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Another Chemo Treatment!















Today Kolby had her blood work done and her numbers were high enough to have chemo. Here is a print out of Kolby's blood work. I asked her nurse to write down what the meanings of the acronyms meant. The numbers they focus on are her white and red blood cell count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelets, and the main number they look at is the NE# which is the ANC - Absolute Neurophil Count. The ANC count is her immune system, and this number determines if Kolby can eat certain foods like salad, if she can go out in public, if she needs a blood transfusion, and if she can have a chemo treatment.
In this picture Kolby is getting ready for her spinal and chemo treatment. This process takes about two to three hours. Today Kolby slept extra long after the treatment and when she woke up she was pretty shaky and needed help up. I felt bad, while she was sleeping she was shivering so I got her another blanket. Also, when the doctor stuck the needle in her back Kolby made a groan and said "ouch". When Kolby woke up I asked her about it and she said she didn't remember. The nurse and doctor said it was normal especially with teenagers for them to talk during the procedure, but they never remember what they say.
After Kolby's chemo treatment for the next five days she will have to take a lot of medication. The medication includes chemo pills, steroids, and other meds (Pred., Zantac, Bactrim, Diflucan, and the 6 MP tabs.) for her treatment. These pills do not include the nausea and pain meds. Kolby dreads these days. It is really hard on her physically and mentally to take all these medications. We sure hope and pray that these next five days go fast and that they will be smooth sailing for Kolby.

Comments

  1. Sonja MiddletonAugust 5, 2010 at 3:05 PM

    Thanks for including the images of the medicine regimen along with the scan results. It helps us to understand more and see what an involved process it is. I am praying for good days for Kolby too. I still admire her strength and determination. I know it's not easy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kristin ChesnikAugust 7, 2010 at 7:48 AM

    I am flabergasted by how many drugs Kolby has to take. I am so sorry Kolby. I am glad it will be one more chemo round down and hope it is especially effective.

    ReplyDelete

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