December 4, 2024
David had a telehealth therapy appointment this morning. He has not been back to in-person since his WBC was so low just as a precaution. He doesn’t like the telehealth as well but he likes not having to ride to the office.
We saw the NP today at Dr. B’s office for David’s lab work. When she came into the room she had his labs printed so we knew something was up. She said his hemoglobin was 5.9 and of course concern, concern, concern. She said he was in need of another blood transfusion and I thought I was thinking it but apparently actually said aloud that we did not want to go to the ER like last time and risk being admitted for another four days. I was a bit more abrupt that I intended to be but David agreed he would prefer to see if we could get into the treatment room at home at URMC. I called Dr. W’s office and left a message asking if he could order a transfusion and get David in. The NP faxed over the lab results while I was on the phone so the nurse back home said they would get it going. I told the NP that the last time we had labs on the 5th floor and then had to go to the ER downstairs, that the ER blood work showed his hemoglobin and WBC count was higher than theirs showed and I wondered if that was the case again. It seemed to be a huge drop since the labs a week ago. She said they would run it again but my thinking was it was the same place that ran it the first time so wouldn’t it show the same results but ok. I asked once again why this was happening since we have not seen any blood loss and that would be significant. She said they thought it was a combination of the cancer and the chemo that was causing it. David is already anemic, and the Carboplatin is a bone marrow disruptor. The bone marrow produces all of our blood cells and his body was already at a deficit and then it gets hit with this disruption for chemo round two, it makes sense that his body cannot keep up. She said this is something that usually shows up within the ten-day period following this chemo treatment. From what we are seeing, this particular chemo appears to make him as sick as the cancer. This is hard. I don’t know a better way to describe it. It is just hard to watch. NP also said he lost 2 additional pounds this week which I also find hard to believe and am now questioning the scales between the two floors or at least what I was told he weighed last week. I know I must sound like a lunatic, but I am pretty conscientious about this stuff. At least I kept those thoughts to myself.
I had to make a quick trip to Lowe’s after the doctor’s appointment so while I was there, Dr. W ‘s nurse called to say David would need to go to URMC tomorrow for the type cross match and then the transfusion was ordered for 7am on Friday. He is to receive three units of blood. More than he has ever received before but this is as low as his hemoglobin has ever been before also.
