What a crazy summer it has been!
I can’t believe I’m sitting here preparing to start clinicals for the
Nursing program in exactly one week!
Yesterday was a pretty exciting day as my books started to arrive and I
got my stethoscope! I’m sure the
excitement will wear off after the first week or so but the anticipation is
killing me! The last two weeks have been
busy with orientation, CPR certification, drug testing and getting everything
in order like paying tuition (ick!), buying books (more ick!), and ordering my
uniform.
Other than that most of my summer has been spent
working. As most of you know I have
maxed out my student loans so the next year and a half of school I am paying
out of pocket. Translation: SAVE! SAVE!
SAVE! Even though we were unable to go
to the Dells this year, Ed and I still managed to do a lot of fun stuff! We made it to some festivals, fairs and
visited the Art Museum. We went to a day
of Packers training camp and walked around Lambeau Field. We found new trails to blade on and are going
to try to make it to Devil’s Lake to do a few hiking trails. All in all, it was another great summer that
went by too quickly!
One of my goals this summer was to get back into shape and
shed the dreaded “prednisone pounds” (as I called them) as well as the weight I
gained because I got lazy. I’m happy to
announce that I have lost twelve pounds and a few inches in my waist and
hips. It definitely feels great to set
your mind to something and accomplish it!
I’m in the best shape of my life and that feels really great. It doesn’t hurt that I fit into my favorite
pair of jeans again either!
Since I had been feeling so great, you can imagine my
surprise when I went in for my three month check-up and my test results were a
bit concerning. Before I get into the
nitty gritty, there are a few terms I wanted to define as I will be referencing
them and not everyone who is reading may know exactly what they mean…
Taken from http://www.nhlcyberfamily.org/tests/blood.htm
White Blood Cell Count
(WBC) is the count of white blood cells called
leukocytes. WBCs defend the body against infection and make up part of the
immune system. Like other blood cells they are produced in the bone marrow. The
total number of white blood cells has a wide range from 4,000 to 11,000 per
cubic millimeter in the average healthy adult.
A low WBC might mean there is a problem with production in the bone
marrow, which could be the result of various chronic diseases. It can also be a
side effect of various different drugs, particularly chemotherapeutic drugs for
cancer treatment.
Complete Blood Count
Differential is a breakdown of the different types of white blood cells and
is usually expressed as a percentage of total WBCs.
