Low White Count

Yesterday I went in for my first blood draw since the chemo. In the afternoon, one of the nurses called to let me know that my white cell count and platelet count had gone too low. As a result, I am at a high risk for infection right now and have been asked to avoid going out in public, to not eat raw vegetables, and to take a host of other precautions.

We had planned to go to a parent function for Grace's school tonight, as well as church on Sunday. But these will just not be happening for me.

Today and over the weekend I am going to take it easy and give my body the rest it needs to heal. I am "hard at work"... lying on the couch with my fuzzy blanket and trusty laptop. I can still edit my "Nutrient Management for Organic Small Grains" paper, just not at my desk. Thank goodness for wireless routers, cordless phones, and laptops.

Chemo can be a dangerous dance with the immune system. The medicine targets fast-growing cells. Included in this category are cancer cells, white blood cells, and platelets. It can't distinguish one from the other.

The day after chemo, I went in for a Neulasta shot. This is a drug that stimulates the bone marrow to make extra white blood cells when they dip too low. Apparently, it doesn't kick in until it's needed. So the hope is that it will start to do it's job and my white cell count will start to improve over the next few days. If the numbers don't come up enough, the next round of chemo will just have to wait.

So ... Little Miss Over-achiever Pants is learning to take it easy, let things go, and ask for help. Wish me luck.