Mom's halfway done with chemo! :-) Woohoo!
But we have had a little kink thrown into our already crazy week. Mom has to have a blood transfusion tomorrow. Her hematocrit was very low when she went for chemo today (25.5, if you must know). Chemo kills rapidly dividing cells like cancer. Unfortunately it also kills rapidly dividing cells like red blood cells. Basically the chemo is killing off her red blood cells faster than her body can produce them. While low blood counts and transfusions aren't uncommon during chemo, this is Mom's first experience with them. In her previous chemo experiences, her red blood cells have always been able to hold their own. However, this time they were already compromised due to her body recovering from one of the worst surgeries ever (during which she needed a transfusion, by the way), so it didn't take much to knock them out. This explains why Mom's energy level hasn't increased at all lately - even during her off week. Hopefully tomorrow's new blood will give her a boost of energy and help her feel more like her old self.
But we have had a little kink thrown into our already crazy week. Mom has to have a blood transfusion tomorrow. Her hematocrit was very low when she went for chemo today (25.5, if you must know). Chemo kills rapidly dividing cells like cancer. Unfortunately it also kills rapidly dividing cells like red blood cells. Basically the chemo is killing off her red blood cells faster than her body can produce them. While low blood counts and transfusions aren't uncommon during chemo, this is Mom's first experience with them. In her previous chemo experiences, her red blood cells have always been able to hold their own. However, this time they were already compromised due to her body recovering from one of the worst surgeries ever (during which she needed a transfusion, by the way), so it didn't take much to knock them out. This explains why Mom's energy level hasn't increased at all lately - even during her off week. Hopefully tomorrow's new blood will give her a boost of energy and help her feel more like her old self.
The transfusion will be at a hospital and will take pretty much all day long. I was going to go with Mom, but she insists she's just going to sleep through it (they'll be giving her Benadryl in case she has a reaction) and has banished me to the house to cook and clean in preparation for Thursday. Just call me Cinderella. ;-)
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