Jo got out of the hospital on Monday and yesterday we went back to see Dr. Anderlini in his office. Some very good things came out of her hospital stay.
When you have an infection, it's very common to see your WBC count drop extremely low, even if you haven't had a transplant. Jo's WBC count got down between 1 and 2. In the hospital she was given Nupogen shots to get her body to boost her WBCs and her counts shot up into double digits. Dr. Anderlini said this is a very good sign. Her new bone marrow displayed plenty of "reserve" horsepower by responding so strongly to the shots.
Secondly, it was just a good test. We would prefer not to test her new marrow, but a test is a test and Jo responded well to all treatment. By Monday she was feeling great!
Dr. Anderlini said it was okay to schedule her next appointment in THREE weeks! That sounds like great news, right? When he said it, I could see Jo's face get just a little pale. She had to ask a couple of times if he really thought that was okay. I've seen similar reactions from some of our other transplant friends. There is a great sense of comfort when you're just minutes from MD Anderson and never more than a few days away from your next office visit.
Jo's reaction reminded me of when I was a kid. I had to hold back the tears every year as I waited for the school bus on the first day of school. "Over there" often seems scarier than "right here". I always survived that first day of school and every day it got a little easier to be away from the safety of home. Jo too will do just fine being away from her doctors for 3 weeks, then 3 months and eventually 3 years. It's all part of the process.
1 comment:
thank you so much for this blog, I wish I would have discovered it before today. I sat down and read the last year what a whirl wind trip you have been on. I am so thrilled to hear it has gone well, tough but well.
I have often been thinking/praying for you guys on this journey. Reagan asks about Anna and "her mom" quite often, she sure does miss her. The clas prays for you guys just about everyday, it's very sweet. We cannot wait to see you back here in Colorado and Reagan will be thrilled to see Anna back at school.
Take care and keep up your tough spirit!
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