Blood Transfusion

Today Avery had a blood transfusion.  Avery's counts last week at Primaries were ANC 1200, WBC 1.6, RBC 2.85, HGB 8.7, HCT 26.1, PLTS 168. I know for many all these numbers don't make sense, but I like to have them written down.  Her RBC was getting low then so they decided we'd check counts again in 2 weeks instead of waiting until her next appointment in 4 weeks. On Saturday, 4 days after clinic she kept complaining about having headache and was tired. We went to my brothers house for a BBQ, but she didn't feel good, had headache's again and went to lay in the truck and wanting to go home. We finally left. On Monday, she had early morning school to practice for her Kindergarten program and when I picked her up she told me that she was so tired practicing singing at school She said she had told one of the teacher's helper she knows that she was so tired and couldn't keep her eyes open. After school, my mom wanted to take her for a treat and she ended up falling asleep at her house for 3 hours. The light finally went off and I put the headache and her being extra tired together and wondered about her counts being low. She came home and cried about her ear hurting, so I headed to Cedar with the baby, who had been tugging at his ear and had coopy eyes that I thought needed eye drops to help and Avery to get things checked out. While I was there, I called primaries to see if we could do a CBC a week early. I didn't want her missing her Kindergarten program. Her ear looked red and he gave us some drops, but it hadn't developed into an ear infection. The baby had an eye and ear infection. The fun never ends:) Primaries did order a CBC that I insisted we do that day and not wait until the next day, so she could still make it to her program in two days. I know if she needed a blood transfusion there wouldn't be time until the next day and it can be a process to get her special radiated blood.  Home Health did awesome accessing her port the first time, but then forget to put heparin in the line until I noticed, so we had to re-poke her for that. Avery was a trooper.  By the time I got home, I could get her results of her labs on the computer. Primaries was already closed, but her counts did come back lower and I know we would be having a blood transfusion the next day.

Counts just 6 days later:
ANC 400, WBC .6, RBC 2.25, HGB 7.2, HCT 21.1, PLTS 102. Anytime with an HGB under 8 (Normal 11.5-13.5) and HCT under 24 or 23 (Normal 34-40) they typically transfuse. Of course you want their own bodies to build up those red blood cells, but sometimes they get too low before that happens. Her white blood cells are dropping too and fast. Crazy counts they can change so fast. Her ANC went from 1200 to 400 and you can't transfuse WBC your own body abilities need to start making more of the infection fighting white blood cells.