Giving Good Blood

I gave blood at my office's blood drive today. My blood just about stopped several times today, but eventually I made it to the bare minimum for a donation. I felt kind of bad for my blood tech though, as she was really working to get those last few drops. She did joke that I must have an abundance of platelets, as I started clotting immediately after she removed the needle. I was the 2nd person to start donating this morning and the 7th one to finish. I envy those of you with nice big veins!

I encourage you to find a blood drive in your area and donate your own pint of blood. While it isn't my favorite experience (this isn't usual from all of the people I've talked to), it is something concrete that I can do to help Tyler and others like him.

Speaking of my handsome husband... Tyler was feeling great after Monday's lab draw. His counts looked fantastic and he felt good. In fact, he felt SO good that he talked his dad into golfing in the rain. Or, as Scott shared with me, Tyler kept trying to convince him that the rain was letting up.

WBC: 7.23 (normal 4.3-10.0)
HCT: 31% (normal 38-50)
PLT: 97 (normal 150-400)
ANC: 5.13 (normal 1.80-7.00)
Potassium: 4.5 (normal 3.7-5.2)

He's been on IV Magnesium or Magnesium supplements in pill form for several weeks now, but that number was in the low range of normal as well.

He's able to eat more at each meal than he was just a month ago, so he's building strength again. The first time that Scott, Gump, and Tyler went golfing (post transplant), Tyler had to rest often along the way and was wiped out for the rest of the day. This time, he didn't have to sit down and rest during the outing and still felt good that night.

On Sunday, he had his first driving experience in about 6 months as he drove us to dinner that night. Although it felt strange to him on the way to the restaurant, I think he settled back to normal by the time we headed home.