Malcolm's ANC is on its way up! Today it was 132. His platelets were 130 which is the highest they have been in almost a year. His hemoglobin was 89. These counts should generally continue to trend upwards (rise) until his next treatment (likely to start next Tuesday) but they may fluctuate somewhat from day to day. We are still hopeful we can go home later this week.
Malcolm's energy level has been improving. Yesterday and this morning he was very energetic and eating and drinking much better but this afternoon and evening he was much quieter. His nurse says it is normal for energy levels to fluctuate quite a bit as his counts rise. He continues to receive his cocktail of IV antibiotics every six hours but hopefully they will be discontinued sometime in the next couple of days if he continues to do well. Yesterday and today he was off his IV pole in the morning and afternoon for a couple of hours when not receiving any medications. It is such a relief as he is free to burn off energy without fear of injuring himself (by pulling out his line) and then it is easier to keep him quiet when he goes back on the pole.
We can no longer ignore the fact that Malcolm is losing his hair. It is noticeably thinner and tonight he had hair all over his high chair tray as he was eating his supper (or more accurately, as he was throwing his intended supper all over the floor while at the same time smearing it all over his face and head). His hair still looks ok in pictures and likely to people who do not know him well. Now that his counts are increasing, his hair loss may stop or slow down until next treatment.
Donovan is having great fun on the farm and Malcolm has been enjoying extra attention from Grama and Grampa Rainey and his Dad. It is a nice break for everyone.
Mary Ellen
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