Blood Counts

(Just tilt your head to the left, smile. SORRY! I can't recall how to try to rotate this, but I think the picture is so cute I still have to share it.)
(Photo: 7 days ago, spending the day with her sweet friend, Josh)







I see I was so excited to share the fact that the "bump" was nothing more than a very large and swollen (but not red at all) mosquito bite that I didn't post her blood counts on Wednesday. They were:

10.8 hgb. (low, but ok)
81 platelets (unfortunately, they've dropped again, hmmmmm)
4.7 white (fine)

The good news was that her LDH was 241 (Yes, elevated; however, a bit better than it was two weeks ago when it was 262). The LDH and the MIBG scan have been the most reliable markers of Christi's cancer. (Normal LDH is 100-190) We knew with progressing disease in her liver, skull, pelvis and femurs that it wasn't going to be normal by any means; however, we are thrilled it's not any higher. We know it could have been much worse!

What I thought would be an easy week for the children in YMCA day camp turned out to be anything but that. I'm incredibly grateful that my mom and our friend Sherri were able to be with Shayla during the past few miserable days of ear pain. I'm pleased to report that tonight she is happily playing and I'm certain the worst is over! Praise be to God!