The visiting nurse stopped by the house yesterday to draw blood and we got the results today - and the numbers are great! In the world of folks with white blood cell issues, the ANC count (remember it has to do with things called neutrophils that fight infection in our bodies) is an important number. Anything under 500 means you're "severely neutropenic" or in real person language, means your body really has nothing in it to fight off any form of bacteria or infection.
On Monday, Sawyer's ANC count was 100 - I was a bit surprised they still discharged him from the hospital - but that number is not alarming necessarily in his case since it's to be expected when you're getting medicines that are virtually wiping out your immune system. To help put it in perspective, most of us would have a count of at least 1700.
His count today was 900 - a nice improvement which means his body is not quite as susceptible and is building its white blood cells back up. But it's fully expected that his count will go up and down throughout his treatment cycle. It just means that we need to be extra careful with sanitizing things, washing our hands and making sure to avoid people who are not feeling well.
We have been receiving delicious meals from friends throughout the week and are very grateful. It's a big help as Mark and I try to catch up with things at work and at home after not being around for a few weeks. Not to mention that we get to try out some new recipes and tastes! Hugs go to Becky for taking the time to arrange the schedule and deliveries.
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