Today's counts

Here are my blood counts for today (8/17/07) with the normal range in parenthesis:

White Blood Cell - 0.2 (3.5 - 12.5)
Red Blood Cell - 2.77 (3.60 - 5.10)
Hemoglobin - 9.2 (11.5 - 15.0)
Hematocrit - 26.8 (34.0 - 46.0)
Platelet - 10 (140 - 400)

As you can see, the chemo is kicking in and starting to kill my blood cells. This is the normal cycle of chemotherapy, so do not be alarmed...we knew this was coming.

Two of the stats that stick out as red flags are the white blood cells and the platelets. My low white blood cell count means that my immune system is very weak right now. I must wear a mask when I go outside to protect myself from any disease, bacteria, etc. To treat low white blood cells, I give myself daily shots of Neupogen, a drug that boosts the growth of white blood cells. However, the drug is not strong enough to keep my counts at normal levels. I will continue to give myself shots and wait for my stem cells to recover from the chemo. Hopefully, my white blood cell count will go up in a couple of days.

My low platelets make me at risk for bleeding. Platelets are what makes your blood clot when you get a cut or a bruise. I try to avoid shaving and bumping into things because I could bleed to death. To treat low platelets, doctors give you a transfusion of platelets similar to a bag of red blood cells that we are normally used to seeing. Unlike red blood cells which are red, platelets are yellow. It kind of looks like a bag of thick yellow urine to me.

I got a platelet transfusion this morning. Unfortunately, I had an allergic reaction to the platelets which made me break out in hives all over my body. I felt like an itchy red ball of fire. My skin was burning up and I had bumps everywhere. My nurse quickly gave me an IV shot of Benadryl. I love Benadryl because it immediately makes the itchiness go away, but I hate how it makes me completely out of it for the rest of the day. I slept for 5 hours straight when I got home after my platelet transfusion.

I am very sad that my white blood cell count is very low. I was looking forward to attending all of the drives this weekend. Unfortunately my family and I think it is best if I stayed home to avoid the large crowds of people. My fingers are crossed for a great turnout. Thank you to all of the volunteers and the people who get registered this weekend. Bubble Girl will be with you at the drives in spirit!!