"I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO A GOOD NAP!"

Kristin's clinic visit went much better this week. Here are her most recent labs;ANC 2600, HGB 13, PLATELETS 260, WBC 3. Because the ANC is higher than 2600, they will increase the meracaptopurine a wee bit. She is pretty good at taking her meds, but I found one in my car the other day. I thought, "how odd, is that one of Kristin's pills?" sure enough it was. She has no idea how it arrived at that point, nor do I. I wonder if others have escaped their fate also and this is why the count is a little elevated? When I asked why we needed to increase the dosage, I was told that the goal during maintenance is to keep the ANC (absolute neutrophil count, bacteria fighting white blood cells) between 1000-2000. The normal range for a healthy person without "whacked out" labs would be 3000-5000. I knew all of this. But, for a brief and fleeting moment, the burdensome thought had recessed into a corner of my mind and lay dormant. Then, once again, I am reminded that she is still, and will be for another year, immune compromised. Although she has more white blood cells to fight bacteria, and the broviac has been removed, the danger is not as high as it was just a few short months ago.

The procedure went well. She was hit with lots of chemo this week along with prednisone. Yes, we are all on guard! Prednisone makes for a rough week especially when you factor in all the other meds. Thank heaven it is only for 5 days a month. Dr. Lasko attended and started her iv. Kristin made sure she was well hydrated by drinking clear fluids until the 4 hour mark before surgery. (yes sir, you can have clear fluids up until 4 hours of surgery. this window of time is not advertised because it is usually the standard "nothing after midnight" that we are all told. We have gotten this advice straight from the horses mouth so to speak on several occassions) She was the only patient so there was no waiting. Dr. Lasko used lidocaine on her hand for pain and was successful on the second try. She went to sleep right away. Earlier she said she was looking forward to having a good nap. While she was sleeping, Tia Speirs brought in little hair clips to put in her hair. The nice part was that we COULD because she had hair.

Thank you for your kind comments last week. I love you all!

Leslie

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