Lab Results

We have been out of town since yesterday morning and thus the reason for not posting. I had some work engagements that I needed to attend in Columbus yesterday and today, and then we are with my family until tomorrow, but I wanted to post to share Maggie's lab results from yesterday.

We took Maggie to the lab bright and early yesterday morning because the doctor wanted to see what Maggie's potassium looked like after having the infusion on Tuesday. I was rather impressed with the lab technician as she only poked Maggie once and only used the tourniquet on her one arm. It was quick, (not painless) and they got the blood needed to run several of the tests.

We were quite nervous again about the results of her blood tests, and after about an hour, we immediately called the clinic to hear the results. Maggie's potassium went from 2.6 on Tuesday to 3.5 on Thursday. Though this is still low, it is much better than where we were. The rest of Maggie's counts were pretty good. Her white count and ANC were at the appropriate level for Maintenance. Maggie's platelets actually dropped about 95,000, which kind of surprised me (and honestly, worries me, but that is the nature of the disease-- any new incident warrants worrying). She is at 100,000 for her platelets, which is still in the normal range. It makes us wonder if the chemo she received last week via her spine and intravenously might have cut some of her counts in half (her white count and ANC also dropped in half).

Regardless, we will try not to worry about this and be hopeful that Maggie is on the way back to her "normal" poo that will not cause further electrolyte deficiencies. We have noticed that Maggie's poo is not nearly as frequent (she has about 4-6 a day) and it is not complete liquid, though it is still rather runny. We were told to limit the amount of Imodium that we give, and we have actually not given her any in 2 days.

Maggie's appetite has also increased. She is eating much more (though butter is still a staple). I think that the antacid (we are using a new one, Zantac, versus Prevacid because of insurance coverage), is helping her to feel more comfortable and perhaps comfortable enough to eat. We hope this continues as she really needs to add some pounds to her body to give her strength to become more mobile.

So, that is the update. We are hopeful that Maggie will again be able to manage her weight, nutrition, and hydration on her own, that her diarrhea issues will subside, and perhaps we will again be able to see smiles out of Maggie more frequently. She really does have a beautiful smile and I wish more people would be able to see it. Please continue to pray for Maggie and for all the children dealing with this dreadful disease.