More Research Yields Not Much Results

Over the weekend I have been trying to get myself a little better educated on what is out there and what I may be facing in the coming months. I found an excellent website created by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) that has details and video presentations about the various "second line" treatment regiments currently being tested for Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. It would appear from what I have seen so far that there are no great second-line treatments and those that are being tried have only minimal effect in extending survival (by months...not years) with increased risk of complication. If you are interested in seeing these presentations (there are many technical presentations designed for researchers and medical professionals) you can go to www.asco.org. I understand enough to understand that there is no magic bullet when it comes to lung cancer. Actually the prognosis for anyone diagnosed with Stage IIIA lung cancer is pretty discouraging, so don't visit this website if you are looking for good news. You won't find any.

There were some comments on this blog site about not knowing or understanding the blood count information I am providing each week. At the bottom of this blog is just a reference you can use to better understand the blood count I am providing. It comes from http://www.medicinenet.com/.

I spent the morning golfing...if you can call it that. I was up until almost 3 AM looking at the ASCO site trying to find something encouraging. I got up for golf at 6:30 AM and left the house at 7 AM for my 7:45 tee time. I played badly 47 on the front and the same on the back. I STILL won money from Chris Maher, however, so that made me feel better. The bad score was from staying up too late -- not the chemoradiation!

I came home after golf to watch football. Tampa beat Washington by pure luck. I drifted in and out of a nap all afternoon while watching the boob tube. I was finally awoken by a call from Jessie. She went back to Tallahassee this morning and apparently had a small fender bender in the parking lot. She backed her car into someone parked behind her at the dorm. No one was injured. There was slight damage to her bumper and the door of the vehicle she hit. My insurance will pay the damage to the person she hit with no-deductible; I will probably have to pay the $500 deductible to fix the bumper of Jessie's car. Oh well, at least she made it back to Tallahassee safely! If this the worst accident she ever has, I will be grateful!

Yoko worked on putting up Christmas decorations most of the day. She is trying to go about things normally, but I am worried about her because she is worried about me! I think she is more tired than I am from all the uncertainty. To add pain to injury, we are starting to get the bills for all the tests and treatments. Man this stuff is expensive! Thankfully, again, insurance is going pay for most of it.

I got to say that I speak with people all the time who tell me that "they don't believe in insurance." Between homeowners, car, medical and life insurance, I am probably the insurance industry's worst nightmare. You would have to be an idiot not to carry good insurance.

I spoke with my mother yesterday and she has decided to come here for Christmas. Jessie will be home again around December 15th. I am looking forward to the holidays and the coming Christmas season. I will have to begin working on my annual Christmas letter soon....hmmm. I wonder what I will have to say that I have not already posted on this blog! Stay tuned.

Thanksgiving is over. Now, back to work!

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What is the Complete Blood Count?

The complete blood count is the calculation of the cellular (formed elements) of blood. These calculations are generally determined by specially designed machines that analyze the different components of blood in less than a minute.

A major portion of the complete blood count is the measure of the concentration of white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets in the blood. The complete blood count (also called CBC) is generated by testing a simple blood sample.

What are values for a complete blood count? The values generally included are the following:

White blood cell count (WBC). The number of white blood cells in a volume of blood. Normal range varies slightly between laboratories but is generally between 4,300 and 10,800 cells per cubic millimeter (cmm). This can also be referred to as the leukocyte count and can be expressed in international units as 4.3 - 10.8 x 109 cells per liter.

Automated white cell differential. A machine generated percentage of the different types of white blood cells, usually split into granulocytes, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils.

Red cell count (RBC). The number of red blood cells in a volume of blood. Normal range varies slightly between laboratories but is generally between 4.2 - 5.9 million cells/cmm. This can also be referred to as the erythrocyte count and can be expressed in international units as 4.2 - 5.9 x 1012 cells per liter.

• Hemoglobin (Hb). The amount of hemoglobin in a volume of blood. Hemoglobin is the protein molecule within red blood cells that carries oxygen and gives blood its red color. Normal range for hemoglobin is different between the sexes and is approximately 13 - 18 grams per deciliter for men and 12 - 16 for women (international units 8.1 - 11.2 millimoles/liter for men, 7.4 - 9.9 for women).
• Hematocrit (Hct). The ratio of the volume of red cells to the volume of whole blood. Normal range for hematocrit is different between the sexes and is approximately 45 - 52% for men and 37 - 48% for women.
• Mean cell volume (MCV). The average volume of a red cell. This is a calculated value derived from the hematocrit and red cell count. Normal range is 86 - 98 femtoliters.
  Mean cell hemoglobin (MCH). The average amount of hemoglobin in the average red cell. This is a calculated value derived from the measurement of hemoglobin and the red cell count. Normal range is 27 - 32 picograms.
• Mean cell hemoglobin concentration (MCHC). The average concentration of hemoglobin in a given volume of red cells. This is a calculated volume derived from the hemoglobin measurement and the hematocrit. Normal range is 32 - 36%.
• Red cell distribution width (RDW). A measurement of the variability of red cell size. Higher numbers indicate greater variation in size. Normal range is 11 - 15.
• Platelet count. The number of platelets in a volume blood. Platelets are not complete cells, but actually fragments of cytoplasm from a cell found in the bone marrow called a megakaryocyte. Platelets play a vital role in blood clotting. Normal range varies slightly between laboratories but is in the range of 150,000 - 400,000/ cmm (150 - 400 x 109/liter).