[Hopeful]

Hi CherylP,

I think everyone is giving you great advice here.

I just wanted to add that you can have an aplastic crisis but not have aplastic anemia. Bad viruses, surgery, etc. can cause an aplastic crisis. It is possible for the bone marrow to recover from these events. Perhaps this is what you have as your bone marrow does seem to be recovering. Low normal counts are still normal. Can you recall any bad illness or surgery that you had 2 months before your aplastic crisis?

The cessation of your menstrual cycle is sign that something is amiss. You mentioned that your iron stores are low, and this is something that you should get addressed with your primary care. As mentioned, you should consult with a nutritionalist to check for any other vitamin/mineral deficiencies.

As a point of similarity, I had a few sporatic blood tests done before my diagnosis. They were usually done when I was unusually sick or tired, as I didn't have regular blood tests. In 1998, all my counts were down as I battled a major illness. I eventually got better and didn't bother to have my counts retested. In 2003, I had a child. In 2005, I was unusally tired after recovering from pneumonia and my counts were like yours - low normal platelets, good Hgb, low WBC. I got sick frequently after that, possibly because my WBC were lower than normal (although I never had them rechecked). When I wasn't sick, I felt great. In 2008, I got a really bad virus and 2 months later my marrow failed.

If you ever notice unusual bruising or feel unusually tired, have your counts checked. The fact that you are aware that your marrow may be weakened is a tremendous advantage, as minimizing the delay to diagnosis/treatment minimizes the damage to your marrow.

Stay healthy!