Sam and Bran and Ella and Anna

Go Anna Go!

Anna's hematocrit and platelets have been mostly holding steady, slight one and two point drops since Monday. Great news! First time!!! She is not having transfusions every two days because she is hopefully starting to hold her own.

The doctors think that her own bone marrow is actually starting to wake up and respond again - thank Heavens!

Her ANC - which needs to be at least 200 for her to head home, was 0 on Saturday, was 21 on Sunday and today it is 51!!! Hooray!


Now...the not as exciting news.

Anna looks like a cancer patient. She is down to about 30 lbs, she's down about six pounds from her first admit on the 10th. She is looking incredibly frail and she feels frail. She tells us, "I'm out of all my energy." Her hair is almost all gone, her bones are showing. It hurts for her to lie down in the tub, when she gets out her spine is all red and sore. Her hips are hurting, head is hurting, tummy hurting. She hasn't kept her 8 pm meds down the last three nights, so not only does she have to re-take her meds she is also losing her dinner, which also doesn't help with the weight loss. She has started taking pills which makes taking the meds easier - not that she wants to take the pills but it doesn't make her gag or get sick as much. We are to start giving her more fat, more calories, keep stuffing her with food to try and keep her off the NG tube. We are trying to get her out of bed for a few minutes each day and to try and walk. Some days she fights more than others but it is not really optional. The dietician brought me a list today - included are shakes, smooties and rootbeer floats. Unfortunately, the chemo seems to have made Anna lose her sweet tooth. She never asks for anything like that. She wants burritos! :) Pizza, bacon, sausage...anything fatty and salty.

So, we keep on, hoping and praying that her body is responding and that she is starting to get better as the next phase of chemo is about ready to start - we need her healthy for that! Hoping to make it home this week. Crossing our fingers.