COUNTS ARE UP A LITTLE

For the occasional reader, this obsession with blood counts may be tiresome, but for us, it is a major factor in how Dave's treatment is managed.  First, the results, then the conclusions -

Dave's white blood cell count went up from 2.2 to 3.1.  The expected range is 4.1 to 10.9.  The GRA which helps prevent infections, went up from 0.8 to 1.1, with the expected range being 2.0 to 7.8.  Both numbers, the WBC and GRA, showed improvement, but both are still lower than what the doctor would like to see.

Also, this improvement came after one shot in the week, and that one shot was at 50% dosage.  He is supposed to be have three shots per week at 100% dosage.  What we are all wondering is if his body is "saturated" and just cannot absorb any more of the interferon without it causing the problems with his blood.

We're going to try again today.  Dave has taken a half dosage shot, and will go back for more blood work on Wednesday.  If he's stable, he'll have another shot Wednesday.  If not, we have to consider whether to keep up the treatment.  What we don't know is if anything less than the standard treatment is effective.  If Dave cannot tolerate the standard treatment, does it make medical sense to continue at less than the recommended dosages?

In the meantime, we had quite an eventful week.  Dave's sister Candace was here from Tuesday to Friday, and we had fun catching up with her.  We enjoyed cocktails at a neighbor's home.  We joined a group of 50 Landings folks for a party and trip to St. John's Cathedral downtown to hear the Savannah Philharmonic's Holiday Concert.  We took Chase and Coleman to breakfast one morning, and made it to church on Sunday.  Dave has been taking 2+ hour naps in order to be able to join in the fun, though of course he still feels weak and tires easily.  It's the most wonderful time of the year!