Day 18: House arrest
Today was another lab day. This one didn’t have the same great feeling. The chemo is really kicking her “good”cells now. Her hemoglobin (red blood cells), that carry oxygen through the body, are now down to 7.4. She will have a transfusion on Friday. We can tell that she has been dropping because she is getting so cold and tired. She tires very easily now – 10 minutes of playing and 20 minutes of resting. She is always in long sleeves and usually has pants or leggings as well.
Her platelets actually went up from 37 last Friday to 177 today. That’s great! This means less risk of bruising and bleeding and no transfusion this week. During her last transfusion she had a reaction to the platelets and developed a couple hives. It wasn’t a big deal but is something to watch out for especially with her history of allergies.
Her white blood cells (the infection fighters) are dangerously low now. Her ANC (which is a calculation that is done to determine her risk of infection) is down to 125. Anything below 500 means that Scarlett is at risk of infection just by being in public. We are now under “neutropenic precautions”. This means no going to stores, restauraunts, anywhere with lots of people. We have to be extra careful to wash hands, cover coughs and sneezes…Avoid cuts and scrapes. And keep her mouth extra clean to prevent sores and thrush. It looks like we will be staying home for a while.
We really enjoy having visitors, especially now. But please remember, if you have a cough, cold, runny nose, fever…we will wait to visit with you. Scarlett also has to avoid children that have had vaccinations recently. We will be extra careful with her now, especially with Tate starting school (a breeding ground for colds). Every time she gets a fever over 101 it is an automatic trip to the emergency room. If she has symptoms like chills, it is an automatic call to 911. I’m sure she will have a couple hospital admissions this winter so we are really hoping for a nice warm and healthy winter!
Saving Scarlett 
Hi! It’s Charlie’s mom from swim class. I read thru all your blogs tonight. My heart hurts for all that you all are going through right now. Scarlett – well both girls – have been so fun to watch this summer. I know it’s only one night a week but how can you not love two blond girls with curls?! This is my friends blog: http://fightthebigfight.blogspot.com/?m=1
Their journey won’t be the same, but I think you will still find something of worth in her words. Esp regarding all the care taking. We would like to be able to help if we can. I will look through the rest of your site. But please know Jim and I will continue to think of Scarlett and your family. And forgive me any bumbles I made in trying to process the news today. Much love, Tracie
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Hi, this is Sadie…I commented a few weeks ago. I’m friends with Shelley Cullen, and a fellow parent of a child with cancer. Anyways, I wanted to let you know what we did to help lessen the chance of our baby getting sick while on chemo (my hubby worked as a police liason officer at a middle school at the time). We bought an air purifier that had a UV light chamber that sucked in air, and killed all bacteria and viruses. Our daughter only got sick 2x during her 10 months of treatment. Also, I didn’t do this back then because I didn’t know about it, but Young Living essential oils has an oil (thieves) that can be put in a diffuser, and can kill germs in the air. If you have any questions about either of these products, feel free to email me. sadieslotke@gmail.com
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