Although my blood counts were at an acceptable level to have chemo last Friday, my counts were low. I had assumed that my counts would have been high because I was feeling great. I now know that there is not a direct correlation between the two.
There are several counts that the doctor checks before chemo and here is a lesson on the top four that they review.
White Blood Cells – White blood cells help protect against infection. An increase in WBC indicates that the body is fighting an infection. The normal range is 4.0 to 10.0. My counts have been 7.8, 9.9, 5.1 and 3.9.
Hemoglobin (Red Blood Cells) – Red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. If your hemoglobin in too low, the body isn’t getting the oxygen it needs – aka anemia. The normal range is 115 – 160. My counts have been 132, 128, 125 and 122.
Platelets – Platelets aid in the stoppage of bleeding. If your platelets are too low, uncontrolled bleeding can be a problem. If your platelets are too high, there is a risk of blood clots. The normal range is 150 – 400. My counts have been 308, 355, 375 and 301.
Neutrophil – Neutrophil is a type of white blood cell that helps to kill and digest microorganisms. The normal range is 2.0 – 7.5. My counts have been 5, 7.4, 2.9 and 1.5.
As many of you have probably guessed, I have all of these counts charted out quite nicely in Excel. Yes, I have found another exciting use for Excel outside of work.
Many thanks to the Groves clan for understanding my no hugging and kissing policy on Sunday.
me
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2 comments:
Re: no hugging and kissing policy. We are all keeping count( though not on an Excel spreadsheet), so you owe all of us big time in the fall !!! Love and prayers, as always, Bob
Kim,
I think the only one who was really disappointed was the one in the "Titleist" hat.......:)
Keep Smiling,
Anonymous
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