Information and Support for MPD's
Our Personal Journey With a Myeloproliferative Disease
Myeloproliferative Diseases
When platelets get high, it can become a risk for a stroke. The normal range for blood platelets are between 150,000 and 450,000. Keeping them stable sometimes means you will be taking Hydrea or (Hydroxyurea) Peg-Intron Interfern, or Pegasys Interferon. On this site I usually mention what John has taken, or is taking other than try to mention things I'm not familiar with. The only way to find out everything you need to know is to research it. That's what I want to do with this site in the future, so you don't have to look all over the web for information. If you have information you would like to share, I will be happy to add it to my site. Please feel free to look at my blog for information on what John is gong through with his journey. I keep a personal journal for myself, and I recommend you create a personal journal for yourself, either in a notebook, your word processor, or a blog. Blogs can be set to private.
Sharing News About MPD's
Someone posted this on the MPD Email List. I wanted to share it since sometimes a high platelet count can contribute to a stroke. John did have a mild stroke a year ago, and his platelets once reached two million.
STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours
he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke. He said the trick was
getting a stroke recognized; diagnosed, and then getting the patient
medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Remember the '3' steps, STR. Read and Learn!
Doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three
simple questions:
S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE
(Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 999/911
immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue
Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his
tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other,
that is also an indication of a stroke.
