So Gage was supposed to get started on Standard Interim Maintenance, which is the third phase of chemotherapy. I say should have because his ANC (Absolute Neutrophil Count) was 170 and it needed to be 750, so in short we drove an hour just to be told, sorry we can’t start the next phase of chemo today; we’ll see you next monday. Damn.
On the upside two weeks ago when Gage needed a blood transfusion, how normal this has become in our life. Well they put us in the hospital for the transfusion and his pegaspargase(PEG), and of course he has an allergic reaction to the PEG, at first he started to cough, his little face turned bright lobster red, which promptly traveled to the rest of his body; and last but not least the welts all over! Poor kid, cannot catch a break. They dosed him with Benadryl and power flushed is IV with saline to get it out of his system faster.
I promise there is a plus side to this story, at our next doctors appointment they were able to determine that instead of being in the “high risk leukemia category” they dropped him into the standard category which is CRAZY AWESOME!! All it really means is they don’t do the last two PEGs, a vincristine, and the very best news is one less lumbar puncture!! It’s the little things like that we get excited for in this family.
These are Gages’ counts this week:
WBC’s AUTO: 1.0(A.A)
RBC, AUTO: 3.35(L)
HGB: 10.3(L)
HCT, AUTO: 30.1(L)
MCV: 89.9(H)
MCH: 30.7
MCHC: 34.1
RDW, BLOOD: 14.8(H)
PLATELETS, AUTOMATED COUNT: 211
MPV: 7.8
For the most part I have no idea what any of this information means, and my linking it to this page was the first time I have actually read into any leukemia related information; not because I don’t want to know but because I am terrified to know what can really happen or what it all means. As long as I know the basics I’m OK. If that makes me a bad mom so be it, I need to be this way to keep positive, to keep going, to not curl up in my bed and never get out again; besides the Hubs has read enough for the both of us.
Love Heals Gage 
Letters and numbers, what a way to confuse a person. Glad he doesn’t have to get any more lumbar punctures. I pray he never has to get another.
Aside from his WBC all the rest are just about perfect! If I saw these labs on my patient in the morning I would be happy :). For WBC alway multiply by 1000 and generally it should be about 4-10. Just an FYI this is a general CBC without differential and you need the differential to determine his ANC and its easy. You just multiply WBC*Segs*Bands and that will give you the most important number you are looking for :). Happy to see numbers that give good news.
yaaaaay Gage the Rage you kick thank cancers ass!
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