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courtneylflynn@gmail.com

Courtney

Courtney
taken 8/4/07

Courtney and her kids

Courtney and her kids
taken 8/4/07

Sunday, December 16, 2007

D + 4 - A Friendly Visit

So far, everything is going as planned, with the exception of a horrible rash caused by one of Courtney’s antibacterial medication. She’s been dealing with it since Thursday, and if not for that, would probably be feeling quite well. She is, in fact, feeling pretty good. They’ve been doing a good job of staying ahead of the nausea and she has yet to suffer any bad side effects from the chemotherapy.

As for the chemotherapy, even though she finished the last dose a week ago, we’re still seeing the effects of it. Her red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets have been steadily dropping this week. Courtney is now what’s considered neutropenic and extremely vulnerable to infections. Now we wait two to four weeks for her counts to get back to a safe range before she can go home. However, it’s normally 6 to 12 months before all of her counts return to normal. In case you're interested, here are her lab results so far:

Day

WBC

Neutrophils

RBC

Platelets

Hematocrit

Comments

Normal Range

4.1 – 10.9

2000 – 5000

4.00 – 5.20

140 – 440

37.0 – 46.0

Dec 04

D - 8

7.6

5900

243

32.2

Dec 06

D - 6

9.5

7900

2.96

201

28.1

Dec 07

D - 5

10.4

8600

3.31

197

31.5

Dec 08

D - 4

8.9

3.40

190

32.6

Dec 09

D - 3

6.7

5200

3.16

172

30.1

Dec 10

D - 2

4.2

3300

3.35

158

31.9

Dec 11

D - 1

3.7

3.18

170

30.2

Dec 12

D - 0

2.8

2700

2.95

154

28.1

Transplant

Dec 13

D + 1

1.5

1400

2.52

132

24.0

Dec 14

D + 2

1.1

1000

2.26

92

21.2

Got blood.

Dec 15

D + 3

0.6

600

2.93

62

26.9

Dec 16

D + 4

0.3

200

3.12

48

28.5

Officially, she can’t see the kids until it’s just about time to go home. They don’t allow kids past a set of double doors to her hallway, and while neutropenic, they don’t allow Courtney to exit the double doors. It’s been over a week that she last saw the kids and it will likely be at least a couple of more weeks before she will get to see them again. : ( Unfortunately, they’ve all been fighting colds, so even if they were allowed, they couldn’t visit her anyway.

The best part of the weekend was that Courtney was visited by her best friend, Amber, from Utah who she hadn’t seen since we moved in 2002. Amber was able to stay with her Friday and Saturday night providing Courtney with much needed laughter and fun. Not quite the slumber parties of old, but I think they still had a good time considering where they were and why they were there. Thank you, Amber.

Though we aren’t quite sure how long Courtney will be in the hospital, we like to think that we’re just about halfway home. What we’re really hoping for is that her counts rebound quickly and she’s home before next year!

8 comments:

Amy Pennington said...

Yay for happy reunions....so glad Amber made it to Texas to visit Courtney. Please know that we are always praying for a healthy recovery. Hugs!

Leisha Mareth said...

Courtney, I'm so glad you had an uplifting visit from a dear friend! I'm sure that did a lot to keep your spirits up! You are looking great btw! Hang tough, we're praying lots of powerful prayers for you!

Anonymous said...

I miss your guts already! I had such a good time with you. I hope your rash is getting better...stay SHINY! Love you! xoxoxo
Amber

Kristy said...

What a wonderful visit from a great friend! I'm so glad she was able to be there. You are looking good and in our prayers, as always.

Anonymous said...

We have been thinking about you! We are so glad you had a good visit. We hope the last few days have been somewhat restful and the side effects have been minimal. You tend to beat all odds and I'm sure this will be no different. You will be out of there very soon!

Anonymous said...

Friends, family and love ones are Gods medicine
Rhonda WI

Emily R said...

ok, just caught up on your blog. i am so happy for you guys. i really hope for a speedy recovery!!! glad your girlfriend was able to come visit! you guys (and even tracy and family) have been constant in our prayers!!! keep smiling! this will be over soon!!! ;)

Crys said...

courtney- i can't tell you how glad i am that you are still feeling relatively well. hope your counts return sooner than later and i am really looking forward to hearing you are HOME! i am sorry you can't be with your children. i bet that is the hardest part. i pray the time goes by quickly.

 

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