So I was recently diagnosed with polycythemia and the doctors words were literally "holy fuck! They didn’t tell you this 7 years ago???
I’m having a very hard time right now because people with this condition are expected to only survive 20 years after the diagnoses. Meaning I have less than 15 years to live. I’ll never see my child graduate high school. I’ll never see them get married. I’ll never get to meet my grandchildren… this sucks. I’m so terrified right now. What am I supposed to tell my wife? What am I supposed to tell my parents? I’m going to die before all of them? How did I upset the universe to deserve this? I’m so scared and I don’t know what to do. L
My father had it. With his medication, he lasted (with good quality of life) until something else got him. What I’d like to point out though, is what “20 years” means in țhis context. That means it came from a study, right? Some people in that study lived less than that, some more. How old is that study then? Or more specifically, how old are the diagnoses and treatments of the people in that study?
Even if that’s very recent study, that means that at least some of the group started their treatment in the 90s or earlier. You’ll have more modern treatments based on what’s been learned since then, before even considering what will be learned during the long course of time you’ll have this. There’s more hope than you’re allowing yourself here.