Shelley (MLC) Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 Mom's platelet count is 33 this week! I know you expect a drop on chemo, but this seems REALLY low. She is supposed to go in next monday for her scheduled chemo and bloodwork. They will hold the chemo if the platelets are still low (how can they not be) and I assume they will transfuse her instead. I'm just a little surprised they sent her home for 6 days instead of having her come back sooner for bloodwork and a transfusion THIS week. Anyway, she's feeling great, off to the c*a*s*i*n*o, but I'm just a little worried about bleeding issues. Thanks! Shelley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiesia Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 I think the lower bound is around 150. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadstimeon Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 That is low (I've had mine as low as 5000 but I also have ITP) and mom needs to be very careful with bruising, gums bleeding etc. My doctor told me they do not give chemo if it is below 100,000. Sometimes they wait to see if the counts go back up before giving a transfusion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelley (MLC) Posted April 20, 2007 Author Share Posted April 20, 2007 She was 114 last week ( sorry, I probably shouldn't be abreviating) So, 114,000 last week and down to 33,000 this week. Still well below what's acceptable for non chemo patients (the 150,000)mentioned by weisia. It must be pretty scary to be 5000! I'm tempted to tell her to sit in a chair and watch TV so she doesn't bump into something! Shelley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiesia Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 Red grape juice is often used by women on the breast cancer board for elevating platelets count. Worth a trial ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raneyf Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 I was at 50 on the Thursday before I got my last chemo. A week later I was back up to 130 or so and they went ahead and gave it to me. My platelets seem to rebound pretty good if I have a few extra days of rest. No mention of a transfusion to me. I was bruising pretty bad though. My nurses told me your body knows it needs platelets and pumps them out in cases like that. Hope your mom's bounce back too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiredmom959 Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 I know my mom was right about that level (33,000) at one point toward the end of Gemzar/Carbo. She had a couple transfusions for red cells and at least one for platelettes. We really had to watch the bleeding issue because she was also on blood thinners for a blood clot in her lung. I know my dad wouldn't let her touch a knife in the kitchen! The shots and transfusions (if needed) do wonders though. PS Your daughters are absolutely adorable! And your mom looks wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fillise Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 Shelley They may be wanting to gve her the full recovery time between treatments. If she was at her nadir she should have a higher count in 6 days. We haven't been there yet with my Mom (knock wood)but I understand it is fairly common. I hope she has better counts next week and that she is LUCKY in her leisure activities Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWest Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Platelets of 33,000 is pretty low but not shocking for someone on chemo, especially this regimen. Sure, it would be a bad idea for her to go skydiving or race car driving, but she doesn't need to be in a room full of pillows either. The body is made to have everything work OK until you get down to something like 10% or lower of normal function for a lot of proteins and blood levels and cell counts (but not everything, you need more than 10% of heart and lung function and more than 10% of normal red blood cell levels). But people do live their lives with platelet counts that are lower than 33K on a chronic basis. We would be inclined to transfuse someone if they get down below 30-50K and are having bleeding (nose, or in stool, or after dental work and it doesn't stop, etc.), but otherwise most oncologists would not be inclined to do transfuse platelets until the count is below 20, often 12-15K. With the carbo/gem regimen, 33K is low but not breaking any records. It would be expected to come back up over several days, and if it isn't up above 100K, delaying treatment is generally recommended. -Dr. West Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelley (MLC) Posted April 23, 2007 Author Share Posted April 23, 2007 Thanks Dr. West and everyone else that replied to my post. Mom is at the Oncology center right now, so I should know soon if they were able to do chemo, or if her platelets were still low. It's nice to know that 33 (while certainly low) isn't all that unusual. Shelley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.