VivL aged 69 Despite months of severe headaches which I went to my GP about, nothing was done until I had a transient ischaemic attack accompanied with numbness and tingling in my right arm and face. I was 39, very fit, played squash 2 or 3 times a week, swam every morning and walked the…
Uschi K-R aged 69 I was born in Germany but have been living in the UK for the last 45 years, where I raised my family and worked as a teacher of Modern Foreign Languages. In 2013, after a routine blood test with my GP, I was told that I had a slightly elevated haematocrit…
Suzie W, 46 years old. I was diagnosed with ET in 2012 while serving in the RAF. Although my platelets remain at around 1200, I am lucky to be classed as low risk, and I only really suffer with fatigue and itchy ‘burny’ skin. I managed to stay healthy and keep myself from being medically…
Steven S Aged 76 Managing my MPN against a plethora of medical issues I was diagnosed with ET about 30 years ago. This progressed to PV about eight years ago. I also have another kinase-based disorder – Neurofibromatosis type 1 that complicates things a bit. NF1 is a non-driver mutation for MPNs, increasing my risk…
Melanie C aged 55. In March 2020 I had difficulty breathing and was admitted twice to hospital within four days. This was likely the result of a deep vein thrombosis, possibly not the first and resulting in a diagnosis of having had massive pulmonary embolisms for which I was put on blood thinners. Following this…
Mark R – aged 50 Using the bucket of energy wisely. I was diagnosed with polycythaemia rubra vera in 1999, which progressed to myelofibrosis in 2019. This was confirmed by a bone marrow biopsy which showed I am JAK2 positive. When I was first diagnosed in 1999, I was devastated! My wife and I had…