Thursday, August 17, 2006
Low Counts Today
Mom took me to my appointments today. We were there from 9 am to 3 pm. My white count was down again to 1.0 so my doctor gave me a shot of Neupogen in the stomach to try to boost it. (Oh, that was fun.) I also needed IV's of platelets (count down to 13,000), packed red cells and magnesium. I got the works today.
My doctor doesn't like that my counts are still so low. He said the easy fix would be to get stem cells from the donor. But, we can't do that since she is from Japan. In Japan, they only harvest marrow (no stem cells) and they do have a one time donation policy. Meaning, each donor can only give marrow once in their life. So, next week I have an ultrasound scheduled to see if my spleen is enlarged. I also will have a bone marrow biopsy. If my marrow looks good and if it appears that my spleen is capturing platelets, I may have to have my spleen removed. If not, we just have to wait it out. Hopefully my counts will rise on their own.
I finally sorted through some of my paperwork from the hospital. Andrew counted my direct donated units of blood/platelets. I received over 150 transfusions since my marrow transplant in May. All but a few of the units were direct donations from all of you. So thank you very much again for your precious elixir. I'm still needing transfusions of platelets about once or twice per week and red blood cells about once per week.
The main thing for me at this time is to stick to that low bacteria diet and be extra careful so I won't get sick. The last thing I want is to end up in the hospital. I've been home for two weeks now and am really enjoying it. Love, Nancy
My doctor doesn't like that my counts are still so low. He said the easy fix would be to get stem cells from the donor. But, we can't do that since she is from Japan. In Japan, they only harvest marrow (no stem cells) and they do have a one time donation policy. Meaning, each donor can only give marrow once in their life. So, next week I have an ultrasound scheduled to see if my spleen is enlarged. I also will have a bone marrow biopsy. If my marrow looks good and if it appears that my spleen is capturing platelets, I may have to have my spleen removed. If not, we just have to wait it out. Hopefully my counts will rise on their own.
I finally sorted through some of my paperwork from the hospital. Andrew counted my direct donated units of blood/platelets. I received over 150 transfusions since my marrow transplant in May. All but a few of the units were direct donations from all of you. So thank you very much again for your precious elixir. I'm still needing transfusions of platelets about once or twice per week and red blood cells about once per week.
The main thing for me at this time is to stick to that low bacteria diet and be extra careful so I won't get sick. The last thing I want is to end up in the hospital. I've been home for two weeks now and am really enjoying it. Love, Nancy
