Julia had a clinic appointment this afternoon to check her counts. Last week was a good week, with only one clinic visit. The Neulasta really gives a boost to her counts during the first week after chemo. Her counts were good early in the week, so we did not need to .come back to see the doctor until today
We started to notice Julia’s energy level diminishing over the weekend. Julia was very tired in the early evening, falling asleep long before her usual bedtime. It really didn’t stop her during the day, with a play date on Saturday and a birthday party to attend on Sunday. Julia was all about being with her friends – laughing and playing, just being a 7-year-old.
This afternoon we headed to clinic. Julia had a few small bruises on her shins, about the size of a dime, nothing to cause great concern. Julia was as brave as usual getting her blood drawn – “Count one, two, three and put the needle in slow”. Off to the lab, went the vial of Julia’s blood and Julia went off to see the doctor. In the middle of the exam, Megan, one of the nurses, opened the door to announce “8,000” – Julia’s platelet count was well below the level required for a transfusion. An order was placed from the blood bank and Julia was scheduled to return to clinic tomorrow to get a bag of “OJ” (what Julia calls platelets since they are the color of orange juice).
Julia and I left clinic with strict instructions on quiet play for the night and to watch for any changes that may require us to head to the hospital. Hopefully, Julia’s counts are at the lowest point and we don’t see any further drop. But, this is a Carboplatin week and we know that this chemo ravages the platelets. It will be a week of counts, transfusions and waiting it out until Julia’s body begins to strenghthen on its own.