Blood Counts

Skiffin16 said:

Labs
Lena, do they take blood and do lab work each time you have the chemo? If it was like mine I have every one of my labs and CBC sheets. I have the first before I started treatment, one for each of the three week cycles when I had the heavy chemo (cisplaten, taxotere and 5FU), and one for each of the seven weeks that I was getting carboplaten with the daily radiation. Also one for each three month post lab and scan to the very last one a month or so ago when everything finally came back into normal ranges.

If your counts become too low, or low enough that your chemo doctor won't let you take chemo for that round.

I never was that low, but my counts all dropped significantly (at least to me). I'll have to dig them out tomorrow, but these are the numbers from the top of my head.

When I started everything was in the normal ranges.

Platelets were at 202, they dropped all the way down to 92 if I remember correctly.
RBC were in the 4.5 range, got down less than 2.0
WBC were in the 4.5 range, got down less than 2.0

Those are just a few they look at, neutrophil
GFR (kidney filtration)

There are about 40 different items that they look at and monitor.

I know my potassium dropped low enough that she prescribed a precription and I had to take that for 10 days to build it back up.

But nothing ever got to the point she stopped treatment.

Now at about every 12 weeks I was going in for a CT and blood work, I have all of those sheets also. Anyways the last was about a month ago, being right at about 10 months post treatment. My blood has finally come back with everything in normal ranges once again.

The WBC and RBC took the longest to come back, they had been hovering just below low normal for several tests, each being a little higher than before, but still lower than low normal.

Now everything has come back in and she has moved my blood works and scans to a six month schedule.

Hope this gives you a little insight.

Also, if you haven't been getting the CBC sheets, request them each time. I'm sure they won't have a problem. I didn't really think of it, a nurse suggested it at the chemo center and it sounded like a good idea. I like seeing the effects and how I am responding to the chemo.

Also, when I was getting the heavy doses of chemo, not the once a week carboplaten. When I was on the three weeks cycles first, fourth and seventh weeks I received the chemo, on the following Mondays they gave ma a shot of Neulasta. It helps build and regenerate the blood cells in the bone marrow (from my understanding). It will give you flu like sysmptons for a day or so, ache in bones and back. It's also around $4,000 - $6,000 for each injection.

John

Lena Rose said:

Thanks
Thanks everyone. I do get a copy of my husband's blood counts every week. I'll try not to worry too much over them. He just had 2 chemo treatments-I don't know how he's going to get through 5 more chemos and 24 more rads! I guess I just have to focus on one day at a time.

Clearblue said:

Blood Counts for Dummies + FA

Is anyone out there willing to give me a clear "bloodcounts for dummies" checklist or refer me to a site which might present this in a clear uncomplicated way.

Were on erbitux only, two infusions to date. So far one blood count taken.

Clear.

i said:

Hi. My husband had tonsil
Hi. My husband had tonsil cancer.squameous cells. he has been cancer free for five years now. His treatment included radiation, erbutux, and cisplatin. The treatment was horrific. Rash from head to waist. He had every sideffect. It was horrible. But it was worth it. He didn't give up. He is here. Good luck. I hope the rash isn't too bad.