More Platelets

Andrew went to the hospital yesterday. He had to have more platelets. It looks like he will need a blood transfusion on Tuesday. His levels were pretty low yesterday and he had a little fever. Hopefully, this weekend will go well. We plan on staying home and getting some things done around the house. We hope you all have a great weekend.

Bone Marrow and Blood Drive for Andrew

Here is the flier for the bone marrow and blood drive for Andrew on June 13, from 8AM- 2PM. We ask that all of you consider joining the bone marrow registry and giving blood if you feel comfortable doing so. Please feel free to print this flier out and post it in places of business, schools, restaurants, and other areas that will help get the word out.

If you are interested in giving blood at this blood drive, please make an appointment on the American Red Cross website here. Click on make an appointment. You will be prompted to create a login profile to sign up for a time. You DO NOT need an appointment to join the bone marrow registry.

They are currently searching the bone marrow registry for a match for Andrew. If the immunosuppressive therapy doesn't work, Andrew will need a bone marrow transplant. Andrew has needed two blood transfusions and almost ten platelet transfusions so far, with many more to come before this is over. Each platelet transfusion supply for Andrew is made from three blood donations, and for an adult, each one is made from five donations.

Therefore, we ask friends and family to help us pay back the American Red Cross and the National Marrow Donor Program, because I don't think Erin and I have enough blood in our bodies to do it ourselves.

Thank you in advance for helping out.



Bone Marrow and Blood Drive

More Platelets for Andrew

Andrew had another blood count this morning. His platelets were at 8000, so they did another platelet transfusion. All went well, and we were finished at the hospital at around 1. There was no meeting with the doctors needed today.

Andrew's hemoglobin level is also reducing, meaning he will need a blood transfusion in the near future. The frequencies of the transfusions are not surprising with this type of therapy. The encouraging facts are that his white blood cell level went from .5 to 1.2, and, more importantly, his neutrophil level went from 300 to 900. The doctors want his neutrophil level to be at or above 500 as much as possible through this process. These rises may be temporary, or they may be good signs. Only a trend over future tests will really tell us.

We will know more Friday, when we go back for a blood count, a meeting with the doctors, and probably platelet and blood transfusions. It should make for a long day at the hospital.

Weekend update

The weekend is over and there is nothing of significance to report. Andrew had no problems, except for pinching both thumbs in separate incidents. He had no troubles with his medication either.

Erin and I spent the weekend working on things around the house to help Andrew. Erin and Shelayne cleaned every toy the kids have with bleach and water. Erin and I cleaned and reorganized the kitchen, getting rid of any older food. We also cleaned the backyard, the basement, and put away everything from the hospital and everything that traveled with the girls over the past couple of weeks. There is now Purell and antibacterial soap at every sink and every entrance to the house. After all of this, we feel much better about minimizing bacteria in the home for Andrew.

We are going up to U of M tomorrow morning to take a blood count. It is very likely that Andrew will need another platelet transfusion tomorrow morning as well.

One visit down, many to go

Our first visit to the doctor at U of M went well. Andrew had to have a platelet transfusion (which we knew was probable). The child life specialist talked to Andrew about accessing his port. He got through this procedure with no pain because they gave him some numbing cream. The doctor gave us two pieces of good information: one, we only have to go to the hospital twice a week instead of three times a week, and two, he noticed that Andrew's blood had young red blood cells. He seemed encouraged by this. Hopefully, this is a good sign. We will have to wait and see.

So Andrew is home, and we don't have to go back to the doctor until Tuesday morning. We are all together again. If all goes well, this weekend will be quiet and boring.

First doctor visit after leaving the hospital

We are at U of M hospital meeting with Dr. Boxer, the new hematologist. Andrew's platelets are at 19,000 so he needs another platelet transfusion. While at U of M, we also met with the nephrology nurse practitioner. She told us that Andrew will need to be on his blood pressure medication for two weeks before we see any regulation in his blood pressure. We are sitting in the pediatric infusion center waiting for the platelets. Andrew's port will need to be accessed for the first time since leaving the hospital. He has a special numbing medication,which should make the poke less painful.

Thank You!

Chris and I know we have a long way to go with Andrew's treatment, but we wanted to take this time to thank you for your kindness during this difficult time in our lives. We have felt so loved and supported by everyone. Words cannot express how grateful we are to everyone who has helped us in anyway....we cannot thank you enough. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful support network.

We spoke too soon....

I just got a call from the doctor at U of M. Andrew's cyclosporine level is too high and the nephrology doctors are concerned because of his hypertension. I need to take him into Beaumont tomorrow morning before administering another dose of medicine. The doctors at Beaumont will test Andrew's levels to see if they are in the normal range. If they are too high, they will have to adjust the dose amount.

You Know We Love You, But...

We will be home from the hospital tonight, and we know there are a lot of people who want to see Andrew. Unfortunately, Andrew's access to other people will be extremely limited in the next few months. The only people who will really get to see Andrew in the near future will be us, the girls, and his grandparents, and that will be almost entirely when they help us with child care.

We have to limit Andrew's access to possible viral and bacterial infections because his immune system is not only weak, but it is also being suppressed. In the protocol article the doctors gave us about immunosuppressive therapy, 6 out of the 62 patients studied for the paper died within 6 months. All 6 deaths were due to "opportunistic infections". Therefore, we have to limit his opportunity to contract these infections the best we can.

Each person comes in contact with dozens of other people over the course of a week. Each of these contacts is a possible source of a virus being spread. Someone you talk to could go a week without getting sick, but still could have spread the virus to you. You can then spread it to him a week before you feel ill. So if we let all the people who want to see Andrew come over to our house, and each of them have been in contact with dozens of people who are possible spreaders, we increase the pool of contacted people to thousands, of which one needs to be sick to spread something to him.

Andrew will contract things that most people's bodies fight off without them knowing, because his immune system is so low right now. Therefore, while we would love to see everyone, we just can't do it.

The rest of us will be more isolated too for the immediate future. Erin, Sophia, Madeline, and I will be doing our best to limit our own access to others, especially when summer vacation starts in a couple weeks. Since we will be around Andrew the most, we will try to have the least contact.

So please understand if we say no if you ask to come over, or don't invite you in if you drop something off. Also, don't be offended if we can't make it to your barbecue or birthday party, or if we say no to playdates or golf. It is not that we don't want to; we are going to be losers until the doctors tell us otherwise for Andrew's sake.

Heading Home Soon

We are officially going home! The medications are done, and we have already picked up the antibiotics and steroids from the pharmacy. We are only waiting for discharge papers and for the blood pressure medication to be ready at the pharmacy. Once the discharge papers come, the nurse get the fun task of removing the needle from his port. He hasn't had it done yet, so it should be interesting. Directly after that trauma, we will get to walk out to our cars and go home.

Where We Go From Here

Here is the basic schedule, or at least as much as we know, for the next few weeks as we transition the treatment from the hospital to home.

Andrew will still be on a steroid treatment and taking cyclosporine at home. The steroid treatment will last about six weeks, four weeks at treatment levels, then weening him off for two weeks. He will take cyclosporine for months to come. These are to reduce and regulate the T-cells in his body. The T-cells are the first line of defense in the body, and they believe these are contributing to attacking his marrow. The steroids also help to reduce the side effects from the Thymoglobulin, called serum sickness, that can last for two to four weeks after the treatment.

On top of those medications, Andrew is on an extensive antibiotic regimen to help fight against viruses he might get in the future. Since the T-cells are suspended, his body needs help against all type of bacteria and viruses. Also, he will be taking a blood pressure medication since one of the side effects of the steroids is high blood pressure. There are probably other medications as well, and others may be added(for instance, there is a remote chance he may need insulin).

We will be at the hospital Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to start, then probably reducing to twice a week in the future. We will start at U of M hospital, but as things settle down we may go to Beaumont when he only needs blood count checks.

At the hospital, blood and platelet transfusions are always possible any time we go in. That will be determined by his blood count that day. Other procedures and infusions are going to happen on these visits as well. We don't yet know what those will be or how often they will be.

This Friday, we meet with a couple of doctors who have concentrated their studies on aplastic anemia, and will give us some more details about the rest of this process.

Long term, they don't expect to see any results for at least two months, it will probably be more like three, and it could be several months after that to see any real progress. That means that it could be a while before we know whether this treatment is going to work or not, and whether we have to move on to a bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor. The recovery process is much slower for the immunosuppressive therapy than for a transplant.

We will send out a post later in the day regarding home life, and life in general, for our family in the coming months.

Saved at the Last Second

They weren't able to clear Andrew's central line, so the surgeon decided at around 8 that they would have to install a new one, and set him up for surgery at 10:30. The resident came to tell us this, and found Andrew in the middle of eating breakfast. Since you can't have any food for six hours before the surgery, they had to push it back to 2PM. This put the possibility of us getting discharged today in doubt.

At around 8:30, the nurse came in to try clearing the line one last time before she disconnected the apparatus, and it worked! Now the central line is fully functional, surgery has been cancelled, and we need to go get Andrew another breakfast. We are back on schedule for leaving today. Special thanks to "Nurse Stephanie" for saving us.

Still Trying

Andrew's central line still has a blockage. The doctors and nurses are still working on clearing it. It doesn't seem like they are used to a line not unclotting like this. We will see what happens this morning.

They installed an IV into his hand at around 2:30 this morning, and are putting his medications through that for now.

We are hoping to get out of here today, because they have told us we are next in line for a roommate.

Back to the "Arm Poke" IV

The port is still clogged somewhere, so they are on their way up to install an IV into his arm tonight. He needs this for the medications he has to take until the port is working again. Andrew wasn't excited about this prospect, but it is necessary until they can x-ray the port sometime tomorrow.

Nothing Is Ever Easy With Andrew

After three uneventful days, I guess we needed a little excitement around here. First, the high blood pressure that brought on an ultrasound and medication. Now, the port has seized up. The port is the permanent IV in Andrew's chest that is used to put medicine into and take blood out of his body. There is some sort of blockage somewhere along the way, and the nurse's efforts so far have been unable to clear it.

Now it looks like we may have to do one of two things tonight. We will either have to replace the needle and tubing going into the port, which would mean re-accessing it with a new needle. The other option is to go to x-ray tonight so they can find the blockage.

Through everything, we are still scheduled to leave tomorrow. Tonight could just be a late one.


UPDATE: If they find out that the blockage is inside the port itself, and they are unable to get it unclotted, they will have to install a new port. Surgically. Tomorrow.

Kidney and blood pressure

Andrew's ultrasound is finished and they will be analyzing the kidney pictures soon. I met with a few doctors from the pediatric nephrology (kidney) department. As of right now Andrew will be on a medication to regulate his blood pressure. Chris and I will also be trained in using a blood pressure cuff and a stethoscope. We will need to document Andrew's blood pressure twice daily. We are definitely learning a lot about medicine and medical procedures....much more than we ever wanted to know!

On a fun note....Andrew was able to play with Teddy the therapy dog today. Teddy is an 11 year old golden retriver who visits Mott patients on Tuesdays.

High Blood Pressure

A doctor came in to check Andrew's kidney function. The kidneys play a key role in keeping a person’s blood pressure in a healthy range, and blood pressure, in turn, can affect the health of the kidneys. High blood pressure, also called hypertension, can damage the kidneys. Andrew will need to have an ultrasound of his kidneys in order to rule out a problem. The doctor feels his high blood pressure is most likely related to the medicine and not his kidney function, but she wants to double check in order to be sure.

Fifth treatment

Andrew started his fifth and last treatment today. They have recently stopped the treatment because Andrew's blood pressure is too high. They have given him a medication to help bring his blood pressure down. If the medication works, they will resume the last treatment. Hopefully, this does not hinder us leaving tomorrow. More to come...

Fourth Treatment, Sixth Platelet Transfusion

Day four of treatment is halfway finished, and Andrew has shown no real reaction to the Thymoglobulin so far. While there is the possibility of a reaction still, the doctors say that the chance now is very unlikely. If there is no reaction, fever, or infection of any kind that develops, we should be discharged sometime Wednesday, and going back home.

Tonight, Andrew will need another platelet transfusion. They are trying to keep his platelet level elevated above 40 during treatment; hence the frequent transfusions. Once we go home, they will only transfuse if the level dips below 10.

Chris and Erin are taking turns working; Erin is at work today, Chris will work tomorrow. It is somewhat back to normal life after this crazy last week. There will still be an adjustment period, and Andrew will still be coming back three times a week for checkups and procedures. But at least everyone will be back together as we move on to the next phase in this treatment.

Third treatment

Andrew went through his third treatment without a problem. He is getting used to taking the medication and being hooked up to his machine for many hours at a time. Everyone at U of M Hospital has been outstanding, especially the nurses. Thank God for nurses!!!!

Platelet transfusion

Andrew's platelets dropped last night. They had to give him another platelet transfusion around 11:00 pm. Other than that, day two of treatment went well. U of M has a playground on the roof of the hospital for the pediatric patients and their families. The girls are going to come visit Andrew today and we are going to go play at the "roof park".

Go Blue!

Andrew was just visited by Lloyd Carr, Mike Hart, Chris Perry, Adrian Arrington, and John Navarre. They signed a Michigan towel for him and gave him a Michigan bear. Andrew was doing fine until the photo. He got a little scared because some of these guys were pretty tall. Chris was rather excited AND Erin was too because Lloyd Carr knew where Lutheran Northwest was!!!!

Day two of treatment

Andrew started his second round of treatment. He is doing well. I think he might have a little "rabbit" in him. Check out the video of him playing basketball with Chris.

First day

The first day of treatment went well. Andrew had a minor reaction (blotchy skin and complaining of itching) right before bed that was cleared up by a little Benadryl. Everything else went pretty smoothly. Everyone is taking really great care of Andrew. The nurses are awesome and the child life specialists got him to take his medicine. We will let you know how day number 2 goes.

Andrew's bandages changed for the first time....

Ouch! Enough said....

Two hours in

We are two hours into the treatment. No complications or reactions. Andrew has had two steroid treatments which has made him a little (okay, maybe 'very') irritable, so getting him to take oral medication has been a challenge. Luckily, U of M has Child Life Specialists who can talk with Andrew about taking medication and put it in "four-year-old" terms. Other than that, the treatment seems to be going well.

Finally

The first treatment session has begun! They started the Thymoglobulin at around 11, and it should last about six hours. So far he has no discernable reaction, which is good. Reactions usually happen in the first 15 minutes, and we are 20 minutes in already.

Pushing Treatment Back, One Last Time

Andrew needs a platelet transfusion before beginning immunosuppressive therapy (IST). We are waiting on the platelets, then an hour or so for the transfusion, then a quick steroid, and then we will be ready to begin the IST. Should only be a few hours total, but the good news is that it will be given today.

On another encouraging note, Andrew will be lifted from his quarantine as soon as the IST is finished today. They never found any sign of infection or virus to be of concern.

Andrew unplugged

Andrew was finally unhooked from his IV for a few hours. He was very excited. We were able to get some hockey sticks and he played a game of hockey in his room. Andrew is feeling good. Tomorrow he starts his treatment.

Horse Serum. Rabbit Serum.

The doctors and pharmacists have decided to change up the treatment a little bit. The main change is that, instead of going with the equine-based ATG(Atgam), they will use a rabbit-based ATG serum(Thymoglobulin). The Thymoglobulin is less reactive than the Atgam, and still works the same for the purposes they need for Andrew. The only two drawbacks, and they are minor, are that the Thymoglobulin treatment takes 5 days instead of 4, and the Thymoglobulin is more expensive. Since the majority of people don't have a significant reaction to Atgam, they use it first.

Since it is probably too late in the day to start a treatment, we are pushing back the start of treatment(again) until tomorrow morning. As an extra precaution, they are giving Andrew an extra steroid treatment, as well as some other antiobiotics. The Thymoglobulin treatment should start around 9 or 10 AM, and last for 6 hours.

I know that this process may sound frustrating to everyone reading this, but the doctors have been reacting well to changes in Andrew's condition, and changing the plans accordingly. Yesterday, one of the nurses told us that there were so many orders put in and then cancelled in his file that she wanted to verify things with the doctors directly now. Issues have come up, like previously unknown surgical tape allergies, the periodic fevers, and the reaction to Atgam, and the medical staff has taken precautions to deal with each of them. We are still confident in their abilities and in the process, even though the changes have been frustrating at times.

Also, if you ever have any questions regarding this process, feel free to write them in the comments section, and we will try to answer them. Sometimes you maybe stumble on something we completely overlooked.

Andrew Reacts to Test Dose

They gave Andrew a test dose of the ATG on his arm around 1:30, and his arm reacted to it and developed a rash. The hematologists are meeting with each other and consulting the pharmacists to figure out what might have happened and come up with a course of action.

ATG is literally an equine serum that is developed in and extracted from horses, it is possible that he is reacting to a protein in the horse, the active ingredients, or some other additive. Basically, we don't know right now, and the impression we get from the doctors don't make us believe that they know.

So everything is on hold right now with treatment while the doctors try to figure things out.

Treatment Begins

Andrew has been cleared to begin treatment this morning. They will give him a test dose starting in the next hour or so, see how he reacts, then give him the infusion. The first infusion will take 8 hours. They will do the same thing(minus the test dose)for the next four days.

The main drugs in the infusion are ATG, which makes antibodies against his lymphocites, and cyclosporine, which is an anti- T-cell prolifersation agent(helps prevent rejection).

Andrew is still under quarantine, even though all of the cultures taken have come back negative. They will probably have him confined to his room for one more day. It is actually a good thing for a couple of reasons. One is that the nurses have to take vitals frequently the first day to monitor for any side effects, so he would have to return to the room every 15 minutes or so anyway. The other reason is that this floor of the hospital is at capacity, and the only rooms that don't have two patients are the ones with people under quarantine. They even had to take the other bed out to use in another room, so Andrew has a play area in half of the room.



Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

Another blood transfusion

Andrew had lots of visitors today. Grandma, Grandpa, Yia Yia, Papou, Uncle Sean, Auntie Sara, Auntie Lo Lo, Sophia, and Madeline all came to see Andrew today. It was nice to see and spend time with family.

This evening he spiked a little temperature which they are monitoring. His hemoglobin level dropped and he had to have another blood transfusion.

If all goes well with the fever and the transfusion his treatment will begin tomorrow morning.

Contacting Andrew

Now that we are settled in, it appears that Andrew will have a lot of down time during the day. There are a few ways to contact Andrew(or Erin and Chris) for people looking to do so.

If you want to send Andrew mail, here is the mailing address for his hospital room:

Andrew Miller Room F7519 Bed 2
F7689 CS Mott Children's Hospital
1500 E. Medical Center Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0246

Andrew's email address is three.silkies@gmail.com.

We are also set up on Skype through Erin's address, millererine. Any of his family or friends that want to do a videoconference will him can try to contact him that way.

Therapy Pushed Back

The hematologist working the hospital floor this week, Dr. Jasty, has decided to wait for the blood cultures to come back negative for any kind of virus before starting treatment. Because the cultures were taken last night, and typically take about a day to develop, we will be delaying the start of immunosuppressive therapy at least until tomorrow morning. Dr. Jasty wants Andrew in the best possible health when we begin the next phase.

It looks like we will have to do another blood transfusion at some point today. His red blood cell levels are just a little low.

On a good note, Andrew seems to be building energy as the morning rolls on. He has been talking (while eating) for the past 10 minutes straight right now, and is singing songs and playing with his Thomas the Train sticker book.

Some good news

Andrew was able to sleep most of the night. Having the port helps because they can draw blood and give antibiotics without poking Andrew or having to hold his hand (the one with the IV) down. Andrew's fever is gone as of right now. YEAH! And he looks a lot better. The color is back in his face and his skin isn't red and blotchy anymore. He is also in better spirits this morning. He will have a blood draw soon. Depending on how those tests results come back, he should be able to start his treatment this morning. Andrew is still in isolation, which means he can't leave the room, but we just bring the fun to him. We have played countless games of Zingo and Crazy 8's and have watched Scooby Doo and the Pirates about five times. Praise God for Andrew's great attitude! We are so proud of our brave little boy.

Complications

Andrew has recently developed a fever. They took a blood culture because they are worried he has some sort of virus or bacterial infection. Andrew is quarantined to his room for the next 24 hours while they rule out a few things. Everyone on his floor is considered immuno-compromised (including himself) so he needs to stay away from everyone else. They have given him a wide-ranging antibiotic to fight whatever is attacking his system right now.

Surgery Is Successful

The doctors just came to the waiting room to tell us that the port placement surgery was a success. They have placed that along with an access tube in order to more easily administer medications, transfusions, and other things over the coming months.

Andrew is still asleep under anastetia, and they say it will be another 30-45 minutes before he wakes up. We will be able to see him then.

He will get most of the day to recover, barring any need for another transfusion. Treatment should start in the morning.

Andrew's Port Placement

Andrew went into the operating room around 10:30 for his port placement. The surgery will take about 1 hour. He was riding in style in his wagon!

Port at 10:15

The operation to install the port is tentatively scheduled for 10:15 this morning. It should take around 45 minutes. They are doing another blood count now, but everything should be good. He needed a 50,000 count on the platelets before they would do surgery, and he was at 49,000 after the first platelet transfusion. They did a second one, so his numbers should come back well within range.

If all goes as planned, the treatment phase will start tomorrow morning.

A Long First Night

It is about 10PM, and there is still much to do tonight. Andrew had a platelet transfusion, and is about one hour into a three hour blood transfusion. An hour after that is finished, they will do another blood count. If the platelet level is still below 50 (and they suspect it will be) they will give him a second platelet transfusion. Provided they can finish that and get in yet another blood count before 7:30 tomorrow morning, they will take him in for the operation to install the port. If not, they will wait until Wednesday for the operation, and push back the start of the treatment until Thursday.

To make things harder on Andrew, they just gave hime three different antibiotics. I think he is finished with all medical science for today. Hopefully tomorrow will be a little less demanding on him.

Two Transfusions

Andrew needs both a blood and platelet transfusion tonight. They are starting with the platelets soon, and the two will take a few hours combined.

Well...

Today didn't go as planned. We received a phone call early this morning saying the U of M doctor we were supposed to consult with was sick. They wanted us to reschedule for Friday. We insisted Andrew needed his blood levels checked. We went to Beaumont for a blood draw and found that Andrew's platelets were at 7,000 (normal levels are about 200,000), and his white and red blood cell counts were lower than ever. The doctors at Beaumont were able to contact U of M and get Andrew admitted into Motts. We are at Motts right now waiting for a platelet transfusion. Tomorrow he will need a port put surgically into one of his larger veins. On Wednesday they will start the medicinal therapy, and we will be here approximately five more days.

On our way....

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).

We are packed and ready to go. Our first appointment is at 10:30 for a blood draw and the next one is at 11:30 with the new doctor. The rest of the day is unknown. We will keep you updated.

Together At Last

Yesterday was the first time in over a week that all five of us were able to spend some time together. First, Sophia came down with a cold last Friday. Because Andrew's white blood cell counts are so low, we decided to send Sophia to Erin's parents' house for a few days until she got better. Then, as soon as she came back home, Madeline came down with the same cold, and spent time with both Erin's and Chris' family members. She was better yesterday, so we were able to bring her home.

It was nice to let the kids play together(and with us) before Andrew has to spend time in the hospital. It was especially nice that this fell on Mother's Day, and we were able to spend it as a family, which has become a much rarer occurrence lately.

We would like to thank all of the people who helped us with watching the children last week. We needed two separate people for child care through most of the week, and several people stepped up and helped, some of them on almost no advance notice. Also, we would like to thank the dozens of people who have already helped us in other ways. Whether it was through time, food, gift cards, items for the hospital, well wishes, and especially prayers, our support network has been amazing so far, and we thank all of you.

No Match

We found out this morning that neither of the girls match Andrew's tissue type.  The transplant from a sibling would have been the best treatment method, but now we are on to immunosuppressive therapy. 

We are meeting with Dr. Harris, a Hematologist/Oncologist at U of M Hospital, on Monday morning.  Later that day, Andrew will be admitted to the hospital to begin the treatment.  He will be in the hospital for at least the rest of the week. 

In the meantime, they will be looking for an unrelated donor for a bone marrow transplant.  Dr. Levine, Dr. Jamil, and Dr. Harris believe that this treatment would be preferred to immunosuppressive therapy if they can find a matching donor.  For anyone willing to join the bone marrow registry, we would encourage you to go to http://www.marrow.org/ to find a registry drive in your area. 

Platelet Transfusion

Yesterday, Andrew had to have a platelet transfusion. He was scared, but very brave. Chris brought him into the doctor and his platelet count was 15,000. Dr. Levine and Dr. Jamil recommended a platelet transfusion. Andrew also had a fever that was fluctuating. A lab was taken to see if he has an infection in his blood. If he has an infection, he will have to be treated with antibiotics in the hospital. We find that out today.

Andrew also went to U of M Hospital for a different lab. This lab is to test for genetic aplastic anemia. After the lab, Grandma took Andrew for a milkshake and to see the Big House. Go Blue!

We should find out on Friday whether one of us is a bone marrow match for Andrew. We will keep you posted.