Stac’s platelet count is 2,000 today, this is drastically low. The doctors didn’t expect her count to get so low, usually it bottoms out at about 5,000. Remember on Monday I said it was 14 (meaning 14,000) and at that point that was the lowest she had gone, so it is not good that she is so much lower now. The doctors explained it to K by saying that chemo is not a smart drug, it kills everything, even the healthy developing cells. And the round of chemo that she got was incredibly intense; the chemo is just doing what it does, killing off the bad leukemia cells AND killing off the healthy ones that her body is developing to help her heal. Here is an article that probably explains it better than I can: http://www.caring.com/articles/understanding-low-platelets
Stac is having a lot of trouble with bleeding, having such low platelets means her blood doesn’t clot like it should. She has had a nose bleed that has consistently been a problem for the last week or so. And the lab is now prohibited from taking blood from her anywhere but her port, she had a needle stick this morning that resulted in a quarter sized blood blister.
She is still getting platelet transfusions, and this morning the doctors talked with her about the possibility of getting platelet transfusions almost continuously until they can bring her count up. They are also going to try to give her a special kind of platelets, that have something in them that usually isn’t beneficial to patients, but might be for her. At this point they are trying pretty much anything they can to bring her count up.
Stacey also is having a lot of trouble with the rash/hives. They have gotten really bad (itchy, tight skin, and painful) on her stomach and arms. They have started giving her iv benedryl every six hours, which is why she is so exhausted and dozes off a lot. She isn’t able to talk on the phone much right now, because she is just so tired she sometimes feels like she can barely keep her eyes open. They think the rash/hives is from the low platelets and not an allergic reaction like they originally thought. They have switched all her antibiotics to rule out an allergic reaction to them, there is still a possibility it could be an allergic reaction but because she is on so many different drugs it is hard to pinpoint what it could be.
She is still having the pain in her ribs, and despite more cat scans and chest x rays they have not been able to determine what is causing it. They have really been trying hard to get the right combo of pain meds for her, so that she is comfortable and sleeping at night, but she still has a lot of rough moments.
Stacey moved back to her old room in the old ward today, so she is very happy about that. The room is more comfortable, and she has her own shower again. It is the same original phone number, that she had at first. She likes the nurses a WHOLE better in this ward, and she just feels more comfortable in general being back there.
Ok… I think that is everything. Again, any questions just message me or leave a comment here and I will try to answer it. Keep praying! She has appreciated all the thoughts and well wishes SO VERY MUCH, so thank you to everyone.
Smart Mouth 