Clark had a follow-up appointment at UCSF. These appointments keep getting easier and easier! With the exception of our drive at 6:30am to beat traffic, and the price of parking… but I can get over that. I still love the fact that there is no more IViG.
Clark continues to amaze the doctors. He is a “normal” thriving, growing boy. So far there is no sign of GvHD (yay!), and all of his blood counts are staying in the average range. The main reason for this appointment was to set up a vaccine schedule. Since Clark’s immunity, antibodies, vaccines etc.. are all in the blood, there is a large chance that Clark’s antibodies and vaccines were “wiped out” when he received his transplant.
To check Clark’s antibodies, they needed to do a blood test. This is not once of Clark’s favorite tests. There was a lot of screaming, and Connor looked so sad for Clark. But even though it took a few minutes to complete, the phlebotomist was able to fill multiple vials with just 1 poke! And it beats having a broviac.
I love getting all of Clark’s test results sent directly to me on-line. I can see what tests were preformed, but even better, I can compare the results from previous dates. Clark was tested for Tetanus, Diphtheria, Hepatitis, Polio, and Pneumococcal. I have not spoken with a doctor (or nurse) about Clark’s test results, but from my non-medical background, things look great! When I compare his pre-transplant results with today’s, it looks like he has SOME antibodies for each disease! This is not full protection, but hopefully it is something.
Some more tests worth noting: Chimera in September was at 95%, December was 98%, and today is 95% . The Chimera test refers to the % of blood that is from the donor. This is expected to fluctuate slightly for the next couple of years, and these are great numbers! Another number you may remember is Clark’s Lymphocytes. For Clark to get out of isolation, his CD T4 cells needed to reach 200. In January, Clark was at 194, but the doctors were confidant that this was high enough. Since then Clark has continued to climb, and is now at 278. Pre-transplant, he was over 1000, but he is making his way back to the top! Way to go Clark!