Last Dose of the Really Bad Stuff!

Today we received our last and eighth dose of ARA-C. Now we only have 5 more doses of 6-TG at home and then we'll be done with Delayed Intensification!! I cannot believe it. When I saw this stage in her protocol I dreaded it. On paper it is very daunting, but Catherine was a superstar. I actually asked the doctor if they were giving her anything because her energy level has been amazing. We've been taking walks around the block, playing with friends at the playground, and, after one of her treatments, took a ride to a place called Dinosaur Crossing where Catherine went mining for rocks and "gems". On top of that, her ANC was holding steady at about 1000. Dr. Elisha assured me they were giving her the right stuff and the day after this conversation, her ANC dropped to 590 and then today it went down to 360. They expect her counts to decline more before they can recover. Her hemoglobin has been holding steady at about 9.5 (normal is anything above 11). So far she hasn't needed a transfusion and we may get away without one. Her platelets have been falling as well -they've gone from about 200,000 on Monday to 118,000 today. These numbers will get her through the weekend, but we go back Monday to see if she needs any transfusions.

As a side note, Dr. Elisha and I had an interesting conversation as to why children with leukemia fare SO much better than adults. Turns out that the doses of chemo children get are much higher than adults because their bodies haven't been compromised by all the bad things that come with everyday living. Basically, if I got the doses of chemo that Catherine got, my bone marrow would be destroyed. Thought that was an interesting little factoid.