I had my blood tested this morning and got the results this afternoon...
Q: Is there anything lower than absolute zero?
A: Yes, my white blood cell count!
I've been feeling great ever since I had my last chemo 1 week ago, but my white blood cell count has definitely taken a beating. In particular, my absolute neutrophil count has tumbled from 1.05 down to .19. The normal range is 1.78 to 5.38. Dr. K says that this is to be expected with the Cladribine, so nothing too unusual, and it looks like the type of pattern that suggests a path to remission. In fact, he doesn't see any reason why I shouldn't return to work since most infections in HCL'ers are from internal pathogens. He recommended avoiding crowds and direct contact as much as possible. I'll verify this with my regular hemonc just to be on the safe side. I suppose I'll have to put off the County Fair 4H pig wrestling fund raiser until next year...
Overall, the composite WBC count nose dived from 2.34 down to .97 over the past week. The normal range is 4.23 to 9.07. Dr. K. indicated that days 12 through 17 are typically the low points for all counts, so these should start to level off and come back up starting next week. I've read so many horror stories from fellow HCL'ers posts that I'm not sure if I should go back to work or wait out the next week, but Dr. K doesn't seem to think work will be a problem. If I get a fever (which I haven't yet), I should just give him a call, and they'll bring me in and treat me.
The good news is that my red cells and platelets didn't budge. I guess that's why I feel so good. Dr. K has a feeling that I'll recover faster than most.
Anway, nothing clear-cut at this point, but nothing abnormal either. I've got my 3M 1860S surgical masks ready regardless... (got 'em on Amazon for 1/10th the regular price before they became the official mask of the 2009 Swine Flu Epidemic).
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