Symptoms and my day-to-day life

Hey everyone!

Today I want to share with you how I live with myelofibrosis. I know it's not an easy topic, but I think that making this disease visible and supporting each other is essential.

My main symptoms are an enlarged spleen and tiredness. The spleen is an organ that helps filter blood and fight infections, but it can cause discomfort and complications when it's large. In my case, I have a splenomegaly of 18.5 cm when the normal would be around 11 cm. It gives me sudden, unpredictable twinges in my abdomen, especially when I eat fast or am hunched over. So I stay still and take a deep breath until it passes.

Tiredness is another prevalent symptom of myelofibrosis. It makes me feel weak and without energy, especially after work. Some days I can't even get off the couch. For this reason sleep is vital to me; I need to rest well to regain my strength.

Another frequent symptom is bruising. I don't know if it's just myelofibrosis or something else, but I always get bruises, even if I take a slight bump. I've been like this since I was little, and it makes me a little anxious about what anyone might think, but in the hot Spanish summer, it's impossible not to wear shorter clothes. Anyway, I have an excellent team of medical professionals who help me, and anything I see out of the ordinary, I turn to them.

I hope that my testimonial was helpful to you and that you are encouraged to share your case if you also have myelofibrosis or a similar illness. Together we are stronger, and we can help each other. See you soon; a hug!