Here's your vocabulary word for the day -- neutropenia. It's the medical term for having a low white blood cell count. If someone is neutropenic his/her immune system is compromised and at risk for an infection. The way doctors know is to do a blood test and create an ANC count (absolute neutrophil count). Our bodies' first line of defense against infections and bacteria are neutrophils. If the ANC count drops below 500 someone is considered severely neutropenic and he/she is at risk of infection just from bacteria that normally lives in the body. Fever is the signal the body gives off if its fighting an infection, so Sawyer will have to be alert to his body temperature. The best precaution is prevention - good handwashing by everyone!
Neutropenia is generally treated with antibiotics and the sooner they're started the better. Sawyer's counts will be checked at least weekly by a nurse who will come to our house (or at school) to draw blood to be tested, but it will be something we'll be very aware of on a daily basis. I've realized that anytime we travel we'll need to make sure we take a digital thermometer as well as know where the closest hospital is.
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