So, its been a couple of weeks since I have posted. The last post said Matthew was starting chemo. Well...he went in on that Monday, and his platelet count was too low. I think everybody was surprised because it had been high enough just two weeks earlier. Apparently this can be caused by a couple of things. Chemo can, and frequently does, short term damage to the bone marrow. Damaged bone marrow does not produce platelets as well. Surgery, even without a lot of bleeding, can also cause low platelet counts. In addition, Matthew has a condition referred to as "platelet clumping." This means that his platelets clump together, and while it does not affect how well they work, it does make his counts inaccurate (usually lower). Matthew has been on a drug that helps increase the bone marrow production. He was checked last week, and it had increased, but not enough. Hopefully, it is high enough when he goes in tomorrow.
Because of the chance of starting chemo tomorrow, Mom cooked a Thanksgivingish dinner today so that Matthew can enjoy it. (We have heard that chemo is worse when your platelets are low). Matthew is not looking forward to chemo, but at the same time, he needs to get through it.
I will try to make sure I update with the results tomorrow.
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