Today was the first day of poking. Before every round of chemo I have to have a CBC (Complete Blood Count). It helps to diagnose some blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma. It tells if a cancer has spread to the bone marrow and also helps determine how well your body is tolerating chemotherapy. It provides information on your white and red cells and your platelets.
Normal Red Blood Cell Range: 38%-48%
Normal White Blood Cell Range: 2,500-6,000 Neutrophils
Normal Platelet Count: 150,000-350,000
I used to be TERRIFIED of needles. And yes, I would get the old "But you have tattoos! How can you be scared of needles?" Well it's more of a mental thing..the thought of something sharp poked into my arm, wiggled around trying to find a vein just really made my stomach turn.
Since June of last year I have been poked by nurses well over one hundred times. After my hysterectomy I was prescribed Lovenox for thirty days. It is a blood thinner given to patients after major surgery to prevent blood clots. I had to learn to inject myself every day and after a few times, it became second nature. The fear of needles was gone. (Except dentist needles, that fear will NEVER go away! Guaranteed!!)
It's to the point now where I can tell the nurse which vein will work, which vein has a weird curve to it and which veins will cause issues.
I will be getting a Port put in my chest on Tuesday which will basically mean that no more fishing for those troublesome veins. I will update more on what a Port is in the next posting.
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