Hello,
As some of you may know I do have another blood disorder as those of you. My disorder* is called pyruvate kinase deficiency.
Research is done, but very little, lot is unknow and the newest research which started in summer '10 takes ofcourse a lot of time. I think i might think about it again in 2015.
However, the medical treatment of PKD is different everywhere, but more and more I see the "thal-treatment". One of the biggest problem is, from my opinion, the low hemoglobine levels one lives with.
After a splenectomy one often does not need any blood transfusion or only two a year. The problem exist by both groups, but I will focus on the last. Those often receive only a blood transfusion when hemoglobine drops so low as 6 or 7 gl/dl. I see this also happening with very young children. It is like I know the dangers, but they do not seem those. Maybe it is my age; I am only 23 year old, so what do I know?
Tonight I read again about this and I felt helpless. I do not know very well how to explain and teach this people carefully about this. Would you like to help me and offer me ideas/stories?
Thank you in advance
PS blood transfusion can also be replaced for iron chelation. Some people do not see the danger of excess iron which fears me too. In the past few months i have lost 6 friends and close ones to other friends to these diseases. One of them commit suicide. I fear she did not know how fond of her I was. I want to prevent other deaths; atleast I can try my very best... Not?
Edit: *= disorder is what the Dutch researcher used for PKD at a conference in Madrid in december 2010.