A typical reference range for the white blood cell count is 4.5 - 11.0. Here are how Pete's numbers went during this infusion period: 10.0, 11.4, 10.8, 7.3, 8.1, 5.0, 2.9, 1.3, 0.7. Dr R stopped in briefly today and said that we should not be surprised if tomorrow's number is "zero". We'll be heading in tomorrow morning for another blood test to check that number and to get the Neulasta shot to boost the white blood cell count back up.
Pete will be under "house arrest" until those numbers start to rebound because at these levels he is susceptible to infection. It's best if he does not have contact, even casual contact, with people who may be harboring colds, flu, or any kind of bacterial/viral infections. He also has to be extremely careful of cuts or scratches, even something as small as a paper cut. He has virtually no immunity and because of that things can very quickly spiral out of control and become life-threatening.
It was a long day. I asked Dr R when the scans might be scheduled and he said in about 2 weeks, but once again stressed that he is pretty confident that the tumors are all shrinking.
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