Day + 16 - Down by the Riverside

We headed into clinic this morning hoping for a short day. That's pretty much what we got. Our nurse, Donna, pulled all labs and after giving us the infusers for the afternoon and evening, sent us packing after several hours. Deb wanted to take a short ride in the country because it was a beautiful clear day in Arkansas. She needed a nap first, so we came back to the condo for a little lunch and rest. Later, we drove about ten miles to a park alongside the beautiful Maumelle River. We sat under a large oak tree and just watched the birds, fish, and humans. The humans are the strangest!

It may not sound like much to you, but to Deb, who has had one day off since August 23, it was a delightful hour. It felt pretty good to me also but I was also longing for a fishing rod.

Our labs are looking very good but Deb is still very neutrapenic. It will probably be another week before she can comfortably go into a store or restaurant. 

The basic gist of the coming week looks like recovery for Deb's much-abused body. Daily labs, bringing home infusers for the needed minerals, and the strong antibiotics that help compensate for not having a working immune system. We've had a lot of drama in the past months. Most likely, the next week or so will be a lot more routine. We hope so!

If you did not read this weeks posts, go back and read the stem cell transplant story from yesterday. Do you know anyone else that has had three stem cell transplants?


Blessings!



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White Count-below 2 is neutrapenic and indicates Deb's vulnerability for infection.
Platelets -a whitish colored component of blood. Low platelets=higher Woozy factor!
CRP -An indicator of relative health. Lower is better. When the number creeps up, Deb could be getting sick.
Day  White Count  Platelets  CRP

0         0.04               29              12.8
1         0.07               15              77.0
2         0.03               42            140.3
3         0.07               27            144.1
4         0.23               52            206.0
5         1.21               33            168.2
6         2.32               26            214.0
7         2.29               11            209.3
8         2.84               25            230.2
9         2.32               12            234.1
10       2.66               24            220.1
11       2.50               15            196.0
12       2.54               28            186.0
13       1.98               18            181.0
14       1.22               28            199.9
15       0.95               20            138.6
16       0.83               32            129.4