Page 6

4/4/10 Sunday:

Well, Monday, 3/29/10, he received his second transplant...I got my line put in also, Apheresis...He received his first dose of my granulocytes on Tuesday, hopefully that;ll give his little body a boost to start producing his new cells..Too early to tell anything yet..His central line was pulled a little bit due to a little accident of trying to take his shirt off, so he has been in a little bit of pain..he had an xray on it and it hasn't moved, still needless complications..It doesn't get any easier for him!!!! Hopefully next time I will have better news when I update!!!!

5/3/10 Sunday
It's been a while since I updated this site, sorry avid readers: family and friends of terrysfight.....Just this past week he officially engrafted...His WBC increased slowly everyday without the help of my granulocytes...Next thing they measure is his ANC (Absolute Neutrophil Count)

Absolute neutrophil count: The real number of white blood cells (WBCs) that areneutrophils. The absolute neutrophil count is commonly called the ANC.

The ANC is not measured directly. It is derived by multiplying the WBC count times the percent of neutrophils in the differential WBC count. The percent of neutrophils consists of the segmented (fully mature) neutrophils) + the bands (almost mature neutrophils). The normal range for the ANC = 1.5 to 8.0 (1,500 to 8,000/mm3).

Neutrophils are key components in the system of defense against infection. An absence or scarcity of neutrophils (a condition called neutropenia) makes a person vulnerable toinfection. After chemotherapy, radiation, or a blood or marrow transplant, the ANC is usually depressed and then slowly rises, reflecting the fact that the bone marrow is recovering and new blood cells are beginning to grow and mature.

In practical clinical terms, a normal ANC is 1.5 or higher; a "safe" ANC is 500-1500; a low ANC is less than 500. A safe ANC means that the patient's activities do not need to be restricted (on the basis of the ANC).
They look for counts of 500 for three in a row days to say engraftment has occured but all this week he has been above 1200 with the highest count so far being 1725. They also did a test to see how his new cells are doing and to make sure his old cells did not take back over. That test result came back yesterday and his WB cells are 63% new donor cells and his more important T-cells were at 92% new donor cells....We were scheduled to go to outpatient status this coming Wednesday but since last Tuesday, after his first 2-hour pass, he's been throwing up everyday, having severe tummy pains, the runs and he hasn't been eating. Today, in response to these latest symptoms, he was put on contact isolation status pending results of stool sample tests that will be performed after his next bowel movement...Never easy for this little guy..I would gladly take his place...How many coins must I throw in every wishing well I see to grant me this request?????

They look for counts of 500 for three in a row days to say engraftment has occured but all this week he has been above 1200 with the highest count so far being 1725. They also did a test to see how his new cells are doing and to make sure his old cells did not take back over. That test result came back yesterday and his WB cells are 63% new donor cells and his more important T-cells were at 92% new donor cells....We were scheduled to go to outpatient status this coming Wednesday but since last Tuesday, after his first 2-hour pass, he's been throwing up everyday, having severe tummy pains, the runs and he hasn't been eating. Today, in response to these latest symptoms, he was put on contact isolation status pending results of stool sample tests that will be performed after his next bowel movement...Never easy for this little guy..I would gladly take his place...How many coins must I throw in every wishing well I see to grant me this request?????