Quick Update-1/28/15

Its been almost three weeks since I have updated everyone, so I figure it was about time to do so.

We started at home infusions about two weeks ago. Jordan now has SubQ infusions done at home, once a week. He is on Hizentra, 50 grams (50 ml is the dose rate). First two infusions, we have had a nurse come from Walgreens Infusion Services. She trained me on the first week, last week I did everything by myself in front of her, I will do the same this week, and then Jordan and I will be on our own from here on out. Its been a hard routine to get use to, Jordan doesn't like being poked at every week, and there are three sites I have to poke in his stomach. Infusion takes a little over an hour, and we premedicate him with Benadryl and Tylenol about 45 mins before the infusion. After the infusion is done, he takes a good 4 hour nap afterwards, which has been hard on his sleep schedule.

I figure it will take some time getting use to, as it did last year when he and I were doing his PICC line dressing changes every week. As you guys know, that was a stressful routine also to get use to, started off that it would take us almost an hour to do, by the time we had it removed, Jordan and I had it down to a 20 min window of changing his dressing change. So my hopes are that this new routine of doing SubQ infusions at home will be the same situation. Just patience and time to get use to it. I am hoping eventually I can get him to muster up the courage to do these pokes himself, as this is something he will be doing for the rest of his life...and well, I can't exactly go with him to college to do it myself! 

Also got to see our favorite nurse last week, its been three months since we have seen her. Between Jordan doing chemo throughout the month of October and November, then the traveling to Chapel Hill and the holidays, plus switching insurance companies in December, we had to wait before we could see her again. She has been our nurse for almost a year now and we adore her. She came by to draw blood and take vitals, we are on orders right now to do a CBC every other week, as we start the process of weaning Jordan off of steroids. Also Jordan has to have his IGG levels checked to make sure the infusions we are doing at home, are working, and that he is getting the correct amount of the IVIG. Last week's counts, I will post below, they dipped a little from the January 7th appointment in Chapel Hill, but his Neutrophils look good, so the hematologist team aren't worried. But those of us that have been dealing with this disease for years, any dip, worries us. But, thankfully, for the meantime, his counts are in normal range, so we take that as a blessing right now.

Other than that, everything is going good here. Jordan just started his second semester of his freshman year, which means four new classes, which he was excited about. He passed his first semester classes with two A's and two B's, which makes me so proud; especially since the 504 team wanted Jordan to drop two of his classes, and only take a half day of school the first semester (because he had missed so much school due to low platelets). But, like I told them, he will do the work, he will bust his ass to get caught up, and guess what, I was right. :) 

Jordan is doing great, a little worn down more so than usual, but thats from the infusions, which takes a few weeks before his system gets use to it, and builds up the antibodies that he needs again. So we just let him sleep as much as he feels he needs. Right now he has swimmers ear (took him to the doctor this morning, since he was complaining of an earache-only him would get swimmers ear in the middle of winter-LOL), so he is upstairs sleeping, and back to school tomorrow he will go. 

Hopefully we have a quiet year, opposed to last year. Nothing ever surprises me with Jordan though, he keeps me on my toes medically and emotionally. But like someone once told me when I was complaining on how overwhelmed I always am with Jordan. God wouldn't have entrusted Jordan into my hands if he didn't think I couldn't handle it. Special boy for a special mom. :) Who knew almost 15 years ago, becoming a teen mom, again, for the second time, he would make me grow up so fast. Unfortunately he has had do to the same. But I wouldn't ever trade the fact that I am his mom.

We did receive upsetting news in the ES community, online last week. We lost two wonderful women that had been having complications in the hospital for quite some time. It was heartbreaking and gave me a heavy heart, as this was a reminder that tomorrow is never promised, especially with this disease. They both were wonderful for me when Jordan was first diagnosed with Evans Syndrome in 2013, always willing to message me and answer all and any questions I may have had when pertaining to Jordan. So to them, Shannon and Stefanie...fly high our ES angels, and may you now rest in peace.

Here are Jordan's current counts (they are also on the side for those reading this on a computer).

Platelets: 218,000

Hemoglobin: 13.6

Again, his platelets are in normal range (145-450), his hemoglobin is border-lined low (anything above 14 is normal), so not too concerned (yet); as always we keep an eye for any low blood counts. 

We will do another CBC on February 4th, I will update after that on his counts. As always thoughts and prayers.

A Lessson in Blood Counts

A QUICK LESSON IN BLOOD COUNTS...

Red blood cells or erythrocytes comprise a third of all the cells in the human body. With about 20 trillion in the average adult, they're not only the most common cells in the human body, they are also the only cells that don't have a nuclei. The red blood cells' primary function is to carry oxygen to the body's tissues, and because they are 40 percent lighter than they would be with nuclei, it is easier for the heart to pump them through the circulatory system.
Red cells contain a molecule called hemoglobin, which picks up oxygen as the cells travel through the blood vessels in the lungs. After red cells leave the lungs they get distributed throughout the body, passing through ever-smaller vessels called arterioles and capillaries. There they get forced up against the vessel walls like passengers in a crowded subway train. Under that pressure, the oxygen molecules pop off the hemoglobin and get taken into the vessel walls and passed on to neighboring cells. Relieved of their burden, the red cells pick up carbon dioxide, which they then carry back through the veins to the lungs to be exchanged for new loads of oxygen.

White blood cells or leukocytes, are the body's border defense: they are responsible for apprehending and eliminating foreign substances. They're larger but much less numerous than red blood cells, numbering about 20 million in the adult body. While red cells are buoyed along like cargo rafts as the heart pumps the serum, white cells function more like patrol boats. Under their own locomotion, they can change direction to go after an invading molecule or cell.
There are three basic types of white cells-granulocytes, monocytes and lymphocytes-each with its own specialized tasks. Granulocytes, the first line of defense, home in on bacteria or any other foreign substance in the blood. They are filled with granules containing chemicals that destroy their prey. One type of granulocyte, the neutrophil, is an all-purpose search-and-destroy agent that makes up 60 percent of white blood cells. The other two granulocytes, eosinophils and basophils apprehend special intruders such as allergens and parasites and account for 3 percent of the white blood cell population.
About 33 percent of white cells are lymphocytes, the brains of the immune system. They send out antibodies to immobilize foreign molecules and chemical messengers that spur other cells into action. The remaining 4 percent of white blood cells are monocytes, which clean up cellular debris and devour invaders that have been tagged with antibodies. (Like what happens to the red blood cells, platelets and sometimes white blood cells themselves in Evans syndrome when they have been tagged with antibodies.)

Platelets, so named because they are shaped like tiny plates, release chemicals that promote clotting when blood vessels are broken. These chemicals work by assembling a blood protein called fibrin into a meshwork over the damaged area. The mesh serves as a net to trap blood cells and proteins, which eventually form a plug in the damaged vessel wall.

The meaning of the numbers: A complete blood count involves computing the number of red cells, the percentage of red cells in the whole blood, the size of the average red cell (an indication of its robustness), the average amount of hemoglobin per red cell, and how much there is in the blood. In addition, a physician will want to calculate the total number of white cells and the percentages of the different types of white blood cells, which can be distinguished under a microscope by the shapes of their nuclei. A physician will compare the numbers of cells in a sample of a patient's blood, with the average number of cells in the same amount of blood from a healthy person. Having too few red blood cells or too little hemoglobin is called anemia. Having too few white blood cells is a sign that a person's immune system is not functioning properly. Too many white blood cells usually means that the patient has an infection. The type of white cell that is over produced can indicate the extent of infection. An increase in the number of neutrophils, for example, means the person probably has a bacterial infection. An increase in lymphocytes and basophils usually corresponds to an allergic reaction like what you might get from ragweed. If there are far too many white blood cells-in the neighborhood of 100,000-the patient may have leukemia. A physician will also look at the number of platelets in the specimen to assess if the patient may have too few or too many.
While normal values vary slightly from institution to institution, the following values are within the accepted range of normal:

• Red blood cells 4 -5.3 million/mm3
• Hemoglobin 11 - 14.5g/dl
• Hematocrit 34-42%
• White blood cells 4,000-13,000/mm3
• Platelets 150,000 to 400,000/mm3

PROFILE OF A CHILD WITH EVANS SYNDROME

Katie was diagnosed with Evans syndrome when she was 13 months old. For the five months prior to her diagnosis she had been noted to have a lot of bruising of her arms and legs. They were just small bruises most of the time and because she was getting older and was crawling and learning to pull up, they were attributed, by her doctor, to bumping herself. During those same five months Katie had a low grade fever every day. Her temperature rose to 99.6 to 100.6 every evening. She was cutting teeth, so it was assumed that that was the cause of her fevers. She had one virus and stomach flu after another with rarely ten days of good health before being struck by something else. It was odd because Katie didn't attend day care and wasn't out in public very much so it was hard to imagine where she was being exposed to all of these "bugs". Both my husband and myself were lucky enough to be able to stay home with her full time at that time, as we had adopted Katie after ten years of adoption attempts, and she was the center of our universe. We weren't bringing "bugs" home from work.
On her "well baby check up" at 12 months, I had again complained to her doctor that something did not seem right with her. My concerns were passed off as "normal baby problems and nothing to be concerned about." We returned to the doctor's one month later and I insisted that blood work be done at the hospital, as I knew something was very wrong. Despite a normal assessment by the pediatrician, he wrote orders for the blood work and we headed for the hospital with the understanding that he would call me later that day with the results.
Once home from having the blood work done, Katie was crawling on our living room rug and bumped her front tooth. She started to bleed and although the bump had only been minor, we could not get the bleeding to stop. She continued to ooze for an hour when I called the doctor to report my concerns and ask about the lab results.
A few calls later and the doctor was on the line telling me that he thought she had leukemia and that the pathologist who had reviewed the blood work thought that she had some type of bone marrow tumors. Her platelets, red cells and white cells were all so very low that she was rushed to the local hospital for stabilization and then transferred to the university hospital for further evaluation and treatment.
After bone marrow biopsy results showed normal but increased activity, the cancers were ruled out and the diagnosis of Evans syndrome was made. Katie has been treated with steroids both IV in crisis and by mouth routinely since. She used to spend almost a week per month in the hospital with infections, sepsis or crisis status blood levels. After three and a half years of that, I started begging her doctors to try something different. I am a registered nurse and had by then spent a lot of time investigating Evans syndrome and the best ways to treat it. I was convinced that if we tried giving her the immune globulin (IVIG) routinely instead of waiting until her levels crashed, that we might make some progress. Finally in the spring of 1995, they agreed to let me try my theory.
Katie had an infusaport placed which is a type of permanent IV line that goes into a big vessel in the body and is under the skin so normal activities like swimming don't affect it. I started giving her the IVIG at home every three weeks, sometimes every two when her levels would drop more or if she started to get sick. For Katie this was the magic ticket. Until 1998, Katie did not require any hospital stays for infections or crisis levels. That' s not to say that she hasn't been sick, but we've been able to manage her at home. She still has blood work done every week to see how she's doing. Katie is now eight years old. She is in home school became she has poor endurance and has too many problems with low white blood cell counts to be able to fight the normal childhood illnesses she would be exposed to in school. She has a few friends that she loves to see and spends many hours each day playing on her computer. She loves to be out in public with people, and she does get out, but we try to keep her out of anywhere crowded and away from anyone sick. Very tough during flu season!Katie's Evans syndrome was triggered by her DPT immunizations when she was an infant. She had violent reactions to the three rounds that she got, and began with the symptoms (bruising and fevers) of her Evans syndrome within a week of her last immunization. She also had a grand mal seizure and respiratory arrest six hours after her last immunization. When she was diagnosed, I was told that I would never find another child with Evans syndrome and unfortunately, I have found more than 25. Another little boy diagnosed with Evans syndrome around the same time as Katie, I discovered received the very same lot number of DPT vaccine that Katie got!I have done hours and hours of research on this subject, and have found documentation in all of the hematology and immunology textbooks, that the DPT vaccine and some of it's preservatives and additives that make it work better (thimerosal and aluminum salts), have all been found to be related to thrombocytopenia and hemolytic anemia. I do not mention this for the purpose of upsetting anyone, or to convince anyone that their case of Evans syndrome is also related to vaccines, because it may or may not be. It is merely food for thought.
~Lou Addington, mother

Update 1/7/14

Haven't updated about Jordan since right before the holidays....

Headed to Chapel Hill yesterday and got blood work done for Jordan. Its been 8 weeks since his last dose of Rituximab, and everything still looks great! Looks like he responded well with the Rituximab. But in the 8+ years we have been dealing with this, January-July are our quiet months, normal counts, etc., so I am hesitate anyway. Time will tell for me, moreso in the Fall/Winter later on this year.

Week 1: 10
Week 2: 35
Week 3: 125
Week 4: 205
Week 5 (1 Week Post Rituximab): 222
Week 6 (2 Weeks Post Rituximab): 202
Week 14 (8 Weeks Post Rituximab): 240

Hemoglobin is 14.7, WBC is a little low at 3.9, but no concern from the doctors because his neutrophils look good. That and he is always border-lined low on WBC anyhow.

Immunologist is going to make arrangements with Walgreens to get Jordan started on IVIG SubQ at home in a few weeks. His IGG levels did drop again (they were at 1405 in November, they are now at 711), his immunologist would like him around the 1,000 area.

For those that don't know Jordan also has CVID, so he typically gets IVIG once a month (last round was right before Thanksgiving-didn't get it done in December due to the holidays), but we are going to transition him over to weekly subq at home. His hematologist thinks more along the lines of ALPS instead of CVID (the hematologist and Immunologist are in disagreement over this)...so we did more testing and sent that off to Ohio yesterday to confirm or deny the ALPS claim-which btw, was A LOT of blood to be taken, good lord. But thankfully his vein held up very well yesterday while 11 vials were taken from him (typically his vein would have shut down after the 3rd vial). All the green vials were just taken to test for ALPS. Crazy.

Other than the medical aspect of it, Jordan is doing very well, looks and feels great. So I am fully expecting a quiet 6 months from here on out. Like I mentioned above, July-December are the hell months for Jordan. So we are going to enjoy it while we can.

Happy Platelet Dance for you all!

What is Evans??

Best way to explain what Jordan has in "English terms"

Evans syndrome

is a rare autoimmune disorder in which the body makes antibodies that destroy the red blood cells, platelets and white blood cells. Patients are diagnosed with thrombocytopenia and Coombs' positive hemolytic anemia and have no other known underlying etiology. The patients may be affected by low levels of all three types of blood cells at one time, or may only have problems with one or two of them. The specific cause for Evans syndrome is unknown and it has been speculated that for every case, the cause may be different. There have been no genetic links identified.

The course of Evans syndrome

varies by case. The patient may be symptomatic of whatever blood levels are down. If the red blood cells are down, the problems complained of may be weakness, fatigue, shortness of breath and the usual things associated with anemia. With low platelets, they are susceptible to bleeding and major bruising from minor bumps and cuts. A bump on the head could cause severe brain hemorrhage and death. With low white blood cells, the patient has increased susceptibility to infections and difficulty in fighting these infections. The patient may have problems with one, two or all three of these blood lines, at one time.

 Treatment of Evans syndrome

varies and there has been no "magic bullet" identified that will cure this. Steroids are frequently used to help suppress the immune system, or to decrease the production of the "bad antibodies". Intravenous immune globulin or IVIG is often tried as is chemotherapy when responses to other treatments are not satisfactory. Splenectomy has frequently been done, but the benefits of this are usually short-lived. In the last study done, the beneficial effects from splenectomy had only lasted an average of one month. Closely monitoring the patients' complete blood count is crucial to the patients' treatment. Transfusions, of blood products, is done in crisis situations to help stabilize the patient but is not a long lasting solution as these cells are usually destroyed very quickly by the body.

The prognosis with Evans syndrome

is guarded. Some patients have episodes of major blood cell destruction followed by long remissions, while others have chronic problems with no remissions. It has been reported that patients with Evans syndrome have a greater tendency to develop other autoimmune disorders such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis and there is a tendency to develop various malignancies. Careful monitoring of the patient by a qualified physician is very important.