She Has Croup

Well, it is now believed that Katie has croup. Croup is generally caused by a virus with a gestation period of 5 to 7 days. Therefore, it isn't likely that she picked it up while in Boston or on her short trip out to her grandparent's house. It is something she developed while staying at Fletcher Allen. As her body tries to fight it off, some negative consequences are beginning to be observed. Her hemoglobin count has dropped down to just 7.5. Her platelets have dropped down into the 50's, and her white blood cell count has also dropped. Oddly enough, her ANC appears to be rising slightly despite the dropping white blood count. Her ANC is currently 70. Apparently it is normal for some cell counts to drop as the body attempts to fight off a virus. Croup is also capable of causing fevers and other complications which could keep Katie in the hospital until this has sorted itself out. Amy and I are starting to talk about and plan for which one of us is going to miss the first couple of days of school with the students.