Day 154 – Detective Work

Everett’s blood work didn’t look great today. Since Friday, his blood count (red cells and platelets) have been decreasing and doctors observed an increase in broken/destroyed cells. The same issue arose earlier this month, and they switched him from Cyclosporine (the main immunosuppressive drug that causes the wolf-boy hair) to a new one (Tacrolimus). Cyclosporine can sometimes cause this type of blood issue, and they hoped the switch would fix it.

Since the problem persists, additional steps need to be taken to discover the cause. One possibility is a blood clot, most likely at the site of his port. Everett was sent for an ultrasound of his chest this afternoon (where our little trooper was completely cooperative for an hour and a half). At first review, there doesn’t seem to be any clots, but another review will be completed tomorrow.

Additional labs were taken to re-check for antibodies, which could be responsible for the decreased blood cell count. This was checked previously and no antibodies were found, but it is possible they could show up now. Those tests should be back by our clinic appointment on Friday.

At this point, we are still unsure about the ultimate cause of damage to the red blood cells, but will update as soon as we find out more. Thanks for your continued support and prayers!

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