Current Issues

Since we've just started writing these posts, many of you know some or parts of the issues going on with Scott. At this time his last White Blood Count was 1,800. That is now in the "low" range. Meaning the bulk of the cancerous cells in his blood have been destroyed, and are being eliminated from the body.

The below normal white count also means he has a risk of infection, as the white cells are what fights off any infection in the body. This is one of the largest concerns going forward when Scott comes home. No one with cold or "bug" can be around him, as if he contacts the germ, he stand a high risk of a complication likely to lead to a hospital stay to get in under control.

Another issue as of today, and what is actually keeping Scott in the hospital right now, is his uric acid level. It is in the "normal" range, but is irratic. Killing the blood cells creates uric acid, which must be removed from the body in the liver and kidneys. This is the reason for high volume IV's, which result in poor Scott having to urinate about every 30 minutes round the clock. But that is exactly what should and has to happen right now. This is to decrease the effects of Tumor Lycis Syndrome (TLS). TLS is a very complex metabolic situation which can lead to severe kidney problems. All the uric acid needs to be elimiated from his body at this time. If not, it could cause some problems in the very long term future for kidneys and/or liver function. So having him stay lying in a hospital for a few more days hooked to IV's is a small price to pay to remove the chance of this situation.

We spoke with Dr. Wynn today, and he stated a realistic release date right now is Friday. No idea what time Friday, as Scott's next round of chemo will happen on Friday. The normal "monitor" period after a chemo treatment will be involved. But it will be nice if he can be back home sleeping in his own bed by the weekend.

Scott himself is in good spirits. He was a bit depressed the last couple of days just because he wasn't going to get out of the hospital. He is handling everything else very well right now. He does have some pain in his jaw which is a very common side effect of vincristine (one of the chemo drugs). A little hospital-grade Tylenol is helping ease that pain. His only problems have really come from taking his steroid pills, which he must take for 4 weeks. The problem arose from one simply not being swallowed and partially disolving on his tongue. The horrid taste made him very sick, and each round of this medicine afterward has been a slight challenge, as he has that mental image right now.

If that's the largest hurdle we have this week, that's okay.