News from the Infusion Center: Taking a Normal CBC for Granted

I went seven weeks between blood draws and my infusion of IVIG to coat and protect my platelets.

The CBC is usually reported back within minutes at the oncology suite.

The fact that it was all basically normal is not the news.

What is new is that I didn't ask to see it immediately. My oncologist didn't review it before walking in the room.

Both of us have grown to expect that it would be boring, and boring it was.

Hgb. which goes up and down for no reason was back to a normal 14.2.

Platelets were staying high and dry at 381,000.

My ALC was only about 1.0.

Blood chemistries were all good too except for a slightly low protein level. Uric acid was nice and low at 5.6 despite being on cyclosporin, infamous for causing accelerated gout. My LDH was stable and normal. Still waiting for my immunoglobulins.

It wasn't all that long ago that I dreaded these lab tests and waited anxiously to see if the results would land me an unplanned visit to an infusion chair or an urgent hospital admission.

How times have changed.

Thank you ibrutinib.

Now I will go eight weeks between visits for IVIG. It was needed every two weeks for years. My veins and I are truly living in gratitude.