Today I found out that Erin's ANC is 1000. It was 1400 last Monday, 1200 last Wednesday and 1000 today. It concerns me that it is going down rather than an up. Her white blood count (which was moving up) has dropped from 4.2 to 3.2. She really needs a strong immune system to fight this Cellulitis sore in her diaper area.
Which brings me to my next thought. The Cellulitis sore is just not healing. It was really inflamed this morning. I think all the trick or treating walking might have aggravated it. In any case, I asked our doctor to do a CRP (inflammation) test in her blood work on Monday so that we can keep tracking those numbers. I also asked them to do a Vanc Trough, which is where they check her blood right before her next Vancomycin dose to see if there is enough antibiotic in her blood. I just wonder if maybe the dosage isn't right because she has been on these strong antibiotics for over a month now and she still isn't improving.
She is scheduled to start chemotherapy round #5 on Tuesday, November 2nd and I just wonder if she will really be starting or if we'll be doing more waiting to get this sore more healed.
On the bright side - Erin had a really funny experience today. I guess maybe at first it wasn't funny, but we are laughing about it now. When I got home from church John informed me that he needed to take Erin to InstaCare right then. I asked him why. He replied that she has stuck a popcorn kernel up her nose and he couldn't get it out. So, off to InstaCare they went. Apparently the doctors there have a little tool that is like a spoon with a light on the end that they can just stick up a kids' nose and scoop out the popcorn kernel or bean or whatever else a child puts up their nose. The kernel is out, but now I'm wondering why us parents aren't just given the nose scooping tool along with all of the other little gifts we are given at the hospital when a child is born.
The joys of parenting! If it's not one thing, then it's another.
Once Esther started crying at the dinner table and said she had a pea up her nose. Ben looked and indeed she did - he managed to get it out. Then a minute later she was crying again saying it was still there and lo and behold there was another pea up there!,I have no idea how it got there! Sorry to hear the cellulitis. Erin is still in our prayers daily so maybe we'll try to be more specific.xxxxxxxxxxx
ReplyDeleteah! i'm sorry to hear about the cellulitis! it's got to be so frustrating that you can't just knock it out! we'll be anxious to hear what you find out about it.
ReplyDeleteonce elena stuck a black bean up her nose. it was quite the ordeal getting it out. :) i agree that they should send parents home from the hospital with handy tools like the one you mentioned - for real!