Thursday summary

Platelets, the cells that heal, should run 150k to 300k. They last 10 days in the system unless needed. Riley was diagnosed at 4k. Which was why everyone freaked. He could bleed out from a bruise. He had no clotting mechanisms if he scratched himself. He is now at 37,000 which is better than 4000 or as he has bounced around at 9K or 14K last week. 37,000 is much better. 20,000 is considered acute critical. 50,000 is critical. 40,000 is somewhere in between. He would not survive a car wreck, but a bloody nose may be controllable or not. It does show improvement and that is what counts. We are hopeful in a few months he may be up to 150,000.

Most patients though without the bone marrow transplant settle around 60,000 to 80,000. That is not good enough for a normal life. You can get by but it prevents any sort of physical activities. You have to be careful all the time not to hurt yourself. No sprained ankles or wrestling with your brother or children, no biking in case of a fall. This is the dilemma. We hope for above 120,000 or better, then Riley can live a normal life with normal activities.

In a healthy body, White cells should be around 5, ready to fight off bacteria and infections. When you get a cold they can go as high as 10 to 12. White cells only last 10 hours. Riley is at 2.2 which is better than 0.2 which he got to under treatment in isolation in the hospital. 2.2 is up from last weeks 1.4, indicating recovery. he will be able to go out in public once we get to 4. If he is exposed to a cold now it could lead to pneumonia quickly as he has no resistance. Molds and spores are also dangerous for the same reasons. He can't play in the dirt because he can't fight off parasites.

Red cells provide oxygen to the body and brain. They last 100 to 150 days.
Riley got a horrible head ache at 6.7. That seems to be his tolerance level. The doctor liked to push the bone marrow to produce by stressing it with low levels. If he gave red to bring up the numbers the marrow might think it had enough and stop producing more. We were trying to produce as much as possible. A normal body might have 10 to 16. Today the count was 8.1. Now, we don't know what the bump was after his transfusion two weeks ago and red lasts a long time, but again we are hopeful it is an indication of a working system.

Riley was taking red blood every two or three weeks. We test him in another two weeks to make sure the number is still going up. There are some other numbers that indicate young cell production which are increasing. The question is will Riley continue to produce and at levels that will replace lost production. Can he reach normal?

Cyclosporane is very hard on the kidneys and liver and Riley will be on it for a few more months. It is an anti rejection medication good for when you get transfusions or transplants or when your body might be attacking its own marrow. He has to drink a lot of water to keep his organs flushed out. So, Riley is not out of the woods by any means, but the news is good if he continues to progress in this direction. two weeks is long enough and without the blood booster shot for the whites for three weeks to show this is Riley and not the drugs or some one Else's blood, at least for the platelets and the white.

Platelets are the last to turn, traditionally, the most sensitive to everyday needs. when the body is using up white and platelets and reds on a daily basis and yet the numbers are still better than two weeks prior, we feel the tide is finally turning in our favor, for now.

I still feel tense as if waiting for the other shoe to fall. but for now time seems to be on our side.
God bless modern medicine.