Day +1

For the next few days to week, the focus will be on leukocyte levels.  I will include the daily updates for the daily blood draws.  We have officially hit neutropenia when my leukocyte levels drop to be a level of 0.5.  This is the period where I will enter into full isolation and wait for engraftment to occur.

These are the blood values which were taken during my initial testing week. All these values represent numbers for Hemoglobin (Hb), Leukocytes (Leuk) and Platelets (Plt).  At the point in time of registering these values, all fell within the normal acceptable limits.  This would have held true until the completion of the chemotherapy, which starts to drop the numbers appropriately.  Today was my first blood draw since the stem cell re-infusion.

So here is where we sit with my values today.  Both platelets and hemoglobin have dropped, however are still within acceptable levels that Dr. Fedorenko expects to see.  Notice that the Leukocytes are now at 3.2.  This is a bit of a drop, just now below what are considered normal values in the human body (4-10).  We will wait to see where they go to tomorrow.  Ultimately, I want to see these numbers diminish dramatically over the next few days to near imperceptible levels!
I do also have a slight elevation of my hepatic (liver) enzymes.  This is a normal occurrence in about 60% of patients, and so as with everything else here in this Hematology department, Dr. Fedorenko has simply infused some hepato-protective agents in to me and these elevations should be quite transient. 
Day by day we will watch these values, hoping for increasing drops in leukocytes.  So far, so good. 
I feel great, just fatigued and needing sleep!  Next update, day +2!
Love from Moscow