BMT: Isolation (Day +15)

Another full day today…

Clark was entertained by the speech therapist and the physical therapist! The speech therapist helped reinforce sign language with play. Using the sign while saying the word gives Clark the option to sign if he doesn’t know how to say it. With time, he will naturally start saying the words instead of signing. We had lots of success with signing with Connor, but Clark appears to be stronger in his comprehension, which has led him to require signing less.  But now that he is trying to communicate back to us, signing is becoming very important to allow him to “talk” to us.

Physical therapy is working on having Clark walk around, squat, balance and bend over. All of which Clark seems to be thriving in. Any excuse to get out of the crib and do something, looks to be of great enjoyment to Clark!

I’m sure you are all impatiently waiting to hear about Clark’s ANC (at least I was)…so I won’t keep you any longer. Today Clark had an ANC of 370! Much higher than Clark’s 140 yesterday…..but, this is still nothing to get excited about, yet. With most patients on the recovery side of a BMT, there doesn’t seem to be a common trend when it comes to their ANC rising. Some kids numbers increase strong and steady, some take a while to get going, while others tend to fluctuate or plateau before reaching 500.

Having an ANC of 500 or greater, helps reduce Clark’s risk of infection. A “normal” ANC is 1500 to 8000/mm3, so we still need to be extremely careful to prevent Clark from getting sick. This is one of the reasons why Clark will still be in isolation for 4-6 months after we leave the hospital.

500 to 1500 is considered the ‘safe” zone. Meaning Clark is still prone to infection, but his body is able to still fight back. There are some perks to Clark’s ANC reaching 500. Such as, Connor will finally be able to visit in the room! Homemade food can be brought in for Clark and we can eat in the hospital room! Clark will also be able to walk around the BMT unit with a mask on! All exciting bouts of freedom which all of us will enjoy.

3 Replies to “BMT: Isolation (Day +15)”

  1. Ok, I know I’m not supposed to be excited, but this is good news to hear!! Can’t wait to see Clark get to 500+ and stay there!! :)

    Hugs

  2. Dear ANC,
    Thank you for more than doubling your previous number of 140. Now we’d like you to work on slowly doubling your new score of 370. Take your time to get it right. We all know you can do it. Thank you for your attention.

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