DAY +9 A Glimmer of Hope – ANC 42

Kristy Twitter Update – Saturday, May 21, 2011, 1:02 PM
“My son is starting to graph, my son is starting to graph” I just needed 2 say it again I am bursting with joy and excitement.
about 5 minutes ago

Kristy’s Twitter Update: May 21, 2011, 12:17 PM

Day+9 Liam woke up at 3am and threw up. WBC 0.3 ANC (Absolute Neutrophil Count) 42 so he has begun to graph:) He is in alot of pain still can’t get him 2 sleep. Platelet 26
about 2 minutes ago

ANC = (%neutrophils + %bands) x WBC

Mucus is very bad in his throat sounds horrible:( A nurse came and said he looks just like his Dad funny thing was it was my Dad not Jared.
about 14 minutes ago

Kristy’s Twitter Update – May 21, 2011, 10:04 PM

They slowed his feeds down in hopes that it will prevent him from throwing up but he has so much mucus I am not sure that will matter.

They have had to go up on his pain meds twice today. When they graftt it is very painful I hear and they r not sure if it is GVHD I hope not

Grafting is the right way to spell it. I am way to tired. If they think it is GVHD then they will have to scope his GI tract(upper GI). 2 make sure

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003009.htm
When receiving stem cells, a patient may have these symptoms:
Pain
Chills
Fever
Hives
Chest pain
Drop in blood pressure
Shortness of breath
Nausea
Flushing
Headache
Funny taste in the mouth

Measuring Engraftment
http://www.marrow.org/PATIENT/Donor_Select_Tx_Process/
Waiting_for_Engraftment_Days_0/Measuring_Engraftment/index.html

After you receive a bone marrow or cord blood transplant (also called a BMT), your transplant team will watch for signs of engraftment. Engraftment is when the donated cells you received for your transplant start to grow and make new blood cells.
You will have daily blood samples taken while you are waiting for your donated cells to engraft. The blood samples will be given a complete blood count (CBC) test. A CBC test can give your doctors information about the kinds and numbers of healthy cells in the blood. The types of blood cells that are counted to measure engraftment are neutrophils, which are a type of white blood cell that are important for fighting infections, and platelets, which help control bleeding.

Neutrophil engraftment
A CBC test counts the number of neutrophils in your bloodstream. An absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of 500 or more for 3 days in a row is a sign of engraftment. This means that the blood test shows 500 or more neutrophils in a cubic millimeter of blood. Neutrophil engraftment can occur as early as 10 days after transplant. About 20 days is more common for patients who receive marrow or peripheral (circulating) blood cells. For patients who receive cord blood, the average time to neutrophil engraftment is between 21 and 35 days.

Platelet engraftment
A CBC test will also show the number of platelets in your bloodstream. A platelet count of 20,000 to 50,000 is a mark of platelet engraftment. This means your blood test shows 20,000 – 50,000 platelets per microliter of blood. For patients who receive marrow or peripheral blood cells, platelet engraftment often happens at the same time or a little bit after neutrophil engraftment. For patients who receive cord blood, it may be 8 weeks or longer after transplant before platelet engraftment occurs.