Tuesday, October 18, 2005

A Primer in Neutropenia

A primer in what, you ask? neutropenia, a condition in which the body's neutrophils are too low. Neutrophils are the main type of white blood cell that fights infection. The high dose chemo that I received will kill all my bone marrow, which is what generates the blood cells. The stem cells I received last week will regenerate the bone marrow and the blood cells. The neupogen shots I started receiving today help stimulate new cell growth. So, until the new stem cells generate new bone marrow and cells I currently have no immune system. My neutrophils are below 200 (normal I think is above 1500) and my white cell count is .2, normal being somewhere around 3 to 7, I think. As a result until my white cell count and neutrophils increase I am at significantly increased risk for infection. Hence, my roaming privileges around the hospital have been severely curtailed and I must where a mask whenever I leave the room. But, I still feel pretty good, a bit more tired, but all in all, still OK. So that's the status this Tuesday morning. Dan

1 comment:

brett said...

Godspeed, my friend. The very light cold I had has been gone for 3 days, but I'm going to wait until Friday to come and visit you. I'll call first, but if you approve my visit, beware! Too much fun might just be had. Glad to see you in good spirits.