Day 18: Anybody have some Neutrophils to Share?

Two things have to happen for me to be discharged on Monday. Only one seems likely.

First, my white blood cell count must be within the normal range of 3.5 - 10.0. I'm at 6.6, up from 6.4 on Saturday.

Second, my Absolute Neutrophil Count must be at least 500 (the normal is 1,000 or more). I went from 280 on Saturday to 310 this morning. That's very discouraging.

Neutrophils are the white blood cells responsible for fighting infections/inflammation.

One of my nurses said some patients have been discharged with a neutrophil count less than 500, but it's pretty rare. I'll ask the doctor about that today.

The good news is I have reached T+11, which is the 11th day after transplant.

All the doctors have told me the side effects typically reveal themselves between days 3-10. I'm not out of the woods, regarding side effects. They can happen at any time, but they most frequently occur within that first 10 days after the transplant.

I've been fortunate in that regard.

Paulette spent the night on Friday so we woke up and started Saturday with a nice walk outside. Later, I was surprised by a visit from Ann and Colleen Fordyce. Unfortunately, they were at the hospital for a family member who had an accident. Although the circumstances could have been better, I was happy to see them after so many years.

Today, which I hope is my last full day here, I'm going to do a little bit of packing and I'm going to do whatever it takes to grow neutrophils! 

Anyone have handy some red bell peppers, citrus fruit, broccoli, garlic, ginger, spinach, yogurt, almonds, turmeric, green tea, papaya, kiwi, chicken, sunflower seeds or shellfish? It seems those are the top 15 items to help increase neutrophil production!

I guess I'll have to order Garlic Chicken & Broccoli with red bell peppers for dinner today!