Up your blood counts, buddy!

January 29, 2023

BOX SCORE
Element	Current	Std. Range	Trend
Hemoglobin	9.3	13-17	^
Platelets	78	140-375	^
ANC	2140	1800-8300	^

Well, will you look at that! My ANC is in the STANDARD RANGE!! WooHoo!! This is what we have been waiting for. It's a chance to socialize with friends and family... Oh, wait! What's this? Jill is in quarantine?? Say what?

Here's the story. When I went to my last ophthalmology appointment, Jill was with me, of course. As we chatted with Dr. O, Jill mentioned that she needed to make an appointment with Dr. Widman, our dermatologist, for a little growth on the side of her nose. Dr. O looked at it and said, "That looks like a basal cell carcinoma. I can biopsy that for you and have the results sent to dermatology." So, right on the spot, dear Dr. O took a piece of tissue for lab analysis. She is, perhaps, the most patient-focused physician we have ever run into.

A few days later we received the lab report. The lesion is, in fact, squamous cell carcinoma, a more aggressive type of skin cancer. Once dermatology received the results, Jill got a call. They wanted to schedule a Mohs surgery for her. She made the appointment and then was told she would need a Covid19 test three days before surgery, and after the test, she would need to be in quarantine until after the surgery, to make sure she doesn't acquire Covid before in the meantime.

Jill had her Covid test yesterday, and so, we are in quarantine together on her behalf. A bit ironic don't you think? Just when I am all set to get out and about, we are at home for Jill's sake.

Just in case, like us, you have never heard of Mohs surgery, it is

Used to treat skin cancer, this surgery has a unique benefit. During surgery, the surgeon can see where the cancer stops. This isn’t possible with other types of treatment for skin cancer.

The ability to see where the cancer stops gives Mohs (pronounced Moes) two important advantages:

Mohs has a high cure rate.
Mohs allows you to keep as much healthy skin as possible because the surgeon only removes the skin with cancer cells. This is especially important when skin cancer develops in an area with little tissue beneath (e.g., eyelid, ear, or hand).*

Now the downside of this surgery is that it takes eight or more hours to perform. Or rather, the process takes that long. The surgeon removes some tissue and sends it to the lab, where it is prepped for microscopic examination. Once the pathologist looks at the sample it will be determined whether more tissue needs to be removed. If so, the process is repeated until the lab result shows that the cancer has all been removed. If necessary, a skin graft will then be done to cover the area with fresh skin. Another miracle of modern medicine.

And so, in spite of my good news, it will be a bit longer before we are able to socialize the way we would like. Since I have just finished another round of chemotherapy, it is likely that my blood counts will begin to drop. The question is, how far will they go down?

It seems to me that just the other day I wrote about patience, well, God is giving us another opportunity to learn patience:

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-4)

Patience is a gift from God, but sometimes He has to teach us patience through "various trials," or as Jill sometimes calls them, "God's 2X4," that he sometimes needs to get our attention. So, here we are again waiting on the Lord's perfect timing for our "coming out party."

In the meantime, we are grateful for a God who loves us enough to give us "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control," just as the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Galatia.

*Mohs surgery