Sept 19- BMA Day

Yeah. The Bone Marrow Aspiration and Bone Core Sample are finished for this round of chemo.

Bill did really well with the BMA. He said it was not painful, just a pressure in the pelvis area. The doctor inserts a needle for the aspiration, where they draw the fluid from the bone marrow. The bone marrow is where our blood supply is produced. It is a mixture of white and red cells, and platelets.
The good news……... It was red in color. If you remember, two weeks ago, his bone marrow was white and thick with blasts of white cells. The chemo has done it’s job. Results from the BMA will not be ready until Monday. The doctor that reads the fluid is on rotation at another hospital
Bill has not had a fever for 5 days. Of course, he is on antibiotics about 3 times a day. I am sure that helps.

Bill’s blood continues to be low on all counts.

Bill’s count
White cells- 500
HOB (red)-9.6
Platelets- 13,000
Neutrophils- 0 (this is the “good” white cells, and we want to see this number go up in the next week.)

Normal counts should be:
White cells- 3,000- 7,000
HOB- 12-18 gm/dl
Platelets- 150,000-400,000

Bill’s red cell count is on the high side (for him) because he received 2 bags of packed red cells on Tuesday.
Bill is still anemic, still receiving platelets everyday, and red cells as needed.

Pastor Bryant brought us Prayer Shawls made by the ladies of the church. Bill wears both of them (mine and his) every evening when the room cools down. One is wrapped around his shoulders, the other across his lap. He said all he needs now is a babushka, and he’d look like his grandmom.

We both enjoy your cards and well wishes. Thank you so much for taking the time to remember both of us.

Our prayer this evening is for good results from the tests, and improvements in his blood supply. This puts us one step closer to recovery.
Please pray for the 5 other AML patients that have been admitted to Loyola just this month. They are hoping to go home soon also.