When I last went to see the oncologist I asked what theymeant by 'counts'.  The nurse would say, "if your counts were good we can do the chemo today" or "yours counts were great".  Yippee.  Now what exactly did that mean?  

Before every chemo they draw blood (either through the i.v. - which is what seems to happen to me each time so far - or by finger prick).  They check three things: Hemoglobin, White Blood Cells and Platelets.  Otherwise known as a CDC (complete blood count).

For those of you that do not have a complete understanding of blood, here is a break down:

Hemoglobin

- The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen through your body.

                - normal range for males  13.8 - 17.2 grams/deciliter

                - normal range for females 12.1 - 15.1 grams/deciliter

                                - low hemoglobin level indicates anemia, which means your body works harder to get  oxygen to your tissues.  This can leave you feeling tired, weak and short of breath.

White Blood Cells

- Helps protect your body against infection.

                - 4,500 to 10,000 cells/mcL.

                                - If levels of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, are too low, you have neutropenia, a condition that makes you vulnerable to infection.

Platelets - Enables your body to clot.

                - 150,000 to 400,000 platelets/mcL

                                - if your platelet count is too low, you may not be able to stop bleeding.

I hope you found this very interesting, because if any of your 'counts' are not within range you will not be able to have chemo that day. Or worse they may have to hospitalize you, change your chemo dosage which could interfere with the good chemo does or delay next treatment which really needs to be on a strict schedule in order for you to get everything out of it.