Do you remember what your counts were when you were diagnosed?

I don't remember. I could look it up for you, but I wonder why? Would you mind giving a little more information as to why you ask?

Rocquie

COBRA666 said:

Blood counts

I do not remember what they were exactly, but I do know my blood work was all in the normal range when I was diagnosed. My rbc's are now just a little low after finishing chemo 3 years ago. It has crept up closer to normal in that time. Dr. said it's nothing to worry about. No anemia. I do not feel tired at all.  I was diagnosed with Follicular John

  BTW: Please fill out your about me page. It helps us know what your diagnosis was. Thanks

Bill's were    14.1    2,72    65    Three weeks later after chemo they were   10.5    1.6   33.  Yes you read it correctly.  The nurses still call him the Miracle Man at the cancer center.  He is 2 yrs in remission with Mantle Cell Lymphoma and his blood counts are a little low but in the normal range and his doc says not to worry either.

Becky

COBRA666 said:

platelets

are you sure about the platelets, mine are 344

Well, that's how the labs read but you actually add 000 to the number, but yes it was 33 with normal being 150-450.  His count is now around 130  He looked like walking death (actually, not walking).  I was planning his funeral in my head.   His doc said she didn't think he would make it and she was thinking about stopping the chemo.  Needless to say, we got a new doc (another story). Now one of the trainers at the gym we started going to is dying to work out with him.  We try not to take a day for granted.

B&B

Snb5483 said:

my counts

My daughter wad diagnosed 2 yrs ago. She was 6 at the time. Her counts were normal. I have been very tired lately. Neck and back pain along with a headache. I also have sjogrens, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus. My counts have always been good. I just feel something is wrong. I had a Rituxan transfusion 2 months ago and had a bad reaction to it. I went in for what I thought was maybe strep. She gave me antibiotics for 5 days and had me come in 8 days after I finished them. My rbcs were 15 and platelets 120. My counts are now 17 and 90. I was already informed I have a higher chance of developing cancer because of my other conditions. I tend to worry ever since my daughter was diagnosed. I am waiting on the dr to call me back. She is out of the office on Fri so now it will probably be Mon.

I couldn't figure out why you had rituxan but did some research and see that it is beneficial for sjogrens.  I had no idea it was used for other things.  Your platelets are low, seems like your doctor would have been alerted at 120, but maybe your SS, sickness and antibiotics factor into it.  I wish she would have made the effort to call knowing you would be worried, but we know they don't think that way, too bad.  We'll be here though, so if you need some more support, don't hesitate to write.  I know it will be 3 or more days for you.  Try to relax as much as you can and do things for yourself.  Having a daughter diagnosed with lymphoma at 6 must have been horrifying.  How is she doing now?  With all your problems you must be quite the lady.  I know I speak for us all in this forum, we will be thinking about you and hoping for the best.

Becky

Snb5483 said:

thank you

Thank you all. My daughter actually had mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the parotid gland. She had surgery to remove it and done 33 rounds of radiation. This is very rare in a child. Her radiation oncologist has only seen it 3x in a child in his 30+ years. May 31st will actually be 2 years remission. We see St.Judes every 3-6 months. It is almost time for her PET scan and that is always nerve racking. The radiation did mess her thyroid up along with some enlarged optic nerves, but we will take that over the cancer. I am so glad I came across this sight. You all are very nice and informative. Thanks again.

Thank you so much for your kind words.  We have been a little sketchy lately (probably winter blues) so bear with us. This forum has always been so encouraging and you are welcome to comment about anything, somebody is always around.  It is always heart  wrenching to hear of children suffering from serious diseases, but they are so resilient and I marvel at what those little bodies can tolerate.  Please give her an extra hug. and one to you too

Becky

COBRA666 said:

coming up

At least the counts are coming up. It's no telling what all these chemicals really do to us in the long run. We do know the chemo chemicals mess with our blood counts and God knows what else.  We can't get away from chemicals no matter what. They are in our food and water. Most are added. Cancer is on the rise and I really think those chemicals set off the cancer cells that are normally present in the body from birth. I also feel the chemicals weaken our immune system to where our body can not dispose of the bad cells.  This may be off the subject a little, but I remember when I was on Chemo. My sense of smell increased by leaps and bounds. I stopped at a Burger King to get a heart attack in a sack burger. I saw they had a two "fer" one sale. I got 2 Whoppers and ate one. The other I put in the fridge. Later I got it out and was going to put it in the micro wave. I opened the wrapper and so help me it smelled like Pine-Sol. No crap..It smelled like Pine -Sol. It was the chemicals in the burger. My wife could not smell it. I tore the burger apart and it was white on the inside. Have you even seen white beef before? Not me. Anyway I threw it away and never ate one since. I did not even give it to the dogs. I go to my sisters house and sometimes the kids leave part of their burger on the table. I look inside and it is white. Now it does not have the Pine-Sol smell because my olfactory glands are back to normal. I still will not eat them. I talked to a dietician at the cancer center about it and she said all she can tell me is it is loaded with soy bean and chemical preservatives, but nobody knows what else is in those fast food burgers. The Pine-Sol smell is a mixture of chemicals not pine. The fast food joints are so rich they have the politicians in their pocket so nothing is done about it. She said I can tell you it it no good for man or beast. John

  BTW: It's a fact that people that use artificial sweateners have a much greater chance of developing pancreatic cancer and liver cancer. It confuses your pancreas and liver into thinking it is real sugar when it is nothing but a chemical being processed by the body.

.......as much as I hate to, that's horrible.  I think that if you eat sensibly and have good balance, you can eat "junk" food reasonably as long as it is home-made from as chemical free products as possible.  Get out the pots and pans.  That is scary about sweeteners, too bad for us Type 2ers.  I have heard also that we have cancer cells at birth.....oh happy day.  Well, I'm headed back to my cave Becky

COBRA666 said:

Remember the song, "You Can't Keep a Good Man Down" by Alabama.  Check it out on utube. Of course the theme is different, but it's just the upbeat of the words. The way  Bill sprang back would be a good way to look at it. John

Thank you John, that is truly thoughtful.  As you say, the words mean a lot and he is a good man but boy those shoes (sandals) are impossible to fit into.

B&B

Snb5483 said:

Update

I have a copy of my CBC's. The first number is from 3 weeks ago and the second is from one week ago.

Give me your honest opinions please. What do you think could be going on?

I am scheduled with the hematologist Wed.

WBC=15.3/16.9

Neut %=77.9/79.5

Lymph%=13.5/13.7

Mono %=7.9/6.0

Absolute Neutrophils=11.9/13.5

RBC=5.01/4.78

Platelets=120/90

Segmented Neutrophils=71/78

Lymphocytes=13/13

Monocytes=10/9

Honestly, I'm not sure you can tell much by just the numbers.  The only number I watched (even though I was told not to) was my LDH.

COBRA666 said:

coming up

At least the counts are coming up. It's no telling what all these chemicals really do to us in the long run. We do know the chemo chemicals mess with our blood counts and God knows what else.  We can't get away from chemicals no matter what. They are in our food and water. Most are added. Cancer is on the rise and I really think those chemicals set off the cancer cells that are normally present in the body from birth. I also feel the chemicals weaken our immune system to where our body can not dispose of the bad cells.  This may be off the subject a little, but I remember when I was on Chemo. My sense of smell increased by leaps and bounds. I stopped at a Burger King to get a heart attack in a sack burger. I saw they had a two "fer" one sale. I got 2 Whoppers and ate one. The other I put in the fridge. Later I got it out and was going to put it in the micro wave. I opened the wrapper and so help me it smelled like Pine-Sol. No crap..It smelled like Pine -Sol. It was the chemicals in the burger. My wife could not smell it. I tore the burger apart and it was white on the inside. Have you even seen white beef before? Not me. Anyway I threw it away and never ate one since. I did not even give it to the dogs. I go to my sisters house and sometimes the kids leave part of their burger on the table. I look inside and it is white. Now it does not have the Pine-Sol smell because my olfactory glands are back to normal. I still will not eat them. I talked to a dietician at the cancer center about it and she said all she can tell me is it is loaded with soy bean and chemical preservatives, but nobody knows what else is in those fast food burgers. The Pine-Sol smell is a mixture of chemicals not pine. The fast food joints are so rich they have the politicians in their pocket so nothing is done about it. She said I can tell you it it no good for man or beast. John

  BTW: It's a fact that people that use artificial sweateners have a much greater chance of developing pancreatic cancer and liver cancer. It confuses your pancreas and liver into thinking it is real sugar when it is nothing but a chemical being processed by the body.

You mentioned about smells. I remember when I started chemo I would detect this smell a whole lot of times that the best way I can describe it is a maple syrup hotdog.! LOL   Yes the smell drove me about nuts for the longest time until the oncologist said it happens sometimes with chemo.  Trying to eat with the awful smell was hard too.

My dad used to make hamburger patties and boil them over the stove. It got out the grease and I think a bunch of any chemicals.