The Pirates Back!!

Yesterday, was Granton's 2 year check-up in KC. We started by going to the dentist. Granton doesn't have any cavities, yeah! He held real still while his teeth were being counted and cleaned. Then, we got his blood drawn which went very smooth. He only got one stick and didn't cry. They also drew up a larger panel this time and an unusual amount of blood came out easily! Next, we learned how well Granton's immune system is doing. I will list all the factors that his doctor pointed out to help explain the positive report. First, Granton's immune system has responded to the vaccines he received and he should be able to get the live vaccines in 6 months. Next, his immune globulins--iga and igm are both normal. And, last his b-cell count (the one we've been praying for) improved from 16% to 20%! Although 20% sounds lower than it should be, our doctor in confident that Granton's immune system is sufficient with 20% b-cells. Also, he said that last year at this time--when the retuximab completely wiped out all his b-cells, the doctor thought he might have to receive ivig support for the rest of his life. Now, he is optimistic that this isn't the case, which is huge for us!!! Dr. Dalal is confident enough in his immune system that he doesn't want us to give any immune support unless his numbers drastically change. His result was 401 down from 406 but still above 400.

Now, we do have some small concerns. After, speaking to the bone marrow doctor, Granton went to the eye doctor. The eye doctor told us that our little pirate has to wear a patch for a while until his weak eye gets stronger. Basically, he has a lazy eye and we go back in 3 weeks to check it and get an excuse to play in the fountains at crown center. :) Finally, we went to see the heart doctor. Where is Kaynee during all this you say? Thankfully, at home with her dad where--by the way--she was a fantastic little girl! We haven't heard any results from the EKG or pictures of Granton's heart.

I will add one prayer request if you think of it. Granton's hemoglobin (red-blood cell count) was slightly low yesterday, not too alarming. His red blood cells also tested positive for igg and should be negative. I think this means that his immune globbulin (igg) has coated his red-blood cells. This could be because he still has vivaglobin (immune support medicine) still in his blood stream from 2 months ago. Or, it could mean that his red-blood cells are about to be attacked again. Now, don't think too negative yet because other lab results like AST, ect. were normal this time, and last year when he became anemic they were not. Also, his complement cell was negative and last year it was positive. So, anyway we will test his blood again this tuesday to see the changes good or bad.

All and all we were completely pleased with our visit and Granton's favorite part of the day was seeing Thomas the Train on a big track in the waiting room. I heard, "Go Thomas, Go!" while he was eating his snack.

Jenni