white blood cells and neutrophils

imagine my surprise on monday morning when i logged into the computer to complete my daily routine - check labs, write down the day's medications, look up recent vital signs, read a physician's note - and instead of seeing a BIG FAT ZERO where the white blood cells are located and another BIG FAT ZERO where neutrophils should be, i saw numbers! for the first time since nurse patient's admission, i saw NUMBERS! nurse patient developed an immune system overnight. her blood was no longer composed of ONLY red blood cells and platelets and plasma (which are also low due to her disease and transplant). somewhere, circulating in her system, were a few white blood cells - a glimmer of an immune system! the first real glimmer of hope. of success. of possible life. nurse patient's physician's assistant got to tell her before i did; she beat me to sharing the good news. i guess the PA walked in while nurse patient was on the commode, half naked and vulnerable, and she shared the news right then and there. there were tears. nurse patient cried while on the toilet and the PA cried happy, celebratory tears in her yellow isolation gown, mask with plastic eye shield, and blue non-latex gloves. must have been quite the sight to see! the rest of the day was exciting. nurse patient had a bit more spark - still not liveliness, positivity, or enthusiasm. but more stubbornness, orneriness, and more spice (piss and vinegar my mom would say). here's to white blood cells and neutrophils!