June 15, 2006

AFP = 6.1
YAY!

We left for Iowa City early this morning-with a bag packed just in case. Considering Leah's counts are very low I did not want to get there and not be prepared. We stopped in North Liberty to do our whole emla cream routine and then were still 30 minutes early for our appointment, so we had a cinnamon roll at the Java Hut. Once at the clinic we had Leah's port accessed and blood drawn. AFP was the test we were worried about, but her electrolytes, hemoglobin, white count, and platelets along with liver and kidney function tests were run. Hemoglobin is still going strong at 10.5, platelets are low at 32,000 (they transfuse below 20,000-although before their platelet shortage they transfused below 50,000), and white count is very, very low. The good news that we were waiting for was the AFP. Last time it was 11.3. The normal range is 0-8.9, and because it is within normal, they are not planning on more chemotherapy. Before we left they decided to tack on a hearing test. Leah's last test was done in January, and the results today were the same as then. She does have some high frequency hearing loss. They explained again that she should be able to hear fine except in noisy situations-like an auditorium or lunch room, although it was explained that each year her school hearing test will probably always come back that she has failed. One of the drawbacks of chemotherapy is its ability to hurt good things as well as bad, so even though it helped kill cancer cells, it also hurt Leah's hearing, too. We will be going back to Iowa City on June 29th for an echocardiogram and CT scan. They would have done the echo. today but I was quite insistent it be done with the CT under general anesthesia. It was suggested they could use chlorylhydrate or versed.....apparently they don't remember the CT scan fiasco from December when they kept pumping her full of these sedatives and she became more and more agitated instead of more and more relaxed. I don't know that they expect to see anything in these tests, but it is another thing we can worry about and pray to come back with no surprises for us.

Finding computer time is getting to be hard work. Leah has the whole computer use thing down pat. She knows how to get on the internet and use all the bookmarked favorite sites. Since we have been gone all day I am taking up her valuable computer time (or so she thinks).

We are praying for her counts to rise quickly and for no infections! Leah is ready with a new Grump Day shirt to go to the Readlyn Days parade. Drea comes back from a short vacation tomorrow so that has already been lined up on her agenda of things to do.

Thank you to everyone for the continued prayers, cards, and phone calls we are receiving. Please keep praying for an AFP to stay in the normal range forever and ever, amen.