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Thu. 8/21/03 - Blood Test

Thursday, 8/21/03
Clinic Day today. Les had another finger poke blood draw and he decided that some people do it better than others. Today we had one of the “others”. They did succeed in getting a sample though, so all was not lost. (It really wasn’t that bad, and it looked like he cried more to keep up appearances than because of pain) Anyway the results were a low hemoglobin count. We will go back on Monday (8/25/03) prepared for a transfusion if his counts dropped any more. He’s currently just above the cut-off value for a transfusion.

I know many have asked about donating blood directly to Les, and I asked about that today. Here’s the deal. If someone was a match for his blood type, they could direct donate – for a fee – through the blood bank. The blood would take at least two days to process before Les could get it and then if he didn’t need it, the blood only has a limited shelf life and could well be wasted. Also, it wouldn’t be available if Les needed it sooner than the two day processing time. So, here’s my answer to those of you who don’t mind needles. Volunteer to donate blood whenever you have the opportunity – at a blood drive or a blood bank. There are lots of little kids just like Les who need transfusions (as well as many other “big” people) and your small sacrifice goes a long way to help. I hear that some Kaiser centers have their own blood banks, so check that out if you are with Kaiser.

G-Tube feedings are going great. Les is up to 35lbs now! Oral intake is almost non-existent. I talked to the dietician about this again today and she assured me that it’s OK for Les to be getting all his nutrients through the g-tube. Sure it would be nice for him to continue to eat, but all considered, he’s OK.