Her temp has been down today but is now climbing up again. Not good.
Yesterday we were all concerned because her ANC (Absolute Neutrophil Count) was 110. This is concerning as anything below 1000 signicicantly reduces her ability to fight off infection. This morning we found out that the 110 was incorrect. Her number yesterday was actually 38. Yes, that is right, 38. Today's number was 0. That would be Z-E-R-O. Nowhere to go but up from her, huh?
Her level of platelets also dropped from 70,000 down to 26,000 so she is getting a transfusion of those as I type and when that is finished she'll get a blood transfusion to raise her other counts.
She has refused to nap today though was VERY close to dropping off twice, just never made it all the way to sleep. She is now whining (for the third straight day), eating cookies and M&Ms (the only source of food she hasn't tried to throw back at me when offered) and complaining that she has owies. She has refused to drink water, apple juice, white milk and chocolate milk. This is not good. She could be developing mouth sores. If she stops eating we could be her a while as they will need to give her IV nutrition.
If her fever creeps up again they will draw another blood culture and the 48-hour clock will start all over again. They can declare a positive test rather quickly but wait the 48-hours with nothing growing to declare her negative for a bacterial infection. The main concern here is that she might have developed an infection in her port. They are giving her antibiotics to fight off whatever might be there just in case. (SuperBugs be damned, she has been on one type of antibiotic or another since February.)
Wish us luck in sleeping tonight, I am working in the morning!
Mere :0)
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2 comments:
Oh Manda! Feel better, baby. I hope those neutrophils go back up soon. Hugs to you, Mere.
xo
Flicka
This is *so* not the way I thought you all would be ringing in 2009. I hope the cultures are negative, the fever goes down, and the numbers return to higher levels as soon as possble.
Poor Manda, I'd be on a cookie and M&M diet if I felt that awful too!
Hang in there Mere!
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