Lab reports: So far, so good

Yesterday, I got some results over the ether and it was all pretty good. For those not concerned with the details, you can stop reading here and feel relieved about having one less friend to fret about this week. I am stable and in no imminent danger.

For those with a nose for details, here goes.

Blood count was steady with slight but insignificant improvement in my anemia, up from 12.7 to 13.5, but a different lab. It was clearly not worse, but it is still a bit low.

My platelets were a sky high 451,000 which is a very nice number, especially since I have dropped my cyclosporin down to 75 mg twice a day to help with blood pressure, renal, and muscular side effects.

Blood pressure is back to normal

White count and absolute lymphs are holding in the normal or low range- very good news. This is likely residual effects of the rituximab from 6 months back. That stuff hangs around along time, especially if your lymphocyte count is not too high.

My retics were low and my Coombs (direct) was negative, so I am not destroying my own red cells like I have done with my platelets. That (AIHA) was a worry, but no longer.

LDH and blood chemistries, except for a few blips (high potassium) which I am dismissing as lab error were all boring too. Kidneys and liver remain undisturbed by the tumult in my blood.

My immune globulins tell a story of disease and treatment. My IGG is very high which is the direct result and a thank you note to all the donors who contribute to my life saving infusions of IVIG, and my IGA and IGM levels are very very low, reminding me that my cancer is of the immune system. I don't make many antibodies, and am thus dependent on the kindness of strangers in the form of blood product donations.

The tumor marker B2M was 2.3, down from 2.9 but that is essentially unchanged. It tells me a I have leukemia, but it is not taking off to the races.

All in all, boring stuff, which I love.

My skin biopsy from my scalp has only the preliminary report showing no cancer, only severe inflammation. That's what I expected, but I have no idea the source of the inflammation-trauma? a insect bite? infection? Again, I refuse to worry, as it is getting better.

So I am still waiting for the bone marrow report. The simple under the microscope pathology should be back soon, but the cytogenetics takes weeks.

I will soon schedule imaging of my nodes with MR (not CT) in May. More on that in a later post.

All in all, so far, so good.

One last comment. I will be making a concerted effort to post more often to these pages. As my friend Dr Hambln does in his blog, which was focused on CLL, but now covers all that is in his purview, my posts may touch on broader topics than leukemia and transplants. Rest assured that I will not be quoting the gospel like the good doctor Dr. H. That is his passion and strength, not mine.

Hockey and process theology are more likely to pop up here. They already have.