CBC Explanation

There have been a lot of questions about the CBC results, so here is a brief explanation of the numbers to the best of my ability.

CBC (Complete Blood Count) test measures the number of red cells, white cells, hemoglobin, and platelets. It also measures the fraction of blood composed of red blood cells (hematocrit). They usually also test for the number of each type of white cell. With Max, they have been particularly interested in the number of neutrophils.

Normal values vary some, but here is my understanding of normal:

White Blood Cells: 4,500 - 10,000 (they usually report it in thousands, so we are usually told that Max's WBC is, for example, 3.5. This means 3,500)
Hematocrit: 40.7-50.3%
Hemoglobin: 13.8-17.2
Platelets: 150,000 - 450,000 (These are also usually reported in thousands. So, Max's platelet count was 9000 today, and we were told it was 9.)
Absolute Neutrophil Count: 1,500 to 8,000. The ANC is derived by multiplying the White Blood Count (WBC) times the percentage of neutrophils in the WBC count.

Max's platelet count has been under 30,000 (without transfusions) since July. Under 30,000 usually means you will have trouble clotting and that is why we saw a lot of bruising on him. Under 10,000 means you can get spontaneous bleeding. They will most likely transfuse Max any time he gets under 10. They also will likely transfuse if his hematocrit is under 20. I haven't figured out much about hemoglobin levels.

Because white cells only live for about a day, transfusions don't help. That also is the reason why Max's white count fluxuates so largely. His absolute neutrophil count (ANC) has been a larger issue than his white count as a whole. The neutrophils fight bacterial infections and if you have an ANC of under 500, you are at high risk for infection. The lower that number goes, the more at risk you are. Normal is > 1,500, 500-1,500 is considered "safe" and <500 is considered low. Max's ANC was pretty steadily 400 for a very long time, then started dropping. However, since they started him on steriods, it has been up.

I hope this helps a bit.