Protein, Pasta, and Neutrophil Wizardry
🌼 Date: Monday, July 6, 2026
⚡ Energy: Hopeful with a side of lab-result stalking
❤️ Status: Back from the beach and back to bloodwork
😁 Outlook: Tomorrow’s fill might actually be a go
Back from the beach and right back to bloodwork.
Because apparently cancer recovery does not care that I just returned from a camping trip and would like a minute to unpack, do laundry, and emotionally recover from re-entering regular life.
Nope.
Straight to the lab.
Tomorrow is my plastics appointment, and I am praying that my numbers are where they need to be so I can get another fill.
The last time I went in for a fill, my neutrophils were too low, and plastics said, “Not today, ma’am.”
Okay, they probably did not say it exactly like that.
But that is how it felt.
Denied by my own blood.
So for the last few weeks, I have been trying really hard to increase my protein and fluids.
Lots of protein drinks.
Lots of protein snacks.
Lots of creative vegetarian protein math.
Lots of me trying to convince my body that we are rebuilding now and it needs to please report to the manufacturing department.
White blood cells, aisle three.
After the lab, we went to The Spaghetti Factory for dinner and waited for the results to start showing up on my phone.
Because nothing says romantic dinner like me refreshing my medical chart between bites of pasta.
First up was my CBC, which stands for Complete Blood Count.
My white blood cell count is still technically low, but it is up from 2.35 to 3.67.
So I am absolutely taking that as a win.
It has not been that high since the week after my last chemo infusion, when I was still doing the Granix shots to give my bone marrow a boost and tell it to kick up white blood cell production.
So seeing my body finally producing more on its own?
That feels huge.
Like, “excuse me, is my immune system clocking back in?” huge.
My platelets are still right in the average zone where they should be, which is also good news.
That means I should not bleed out when I get poked tomorrow.
Always a nice bonus.
Then my Comprehensive Metabolic Panel results came in, and everything was within the normal range except for my BUN, which stands for Blood Urea Nitrogen.
From what I understand, BUN can be affected by things like hydration and how much protein you are eating.
The normal range is 6 to 20, and mine was 28, so a little on the high side.
But considering I have been eating between 100 and 120 grams of protein a day and working on increasing my fluids, I am not immediately panicking.
Look at me.
Growth.
Google MD and I noticed it, side-eyed it, and decided to keep reading before spiraling.
Then came the waiting.
Because the number I really needed had not dropped yet.
The important number.
The plastics-deciding number.
The “do I get filled tomorrow or do I go home disappointed again?” number.
My neutrophils.
On June 12, my neutrophils were 1.38.
Plastics wanted at least 1.50 for a fill.
So I waited.
And waited.
And refreshed.
And finished dinner.
And ordered dessert.
Because if I was going to be emotionally held hostage by lab results, I was at least doing it with dessert.
Then the results came in.
My neutrophils today were…
2.54.
WHAT?!?
Two point five four.
From 1.38 to 2.54 in three weeks.
That is more than a full point.
A full point.
Actually more than a full point.
By eating between 100 and 120 grams of protein a day and increasing my fluids, my numbers went up enough that I may actually be cleared for my fill tomorrow.
I do not know if this is some kind of wizardry.
A miracle from the heavens.
My body finally remembering it has a job.
The protein drinks doing their thing.
The fluids helping.
Or thanks to my very questionable degree from Google MD.
But whatever it is?
I will take it.
All of it.
Every single decimal point.
Because after months of chemo, radiation, low counts, delayed fills, and my body acting like it was on an unpaid medical leave of absence, seeing those numbers move in the right direction feels amazing.
I know one set of labs does not mean everything is magically fixed.
I know I still have a long way to go.
I know cancer recovery is not a straight line.
But today?
Today my white blood cells came up.
My platelets behaved.
My neutrophils showed off.
And my body gave me a little bit of proof that maybe all this protein-pushing, water-drinking, Google-MD-assisted madness is helping.
So yes.
I am excited.
I am hopeful.
I am cautiously optimistic.
And I have a feeling tomorrow’s fill might actually be a go.
Come on, bloodwork.
Do not fail me now.
Mama needs a refill.
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💗 Tina –
One Badass Day at a Time
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