A blog named BETTY

I missed blogging for a few days...uh-oh--starting the neglect right out of the gates! Shnookie2 (13 yrs)--who thinks if I'm on the computer AT ALL, I must be blogging--said this to me: "You love BETTY more than me! sniff!" LOL She's such a funny girl!

So, the biggest news around here is that I went to my oncologist this week for my 3-month check-up, and my blood counts came up a little! Dr. Glenn was practically giddy, as was her helper-doctor, whom I've never seen before, but he evidently can read a chart, as well as take cues from the main doctor-lady. Happy! Happy! They both stood there above me, smiling from ear to ear, congratulating me. I felt like the big girl who just did the first poop in the potty. Go me!! (I actually said that, several times, cuz it's hard to know what else to say.)

Since I know you're dying to know!...Here are the results:

Red count (Hematocrit)- 34.3 - which is normal and has been for awhile now, therefore proving that it IS possible for me to be normal in some area.
Platelets - 98 big ones!- which is officially the highest I've had in at least 4 years! To give perspective, normal for a typical human being (I say this cuz I'm really trying to accept that normal for others may never be 'my' normal. Being extraordinary is a burden. sigh) is between 140 and 390. As further perspective, the lowest platelet count I have recorded for me is 15, which was right before I started my last chemo. Now that I know the averages and such, I get why they were shocked that I wasn't spontaneously bleeding nonstop. (Platelets are what clot the blood.) Luck was obviously on my side, in that those last few platelets were the strongest, most super-human platelets known to mankind!
White count - 3.04 - which is also a new natural high for me. (I got to 3.25 once, but that was after an injection of Elasta, designed to boost the white. Only technically cheating.) We're especially happy about this one, since it's been the big battle for me. White cells fight infection; normal is between 4 and 10; I got down to .4 several times during chemo and no one was happy about that! (least of all me, particularly when it resulted in shingles. OUCH!!) Cute story here: Hubby promised me a new car if I got over 2.0, which is ridiculous, since I have no control over them. But he likes to give people incentives to up their performance, and he knows what motivates me! He'd probably take total credit for my improvement if you asked him :). But he did make good on his promise, and my white counts (and my very white butt) enjoy the brand-new minivan very much!

So now ya know! My poor kids know waaaaay too much about blood counts. They've said so many prayers that've started with "Bless Mom's white count to come up." They'll all either go into the medical field or else never step foot in a medical office again. We'll let their therapists untangle that mess.

GO ME!!