ER Visit #3--Hospital Admittance #4

So here we are.....back in the hospital. Yesterday afternoon Raylee started getting a fever. For cancer kids a fever at 100 is a concern and monitored closely....a fever at 101 is a hospital visit. Late afternoon, Raylee's fever rose to 101.4 and oncology instructed us to take her to the ER. When we arrived to the ER they put us in a triage room away from the public, then they evaluated her quickly, pumped antibiotics in her and took blood for labs. The labs came back with a white blood count of .3 which is extremely low. Within the white blood cells there are cells called neutrophil which are described as superior white cells and are extremely important to the ability to fight infections. Raylee's absolute neutrophil count, or ANC, was so low they weren't able to get a count off of it. This means Raylee's ability to fight any infections is gone. She is now resting in "lock down"......it's not really lock down; that's just what I call it. We are in the Immunocompromised Services Unit, or ICS, where they are monitoring her closer then they ever have. One of her oncologist suggested giving her a blood transfusion for red blood cells because her red blood cells, or Hematocrit, are really low as well. The purpose of red blood cells is carrying oxygen and nutrients to every cell in the body. When they are low people are pale and really tired....Raylee is really pale and has been really tired. Also, her heart rate is skyrocketing. A normal pulse rate for a child her age is 110 to 120, hers has gone up to 199. A red blood cell transfusion will help lower her heart rate and help her feel a little bit better. Of course there are risks involved with a transfusion such as infection and allergic reaction. The immunocompromised patients receive really clean blood that is tested even more than normal. It isn't about just matching Raylee up with the same blood type; its about matching her up with the same blood type that is free of all kinds of bacteria. The blood used for these patients is the cleanest it can come as far as medical science has found to purify blood. Raylee is at day 7 after her last Chemo treatment and days 7 through 10 are when the cells continue to drop to their lowest point before they start building up again--we still have 3 more days to go with blood cells and platelets dropping. I asked the hematologist doctor who is working with us tonight if this was common. She said it was, they see it everyday. I have never missed having a simple, boring, and ordinary life as much as I am right now. When Raylee is a cancer survivor and life gets ordinary again, I will never take it for granted; I miss it so much! And I miss my Raylee! I miss my family and my marriage. This was and still is a rough trip to the hospital because it really put the seriousness of her cancer and treatment in a perspective that reveals we are at its mercy. Also, Jerry is home sick with a stomach flu or something and can not see Raylee or come up here. This is breaking his heart and he feels bad and even more helpless. But we have to take extreme precaution with her-now more then ever! It is hard to except that life can be compromised by something as small as a white blood cell. I keep reminding myself that the staff here deal with these situations day and night....and Raylee will be okay. It is heart breaking to know she is so uncomfortable and in pain. I know a war is going on inside her body and I've pleaded and cried to Heavenly Father to help her through this--I don't know how much more I can watch her in pain and fear--it doesn't seem fair...but I do know it is a mere fraction of what God witnessed His beloved son suffer through. For some reason however, at this very moment...this early morning at 5:00 am...that isn't making me feel any better.