood and placelets treatment in hospital for hrs. My relative was given months to liveas it was terminal it will be a year in April coming 2025 since that diagnosis. I hope this continues and levels stay steady.
Hello there @Scottish1234, welcome to the forum. I’m very sorry to read of your relative being diagnosed with Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and their prognosis, but am glad you’ve found the forum.
Perhaps you might like to read the Blood Cancer UK information about Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS): Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) | Blood Cancer UK
I was diagnosed with a different blood cancer to your relative, called Polycythaemia vera (PV), and was asked by my haematologist to tell him if I ever changed my diet as our blood cells can really react to increases/decreases in nutrients. Previous to my diagnosis I took an iron supplement, but stopped at my haematologist’s recommendation. Perhaps pass those dietary changes by your relative’s specialist just to be sure.
When in doubt, pass any query by the specialist I’d say. Thinking of your relative @Scottish1234 and your obvious care for them.
Hi @Scottish1234,
Welcome to our forum and thank you for your post. I am sorry to hear that your relative has been diagnosed with Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).
Thank you for your information on what has helped your relative. It is really important to eat a nutritious, balanced diet when you have blood cancer to give you energy and eating a balanced diet is a big part of making sure your body works at its best. However, there is no evidence that any special diet or food can prevent or cure blood cancer.
I have enclosed some information on eating well with blood cancer which you might find helpful.
Blood Cancer UK eating well
Take care
Fiona (support services nurse)
I agree it’s not a cure nor advise on what people with this condition should do. I just want to put out there diet can help. Example my relative pre Christmas went for a roast dinner and that week needed no blood transfusion. Then Christmas dinner roast etc had same effect. Plus the Christmas cake had dried fruit and had a positive effect on placlet levels. It’s not a cure more like if you had a choice of facing weekly blood and placlet transfusions and diet can help reduce the need for transfusions so regular then that’s a plus. Because getting needles and canulars waiting hrs for units of blood and placets each week is very hard to cope with after a length of time. I hope I am explaining properly and might help someone. I can have no evidence just experienced my relatives Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) journey thank you. Chemo and transplant isn’t a option because of age