ANC- A Nice Change

BOX SCORE




Element

Current

Std. Range

Trend

Hemoglobin

10.6

13-17

v

Platelets

122

140-375

v

ANC

370

1800-8300

^

Yesterday was Thursday, the day that I usually have my second blood draw of the week. For months, I have dropped in at the lab for this service, but as of Tuesday, I have had a vascular access port inserted in my chest. Drawing blood from this device requires the extra training and experience of an RN. Fortunately, nurse Jill at the infusion center was able to schedule me for a blood draw there. 

I was especially grateful for this appointment, because yesterday was the day I was told to remove the clear covering of my surgical site, essentially clear plastic with adhesive on my skin. I had noticed a blister that formed along the edge of the covering, and I was worried that removing it myself might end up with my removing half of my hide in the bargain. Instead, Lisa, one of the RNs at the infusion center, deftly removed the bandage with no damage. She also drew some blood through the new port. Because this happened so soon after my surgery, there was a bit of pain, but nothing unbearable. 

The lab results are posted in the Box Score above. Although my hemoglobin and platelets dropped slightly, which is not unusual, I am pleased that my ANC took a big leap. Typically, when my ANC makes that big a jump, it means that my neutrophils will come roaring back in short order. I expect to be back on course with my chemo schedule come Monday.

 Rising ANC also means that my immune system is beginning to revive as well. Being a nerd at heart, I have graphed the rising and falling of my blood counts. The pattern that emerges pretty clearly shows that I have the most immunity just before and during the week in which I receive my chemo infusions. The only problem with that is it makes traveling any significant distance a challenge. We'll see what develops over time. 

Please stay tuned for updates on most of these same stations.

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

  1. gardengirlOctober 17, 2022 at 11:33 AM

    Great to hear you are on the rebound! Hang in there!

    ReplyDelete
  2. TomOctober 19, 2022 at 5:40 PM

    Thanks, Kim. I finally got the final check off on my cataract surgery, so there will be no more ophthalmology appts. for some time. It's nice to be free of glasses. Chemo injections will continue daily until the 26th, but they have cut back on my oral chemo to just 10 days a month! So, we should have more "free" time from medical stuff.

    ReplyDelete

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