Ruben Mesa, MD, and Srdan Verstovsek, MD, PhD, discuss the disease burden of polycythemia vera and the range of complications, symptoms, and quality of life, as well as current diagnostic criteria.
I was just diagnosed with polycythemia vera 3 years ago, and had to get phlebotomies done every 2 weeks for about 6 months until the doctor told me that I was finished. I went to the American Red Cross to give blood 3 days ago after my oldest sister passed away from brain cancer 2.5 weeks ago, also to get my blood counts lowered. They told me about polycythemia being a cancer of the blood, and that I could never donate again. My doctor had told me a few years ago that he didn't want me to have a blood clot, but not about donating blood.
I have polycythemia and my g/dl count goes up to in the 50's and then I get a phlebotomy and some blood gets drained out. Then finally I ate iron absorption foods and that reduced my iron count some, but it took a while, finally I took diluted Oxalic-acid which reduced my iron ten g/dl 's in four days. I sure feel a lot better now and the polycythemia symptoms left, but I still keep it monitored for caution and safety. I don't recommend this treatment to anyone, but I would think that this is an area that needs to be researched by professional medical personnel. Oxalic-acid is an iron scavenger and foods containing Oxalic-acid reduce iron in the blood.
Well i have been diagonised with this same condition and i didn’t know how serious until now, i am always fatigued, often experience shortness of breath, redness of eyes among many other things, i’ve had phlebotomy done only a few times done over the last 5 years, well any recommendations of the treatment would be highly appreciated
