Low WBC and weight loss

barrettgentry
barrettgentry Member Posts: 3
in Anal Cancer #1
Hi Everyone
I finished up treatment at the end of May of this year. I went for my first 3 month appt in August and my WBC count was normal. My next 3 month appt I had lost 5 lbs and my WBC count was 1.9. I just went Thursday and had it checked again still the same 1.9 and I have lost 2 more lbs now down to 98 was 117 when I started treatment. I was just wondering if any other survivors have experienced this after finishing up treatment and if so, what did you do? Thank you so much.

Comments

  • lp1964
    lp1964 Member Posts: 1,239 Member
    #2
    Dear friend,

    2 years after treatment my WBC is still at 4 which I think is the lower end of normal. I feel fine and never even get the flu. Yours seems to be very low so you should look into it. Chemo and radiation kills the cell that are rapidly multiplying. Unfortunately that includes the bone marrow cells that produce the white blood cells.

    on the other end I gained all the weight back. You can't afford to lose more so work with your doctors and maybe a nutritionis.

    All the best,

    Laz

  • judyv3
    judyv3 Member Posts: 143 Member
    #3
    Low WBC

    I completed treatment in January 2014.  My WBC hovered in the 1.5 range during treatment (it bottomed out at 0.5 ten days after treatment ended) until my most recent blood work. For the first time my numbers were all in the normal range!  I had low red counts as well and received iron transfusions.  I lost 20 lbs. (but I had that and more to lose), however, in the last few months the weight has gone back up :(  But the blood counts are normal.  Go figure.  

    I expressed concern about the WBC on this forum and everyone said that it takes time for everything to normalize and everyone is different.  And, as usual, they were right.  My doctor mentioned a bone marrow biopsy once or twice but truthfully, while my numbers were low, I tried to be careful about exposure to germs.

    I think your numbers will normalize.  As for your weight, just eating healthy is a challenge for me because everything is different now.  But I think that will stabilize as well.

    Best of luck to you and hooray for getting through treatment!

    Judy

     

Discussion Boards