brycebelt.net Blog

Bryce’s Yardsale

Bryce inside the Yardsale

Also all the wonderful people that my mom works with also put together a March Madness bracket with donations going to Bryce.We are so very thankful for all that you have done for our family.

It was amazing that so many people pulled together for someone they didn’t even know. TJ’s income is our sole income and he has missed a lot of work and is not working overtime like he did before. It means a lot to our family that with all of our worries that we have right now, that the financial stress is not overwhelming us.

And some more good news!!! Bryce’s ANC was 6000 today!! Two weeks ago it was 2100 then last week it was 800 and we thought it was dropping and I had him in a mask all week when we left and was terribly worried that it was really low. I was so surprised to see his counts this high. Definately the best that I have seen them since he has been diagnosed. He did really well with his procedure today. He had the LP with chemo and he is just becoming an old pro at this stuff. He has another LP with chemo next Tuesday and then we are done with the LP’s for a few months.

If you are wondering what in the world I am so excited about with the ANC and don’t know what an ANC is this is for you…

Absolute neutrophil count: The real number of white blood cells (WBCs) that are neutrophils. The absolute neutrophil count is commonly called the ANC.

The ANC is not measured directly. It is derived by multiplying the WBC count times the percent of neutrophils in the differential WBC count. The percent of neutrophils consists of the segmented (fully mature) neutrophils) + the bands (almost mature neutrophils). The normal range for the ANC = 1.5 to 8.0 (1,500 to 8,000/mm3).

Sample calculation of the ANC:
WBC count: 6,000 cells/mm3 of blood
Segs: 30% of the WBCs
Bands: 3% of the WBCs
Neutrophils (segs + bands): 33% of the WBCs
ANC: 33% X 6,000 = 2,000/mm3
ANC of 2,000/mm3, by convention = 2.0
Normal range: 1.5 to 8.0 (1,500 to 8,000/mm3)
Interpretation: Normal

Neutrophils are key components in the system of defense against infection. An absence or scarcity of neutrophils (a condition called neutropenia) makes a person vulnerable to infection. After chemotherapy, radiation, or a blood or marrow transplant, the ANC is usually depressed and then slowly rises, reflecting the fact that the bone marrow is recovering and new blood cells are beginning to grow and mature.

In practical clinical terms, a normal ANC is 1.5 or higher; a “safe” ANC is 500-1500; a low ANC is less than 500. A safe ANC means that the patient’s activities do not need to be restricted (on the basis of the ANC).