The counts did go up 0.4 in two days which is another little step in the right direction. We went to see him tonight and the girls were hungry so I went to the cafeteria to get them something. When I came back with hamburgers, Adrian was looking at them like a puppy. :)
Sienna shared some of hers and when Adrian took a bite and went to swallow, I could see the veins on his neck and head. It was so painful for him to swallow. Sienna got her burger back.... at least she was happy. :)
He says that as soon as he eats something cold it is easier, he has yoghurt, rice crispies (soaked in milk) ice cream and popsicles on the menu.
I remembered to look on the bags tonight and it is Pepto -
He doesn't have any of these symtoms, so the pepto must be working.
The lady we met in the day room a few days ago, told us about her son who had leukemia. When he did a transplant before, his worst side effects were blisters on hands and feet. The whole palms of his hands and soles on his feet were like big blisters. She said they want the patients to walk around as much as possible as it speeds up recovery. He would walk, but it was so painful. Plus they don't want any infections and when he did walk the blisters would pop and it was a big infection risk. What ever he did, it wasn't right. What a situation to be in.
The nurse also said, the reason for so many bags on the IV tree (as I call the battery/stand) is because they have switched all his medicines to IV, since he is having the sores in the throat.
According to her, the amount of bags Aj has is pretty normal, not that many. Some people have double or even triple!!! - That is sick!!!!
What we are waiting for now is the ANC - Absolute Neutrophil Count to go up. Right now the counts are too low to even register to calculate the ANC. When Adrian's ANC is 1.5, he is out of there.
Every day in the hospital is a day closer to coming home! :) :)
Here is an explanation about ANC:
Absolute neutrophil count: The real number of white blood cells (WBCs) that areneutrophils. The absolute neutrophil count is commonly called the ANC.
The ANC is not measured directly. It is derived by multiplying the WBC count times the percent of neutrophils in the differential WBC count. The percent of neutrophils consists of the segmented (fully mature) neutrophils) + the bands (almost mature neutrophils). The normal range for the ANC = 1.5 to 8.0 (1,500 to 8,000/mm3).
Sample calculation of the ANC:
WBC count: 6,000 cells/mm3 of blood
Segs: 30% of the WBCs
Bands: 3% of the WBCs
Neutrophils (segs + bands): 33% of the WBCs
ANC: 33% X 6,000 = 2,000/mm3 ANC of 2,000/mm3, by convention = 2.0 Normal range: 1.5 to 8.0 (1,500 to 8,000/mm3)
Interpretation: Normal
WBC count: 6,000 cells/mm3 of blood
Segs: 30% of the WBCs
Bands: 3% of the WBCs
Neutrophils (segs + bands): 33% of the WBCs
ANC: 33% X 6,000 = 2,000/mm3 ANC of 2,000/mm3, by convention = 2.0 Normal range: 1.5 to 8.0 (1,500 to 8,000/mm3)
Interpretation: Normal
Neutrophils are key components in the system of defense against infection. An absence or scarcity of neutrophils (a condition called neutropenia) makes a person vulnerable toinfection. After chemotherapy, radiation, or a blood or marrow transplant, the ANC is usually depressed and then slowly rises, reflecting the fact that the bone marrow is recovering and new blood cells are beginning to grow and mature.
In practical clinical terms, a normal ANC is 1.5 or higher; a "safe" ANC is 500-1500; a low ANC is less than 500. A safe ANC means that the patient's activities do not need to be restricted (on the basis of the ANC).
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