Patience like a farmer

BOX SCORE
Element	Current	Std. Range	Trend
Hemoglobin	11.5	13-17	v
Platelets	161	140-375	v
ANC	3610	1800-8300	v
Ferritin	1121	My goal <1000	v
CD4 Cells	240	My goal > 200	^

Well, well, well. At first glance the Box Score looks a little disappointing, and to be honest, it is. On the other hand, it is quite easily explained. Two weeks prior to these labs, I had my first Therapeutic Phlebotomy, or in other words, I had a pint of the red stuff drawn out of my circulatory system. One would therefore, I suppose, expect that blood counts might be depressed. My hope was that my new marrow would pump out enough new cells in two weeks to bring the levels up high enough to continue the project apace. 

Unfortunately, another casualty of the phlebotomy was my Hematocrit (no, not hypocrit). Oh, my gosh, what is Hematocrit, I hear you saying. What? You mean you don't read my blog by way of becoming a junior MD? Hematocrit is a measure of the percentage of my blood cells that are red cells. (See the title of this blog.) Now, you might expect that when your body needs to make new cells to replace some that have been withdrawn by phlebotomy, or oh, I don't know, maybe leeches or vampires, that they would be replaced in a predetermined ratio. Alas, not so. 

For a long, long time, my red cells have not been bouncing back as readily as my white cells, or for that matter, my platelets. This has remained true even after transplant. Platelets have a life span of about 72 hours, and red blood cells have a life span of about 30 days. Hence, they regenerate more slowly. The oncology team doesn't seem to be too concerned, so I just roll with the punches (punctures?). I got a note from Dr. Brow today saying that we may need to reschedule the phlebotomies at four week intervals versus two weeks. Okay, I can live with that. 

No use crying over spilled milk blood cells. Let's look on the bright side. In spite of the low Hematocrit, my CD4 cells went up significantly, and that's a good thing, since they strengthen my immune system. And my ferritin level went down to the lowest level since November 1, 2021. At its peak, ferritin was at 1506 last September. So, those counts have both improved substantially. I will have another blood draw a week from Monday, and we'll find out how things are progressing. 

Ever notice how, when you have been at something for a long time, the bumps in the road seem less traumatic? That's where Jill and I are with this journey. There have been very few potholes along the way; mostly just a few bumps. We do look forward to the first anniversary of my transplant in May. That's when we expect to have fewer restrictions on our activities. We are even thinking of some road trips we would like to take. We are so grateful for our Lord who has taken such good care of us; and for our friends and relatives who have been so helpful... and so patient when we have to decline a social invitation. But watch out. We'll be back in about 70 days!!

So, along with us, we ask that you...

...[b]e patient, therefore, brothers... See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. (James 5:7)