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Last nine blood test readings

18.09 10.09 3.07 17.06 9.06 27.05 25.03 2.03  21.02  Normal Hb 106 81 104 107 93 96 98 98    101 130-180 WBC 2.53 2.39 2.85 2.25 2.55 2.91 3.15 3.36   3.52  4.5-10  N'phils 1.05 1.02 1.16 1.17 1.14 1.3 1.57 1.78    1.6 2.0-7.5 Plt 241 267 249 232 296 342 369 449    494 150-450

Two units of blood transfused September 10 and 11 returned Hb to over 100, and platelets are comfortably within the normal range. However, with hydroxycarbamide  three times a week, Hb could be expected to fall back to the low 80s by the time of the next haematology appointment on October 21, so that two units of blood would be needed from now on every eight weeks if the underlying conditions remain the same. It looked as though something had changed after July 3, when Hb had been stable for 7 tests but then dropped steeply before the next reading on September 10. But there is evidently no algorithm for calculating what the hydroxycarbamide dose should be to optimise the levels of Hb and Plt.