[Matthew42]

My mother's blood is holding better (still gets blood about 3 times a month) but her platelets are still very low. She doesn't have platelet refractory, however. Her neutrophils jumped up to 1200 and then back to 600, then back up to 1000? It's all really bizarre. He neutrophil average is about 1000 for the past two months.

We're going to discuss Dr. Young's treatment for her on Thursday with her current hematologist (Dr. Young is going through my mother's current hematologist to treat her). I am afraid I was wrong about Rapamune for her treatment (after some research): I believe it's a new drug for severe aplastic anemia called N-plate.

Dr. Young gives way better information than my mother's hematologist. Her doctor never made much ado about her neutrophils going up to 1200 and averaging around 1000 for the past few months. He said that is indeed proof that my mother has responded to ATG/cyclosporine (immuno-suppressant therapy). But she needs something "to boost her over" without going so far as to give her the rabbit-alg. That, I believe, is N-plate (used mainly for people with ITP disease). It has a high success rate for helping aplastic anemics get off platelet and blood transfusions. There is + 80% chance for the person to become transfusion-independent with platelets or blood, and 45% for both. That's pretty good. Of course, there are no guarantees.

^ Disregard what I said about N-plate. That is not the treatment that Dr. Young recommends for my mother. It is the same drug she was currently taking, Promacta, but given a different name (N-plate).