Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)
is a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. In AML, the bone marrow makes many unformed cells called blasts. Blasts normally develop into white blood cells that fight infection. However, the blasts are abnormal in AML. They do not develop and cannot fight infections. The bone marrow may also make abnormal red blood cells and platelets. The number of abnormal cells (or leukemia cells) grows quickly. They crowd out the normal red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets the body needs.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Day 119 -- (Day + 11)

Monday.  It was a rough weekend.  Riley made use of his morphine button and continued to have fevers.  At one point over the weekend he was laying in bed with his eyes wide open, body very still and whispered, "Mom... mom... do you see this?  Do you see the cowboys??  They are all around.  Don't you see them??  then he fell asleep.  He was awake, but not awake.    Odd.     He remembers it later as very real, but knew it couldn't be.  The fevers were consistent, which led to blood cultures... waiting... and thankfully negative results.  Last night Riley had a fever of 105.4   -Scary.  Fevers could be a result of infection, or just the fact that he doesn't have counts.  Today is Riley's 9th day of having an ANC of 0.  An ANC is a number which indicates your ability to fight infection.  (Typically a person is between 2,000 - 5,000.)  Riley's white blood cell count has been .1 or < .1 for seven days. 
BUT today... it is .2  -- hooray!
The doctor feels like last night's high fever was an engraftment fever.  We shall see what tomorrow brings... are the counts on the way up?  It is a few days earlier than we anticipated...

Labs today:
White blood cells: .2   (normal 4.5 - 13.5)
Red Blood cells:  10.8  (normal 13.5 - 17.5)
Platelets:  35   (normal 150 - 425)
ANC: 0 ( < 500 = severely neutropenic) (normal 2,000 - 5,000)

Today was Riley's last dose of methotrexate chemo.  A small dose of chemo to suppress his immune system so the new can take over.  This is a significant day!!  Last day of chemo!!

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