Day 9

So Mac’s arm is still big but it is getting smaller!!! The Dr said that when he first saw it he was ready to take a picture of it and put it in a textbook about what a clot looked like. He did say that it is possible that Mac’s body resolved the clot on its own, for now we are just monitoring it. Well, Mac only has 3 more IV treatments of chemo for this cycle. He will have more IT (spinal) chemo this Thursday.
Hopefully I don’t lose you with what I will explain next but its going to be a big part of how we evaluate Mac from now on. Its called his ANC (absolute neutrophil count) and its basically a calculated number that tells us strong Mac’s immune system is. This number also tells us if we can go home for a few days and when we start the next cycle of chemo.
A number greater than 1000 is strong, a number between 500-1000 is weak and a number less than 500 is critically low. Yesterday Mac’s ANC was 70 and today it was 10. That just to gives you an idea of how vulnerable Mac’s immune system is right now! That is what the chemo does. So soon he will be done with his chemo for now and that number should slowly rise! Because he is at such a high risk for infection, we are keeping visitors to a minimum until that number is trending up!
I feel like we are hangin tough. Every time I start to feel tired I just look at Mac and it gives me strength. I requested that we keep the sturdy crib from the PICU and I’m so glad I did because I love to cuddle up in Mac’s crib with him!
Thanks for all the love, prayers, and support.
*today’s little miracle: Mac’s arm is getting smaller and they are much less worried about a blood clot

11/19/13