Going back to yesterday, it was one of his toughest days. The mouth sores were being managed by IV Morphine and we were prepared that this might only be the start of a very long week. We were told this would get better when his white cells were higher.
Yesterday was when the wbc count finally went up from zero, to 300. Today, the wbc was much higher than we thought it would be--it was 2300!! (normal is about 5-10,000). However, we are told it may bounce around for a while and more important than the total count of white blood cells will be the counts for different white cells, especially lymphocytes.
While Michael does feel better than yesterday (and yes an improvement in the mouth sores) and his fever has improved to low grade--consistent with engraftment, there is a possibility he is showing some signs of Graft vs Host Disease (GVHD). GVHD is where the new stem cells are fighting Michael's body.
I won't go much into that tonight other than it can be a minor or major problem. But a little of it is a good thing because it tends to fight cancer cells. If Michael has GVHD at this time it appears to be minor.
Our prayer requests: that the white (especially lymphocytes) and red blood cells and platelets continue to increase steadily, he remains free from infection and complications and that any GVHD is only minor and resolves at the appropriate time.
We can't thank you enough for your concern and all of your prayers.
Thank You!!
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