How I feel / What it's like living with this disorder.

This condition is a strange one  as there are several different aspects that affect my daily life.  First things first, I don't feel sick or ill. Being aplastic anemic means I'm exceptionally low on blood cells (red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets).  Red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the muscles in the body, white blood cells prevent infections and fight disease, and platelets stop bleeding and prevent excessive bleeding.  Living with this condition means: fatigue, reduced ability to fight infections and an increased risk of bleeding.  None of those symptoms necessarily equate to me feeling bad.  That's probably the strangest thing about this particular disorder.  I feel relatively normal, especially because I was in relatively good (who are we kidding...) excellent (closer), bullet proof tiger shape.

As a result my day to day life is only affected by the precautions I must take to ensure that I do not become sick.  These precautions include, but aren't limited to: washing my hands 10+ times per day, wearing a mask in public, avoiding touching door handles, not smelling flowers, not eating raw foods of any kind (fruits, veggies, greens), avoiding people in general, not making out with women (a sad day for the greater sex).  The tough part about the day to day is feeling like an isolated shut-in.  I realize it's temporary, but these are the things that I struggle with more than any physical illness.

I will make it through this because of the wonderful support, love and attention provided by my friends and family.