Red Cells and White Cells and Platelets, Oh My!

BOX SCORE Element Current Std. Range Trend Hemoglobin 7.3 13-17 ^ Platelets 5 140-375 v ANC 0 1800-8300 _ When I was a small boy, my parents, and sometimes my older brother, would read to me. I remember some of the titles. Among my favorites were "Noises and Mr. Flibbertyjib," "The Churkendoose," "The Pokey Little Puppy." There were more, but those stand out in my memory. Another one I always liked was Kenneth Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows."  If you don't know the story (and quite honestly I can only barely remember it), it takes place along the banks of a river in England. The main characters are mole and rat, two pals.  They had all ...

BOX SCORE Element Current Std. Range Trend Hemoglobin 6.6 13-17 v Platelets 10 140-375 v ANC  0.00           1800-8300  v When I was serving in the US Naval Dental Corps at Camp Pendleton, CA, we had an administrative Chief Petty Officer who was in charge of the enlisted troops. He had been in the Navy a long time and had "seen it all," so to speak. His office was decorated with lot's of fun things. Among them was a sign that read, "Enlisted men are stupid and ignorant, but they are sly and cunning and bear watching." Of course, he didn't believe they were stupid and ignorant, but the sign was a tongue in cheek poke at the officers, who were vie...

BOX SCORE Element Current Std. Range Trend Hemoglobin 7.3 13-17 v Platelets 9 140-375 v ANC ? 1800-8300 ? In 2001, the year Jill and I married, we enjoyed watching an amazing season of Major League Baseball. In particular, the Seattle Mariners made quite a splash by winning 116 games during the regular season. Unfortunately, they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The next season, their record was nothing like 2001, and they went into a slump that I eventually dubbed a "rebuilding millennium." They have had a couple of OK seasons since then, but we have kind of lost interest in the team. I know, fair weather fans, but it's hard to watch "your team...

BOX SCORE Element Current Std. Range Trend Hemoglobin 8.9 13-17 ^ Platelets 15 140-375 v ANC 1390 1800-8300 v December 18th. One week until Christmas, called the most wonderful time of the year. Today is my mother's birthday. She would be 108, but she passed just before her 99th birthday. Still that was a long run and we were fortunate to have her around for so long.  Mom was always adamant that she didn't want her birthday and Christmas all rolled into one. And I don't blame her. While celebrating the birth of our Savior is a highlight of each year for much of the world, Mom's birthday was a highlight certainly for her, but also for those who knew and loved this wonderful...

BOX SCORE Element Current Std. Range Trend Hemoglobin 8.8 13-17 v Platelets 27 140-375 ^ ANC 3090 1800-8300 v Day four is off to a good start. My hemoglobin and platelets are both above the baselines, so I will not need a transfusion today. I will, however receive three chemotherapy drugs. The first should be infused about 11am, The second infusion will be around 3pm. That one takes around 2 hours to be pumped into my body. When that one is complete, I will receive an IV push of the third medication. All in all, my "2 hour infusion" usually goes around three to three and a half hours. The good news is that by then it's dinnertime. And more good news is that my meals are agr...

BOX SCORE Element Current Std. Range Trend Hemoglobin 9.5 13-17 v Platelets 12 140-375 v ANC 2340 1800-8300 ^ I'm feeling more relaxed now. I have the first dose of the very potent chemo that I will be receiving over the next 5 days under my belt. Shortly afterward, I had my lunch, and I didn't Ralph, unlike following the very first dose of chemo I ever had two and a half years ago. I am encouraged. To this day I can't stand the sight of steamed veggies, a bite of which precipitated that unexpected and very unpleasant episode.  All things considered, it's been a very good day. Jill arrived about 8:20am in fine spirits. We had visits from more of the oncology s...

BOX SCORE Element Current Std. Range Trend Hemoglobin 10 13-17 v Platelets 27 140-375 ^ ANC 1340 1800-8300 ^ Today, we checked into room 455 at Sunnyside Medical Center for the next step in my journey with AML. This is the same room in the oncology department where I began the trek. It is like old home week. So many of the same staff members that I knew here two years ago are still on duty, and they have stopped by to say, "Hello." Jill and I wore our "Club Sunnyside" tee shirts, which were a big hit with the staff, back in the day. I recently posted that I will be in the hospital for something like a month.  This visit will, of course,  encompass Christmas an...

BOX SCORE Element Current Std. Range Trend Hemoglobin 10.5 13-17 v Platelets 13 140-375 v ANC 1030 1800-8300 v Did you ever have something you were expecting to happen, but you didn't know when? Was it something you were really excited about? You know, like that trip to Hawaii you've always dreamed about.  Remember how hard it was to wait, especially not knowing exactly how it would look or when it would happen? Well, I learned in the past week that,  even if that something is NOT really exciting, and even if it is something you would just as soon not take on, waiting for it is difficult.  Here's the skinny. Last Tuesday we met with Dr. Brow, my oncologist ( See Sur...