I have to apologize for being a day behind on updates.  There is so much going on here daily and so much that has to be done for a family of 8 that updates a day after are becoming the norm.

After our trip to CA on Monday, we were due in to her doctor in Vegas on Tuesday morning for routine labs.  Dr. Rashid has been our physician here and we have had a really good experience with her.  We were happy to see that her WBC count is still climbing, ever so slowly, and her ANC count was up to the 220s.  While still severely neutropenic, she is at least having some protection during this yucky season.  Her platelets and RBCs continue to plummet though.  So, we went to St. Rose Hospital yesterday for platelets.  She will be surely getting RBCs on Friday after her next labs.  So, we are stuck at this place in which her platelet transfusions are needed every 7 days and her RBCS every 14 days.  Since her marrow can only produce so much, and it is making more WBCs, it makes sense that her RBCs and platelets are severely lacking.  This is the essence of Aplastic Anemia – the bone marrow cannot produce all her body needs.

We received full authorization for her preliminary tests today.  Dr. Rashids office asst is scheduling those for us.  I was told that we will be spending the better part of 2 or 3 days in the hospitals next week for all these tests.  Some will be done at St. Rose; others at Sunrise Children’s Hospital.

While we do have a Children’s hospital here in Vegas, we have decided to make St. Rose our hospital-home instead.  Being close to our home, it is convenient and I have really appreciated our time at St. Rose and will miss the nurses and staff there who we have come to know on a first name basis.  It is nice to walk into the PICU and have everyone there know Naomi and her special circumstances.  Many of the nurses there have taken time to really get to know her and treat her with such dignity and respect.  I appreciate that they see her as an individual and take her preferences into consideration.  It is also a friendly feel as we walk out the door after a transfusion and there is a chorus of “good-byes” as we leave the floor.  It is also really nice that we have the chapel, including the chaplain and Priest both on staff who have visited Naomi repeatedly.  We have attended Mass there multiple times, too.

In summary, I was a bit concerned that things might stall or get slowed down by authorizations and scheduling.  I am relieved to hear that things progress on schedule.  The next few weeks will be a whirlwind and we appreciate all your support.