I had my appointment with the hematologist on Friday morning and based upon my eosinophil count from my last two blood tests, I may have Hypereosinophil Syndrome (HES), a rare blood disorder.

The high levels of eosinophils can be caused by two things; a reactionary result from a parasite or other allergy or an issue with the bone marrow creating too many eosinophils. I've already tested negative for a myriad of parasite tests and food allergies so I don't believe this to be the cause, but to determine if the bone marrow is the cause, I will be having a bone marrow aspiration and biopsy this Thursday. Additionally, HES can cause additional organ damage (already indicative in my digestive tract) so I will be having an Echo-cardiogram this Friday.

Results from the bone marrow aspiration/biopsy will not be back for a few weeks. If the results come back as Reactive Eosinophilia, we'll just need to figure out which parasite or allergy is causing the reaction and fight that. If it is bone-marrow related, the testing being done will identify the specific issue and treatment; anything from polycythemia vera to chronic myleoid leukemia or a couple of other causes. The most likely treatment will be daily medication with the worst case scenario, and this is a very slim possibility, a bone marrow transplant (my doctor has seen only one instance of this and it was 15-20 years ago prior to the medication being created during his residency).

So as if we haven't already been waiting long enough for a diagnosis, we'll be waiting around another few weeks. FYI, if it is HES it is considered cancer as it is a hematologic malignancy, however my doctor was quick to point out that there is a huge difference between this and pancreatic cancer; with HES being able to be managed and I will continue with a long/normal life with minor complications (unless a bone-marrow transplant is required).