BMT: Isolation (Day +16)

I’ve been anxious all day waiting for Clark’s ANC. Waiting, and waiting, and waiting…  It is so exciting to see progress on a daily basis.  While not quite a light at the end of the tunnel, it certainly points to good progress that we can measure.

Finally the doctors came for rounds, only to tell me that the results haven’t come back yet.  Arrg! They said they would come and let me know as soon as they found out. So, 2 hours later, I asked again. After calling down to the lab, we were informed they didn’t have his (complete blood count) CBC! Arrg again!! Somewhere along the line, Clark’s CBC was misplaced. Bummer.

It’s actually interesting… The doctors are just as eager to find Clark’s ANC, so they decided to have another CBC drawn, rather than sort out what happened to the first vial. Our lovely nurse walked the small vial of blood down to the lab herself, and handed it directly to the person who tests. This way we didn’t have to worry about another loss.

Finally at 7pm, we received Clark’s ANC.  And sure enough – he is up to 390! Not as high as I was anticipating, but still an upward trend! Still great news, and all in all, still a great sign.

Since Clark is heading in the direction of heading home, Patrick and I thought it would be a good idea to learn the “rules” for Clark’s isolation as well as what we have to prepare for in advance. One of the staff members stopped by to give us a handout (more like a book!) to prepare. She also stayed by to answer some questions. Without re-writing the book to you, here are some highlights to look forward to:

What does “isolation at home” REALLY looks like:
– Clark can walk and play outside! With a mask on.
– We must avoid crowds, such as grocery stores, church, restaurants etc..
– We’ll have to void sand, wood chips and dirt. Grass is ok.
– We’ll have to stay far away from construction sights (dust in the air).
– Friends can visit, but only if there are ZERO signs of illness. This includes chicken pox exposure and cold sores. It is hard to tell if children are coming down with an illness, so it is advised to keep them away regardless.

Home preparation:
– Have all carpets steam cleaned
– Do a good “spring” clean. Making sure to dust crown molding, on too of the fridge etc…
– Install new air filters
– Change shower curtain, then continue to wash it every other week.
– No live Christmas trees (they are killing me here)

The book continues with, Medications, Foods to avoid, Signs of infection, Who to call in an emergency, etc…  It is surprisingly more than we thought!