- Hemoglobin 14.7 (WHO normal 14.0-17.3)
- Absolute neutrophil count 1.7 (normal 1.4-7.5)
- Absolute lymphocyte count 0.4 (normal 0.8-5.0)
- White blood cell count 3.3 (normal 4-10)
- Red blood cell count 4.74 (normal 4.5-5.9)
- Platelet count 200 (normal 150-450)
Excellent counts, except for the expected low lymphocytes. Doing well, feeling normal and strong.
Learned that they may not, in fact, treat me on May 11, since my current status is complete remission.
They'll do another flow cytometry on April 19. Flow results will come back around April 22; if I'm still at zero hairy cells in the peripheral blood, they won't start rituxan on May 11.
The default assumption is that hairy cells will reappear by April 19. But that's not a certainty. One of Dr. B's patients got a partial remission (like me) on the first round of treatment, went through another round of treatment 3 years later — and then had a complete remission lasting 12 years and still going! That guy was in the office earlier the same day as my appointment last week.
Dr. K confirmed that while it's rare to have a CR follow a PR, it's not unheard of.
And I wouldn't mind being unheard of.
