The Ordinariness of One Pretty Good Day after Another

              The outpatient clinic on Cox 1 was closed for MLK Day, so we went to Lunder 10 for the requisite semi-weekly labs. The counts continue to look good; no need for a transfusion today. David stopped taking hydroxyurea several days ago, so it appears that the decitabine is effectively lowering the white blood cell count.

            Here are the numbers:

Date of Blood Draw (CBC)	White Blood Cell Count	Percentage Blasts in circulation	Absolute Neutrophils	Hematocrit (red blood cells	Platelets
5-Jan-15	2.16	6.0%	0.17	25.60	39.00
8-Jan-15	1.58	4.0%	0.16	22.10	39.00
12-Jan-15	1.04	4.7%	0.12	22.40	40.00
15-Jan-15	1.40	16.0%	0.03	22.40	38.00
19-Jan-15	2.29	pending	pending	23.70	29.00

            So, we continue trying to remember to appreciate each uneventful day. As Jim wrote in his summary of the past year: “Except for a few days of severe intestinal pain just before Christmas, the past five weeks have been the best since March. Mary, David, and I each seek in our own way to deal with the prospect of imminent death mixed with the ordinariness of one pretty good day after another.”