Holding off on Stem Cell Infusion This Week...

We went down to LA to meet with our doctor today. Hans got labs drawn there and it was good and bad news. Plts were in the worst shape at 33, ANC a strong 2500 and Hgb 10.7. We decided we'd wait about a week or so and see if the ANC starts to come down before we commit to infusing the precious stem cells.

A LOT went into this decision. We left it up to our doc. This is what we are thinking:
We will scan the week of Valentines Day (I think), if scans are as good or better than last time we will shoot for another MIBG therapy in late Feb/early March.
A strong ANC is a requirement for this MIBG, rather than high platelets.
The thinking is, if the ANC doesn't fall too low, we can conserve a bag of stem cells for possible later use. However, if scans don't look good, we'll likely need to use the stem cells in order to make counts for another therapy...

We'll figure it out. I'm not explaining all the factors here, but I do feel good about our decision. I was nervous about it, but once we asked our doc all of our questions, we felt comfortable letting the chips fall where they may.

Hans' NB tissue sample will soon be on its way to CHOP finally for ALK testing! Thank Goodness. This was the tissue sample they collected from the lymph node in the neck back in Mid-October. I kind of thought this issue was dead in the water. But we should know the results in a matter of weeks or more. This test has been a looong time coming! What a relief.

We have been enjoying "Juneuary". I have to apologize to our northern friends for rubbing it in, but it has been pretty gorgeous and sunny down here. We're happy to be able to get out and enjoy it. We celebrated Honey's 4th birthday at the park this weekend. She has been such a good dog for us. I know my kids are lucky to have one dog and three cats to dote upon. Our place is a bit of a mess with all the hair and kitty litter, etc etc, and it gets kind of crazy around here, but ultimately I'm glad our kids are up to their ankles in canine and feline luv! They all have really sweet friendship with each other (and they are insanely protective and demonstrative about their love of Hans).

This morning, when we drove to LA, we thought it was highly likely that Hans would get his stem cells. This is just such a wild ride, you just never really know what's coming.