Healthy Platelets!!

More Good News!

Normally with the chemo, all of your blood counts go down; White Blood Counts, Hemoglobin and Platelets.

They won't let my hemoglobin (supplying oxegyn) or platelets (makes blood coagulate) go down too far, while they wait for the white blood counts to go down, as I would be at great risk then... so, for the hemoglobin and platelets, they give a transfusion if the numbers get 'too low'.

Well, I noticed with the round of chemo in July, that my platelets were jumping up really quickly. Normal is 125-400. The platelets at the lowest was 45 . I was going in for bloodwork every two days and the counts went like this: 45, 79, 216, 365, 469, 589!!! (July 20th - 30) (chemo days were July 6-10) I had no transfusions with this round of chemo! This is good!!

On Monday, my platelets were 26. They give a transfusions if the number gets to '10'. So, we were anticipating a platelet transfusion yesterday. When my numbers came back... the nurse thought there was a mistake. My white blood count had been 2.0 on monday and yesterday was 1.5, and the platelets were 117. So, it is SO unusual for the platelet count to rise when the white blood count is still dropping, that the nurse requested the lab to 're-spin' the blood to check again for accuracy. Yup, still 117!! So, when I got home, I studied the numbers of the last round. Hmmm, Interesting, my platelet count started rising, 9 (Nine) days, before my white blood count had gone to it's lowest!!!

I think Patti Pedersen put it the best yesterday, as we were driving home from VGH; "Your body does not need any intervention, it is repairing itself from the chemo". Praise God!!! Patti, what a great observation!

Thank YOU again for your love and prayers! It is making a HUGE difference!!
I am feeling more hopeful and peaceful about the 8 week round of chemo.... because my body is just fighting so hard and I am doing SO much better than I was!!! It will be okay being "hit hard and heavy" again. It will not be what it was!!!

My white blood counts may still drop more... but I am on the way up and will soon be ready to begin the next round of chemo for 8 weeks!!

Praise God!
Lorna, the Leukemia ( almost free) Mamma