RBC Question

[Tom K]

Hello All,

I haven't been very active on the board lately but I’ve been moving on with my life and trying to come to terms with all that has happened over the past 3 years. Yes, I’ve officially made it 3 years past diagnosis. The people on this board were a tremendous source of hope over that time. Your posted profiles and many stories helped me believe it was possible to beat this disease.

During my routine checkup my PCP mentioned that my RBC was 4.2 which finally put it back in the normal range. She showed me a screen which tracked my RBC for the past 2 years and how it gradually increased from a low of 3.0 shortly after I completed the consolidation chemo. She has been giving me B-12 for a year and she seems to think increasing my RBC will give me more energy and maybe help me get past this depression I’ve been dealing with. My question is for other long term survivors. How long did it take for your RBC to return to normal after chemo? I guess I’m just curious if I’m still following the “normal” recovery pattern for LC.

[Connie B]

Very nice to see you Tom. Sorry your battling this dreaded depression. As for my RBC mine was fine within a couple of months after chemo. So, I never had any blood problems. The famous last words are "everyone is different." Some never do have problems and some do like what your going through.

B12 shots can be wonderful. I have several friends (for other health issues) that get the B-12 shot and they swear by them as far as giving them energy back.

As for the depression, it took me 2 years after I was dx.d to pick up my life again and face my demons and say, "I'm going to live, I beat this crap and I better get out of this stooper and get on with my life." And low and behold that's exactly what I did. But I fought depression for a good 2 years. Sadly enough, that's not uncommon with any cancer patient. Once I started focusing on others and not on my cancer and the fact that I thought (Convinced) myself I was going to die, my life took a positive turn around. I made up my mind I wasn't going to let the cancer rule my life. I got a second chance and by golly I was going to enjoy it the best I could.

I hope you'll pop in more often, if for no other reason then to say HI and maybe offer HOPE to all those wonderful people that are new to this journey and need to know we DO and CAN SURVIVE Lung cancer.

Good Luck and Keep on Keeping on. Happy 3 Years of being a LC SURVIVOR! ROCK ON!

[SandraL]

Hi Tom. So pleased to hear about your 3 year mark. Many many more. Sorry I don't have answers to your RBC question. But I sure would be thrilled if that was all I needed to worry about. So joy to you on this awesome anniversary.

Sandra

[Wendy]

Hi Tom,

Happy 3 yrs!

I had a problem with my rbc during the middle of my first treatment and was given a blood transfusion (2 pints) and then was given shots until I finished my chemo. Since then, my counts have been good. Sorry that I am not much help on your question here!!

I hope that your doc can work his magic and get you feeling better soon.

Wendy

[recce101]

Hi, Tom, it's good hearing from you! I've always enjoyed reading your posts, and I especially remember getting a lot of encouragement from them when I joined the group in September 2006. By then you'd already received your NED award, and I was still learning the terminology and wondering what the future held for me. Well, 27 months have gone by and here we are.

All of my blood counts have stayed in range, assisted on the WBC side from automatic Neulasta injections while I was on Taxol/Carbo, but lack of stamina has been the most pervasive side effect of my treatments. Like someone said recently, I feel fine until I actually try to do something!

I don't think I've ever had clinical depression, but I know for a fact that my mental attitude has been lifted by writing to others in the group and trying to help them with the shock of diagnosis or some particular side effect. Every minute I spend trying to help someone else is one less minute for me to dwell on my own condition.

Now don't get me wrong — I would never want to imply that you're not doing this already in some form, maybe volunteering at a homeless shelter in Jacksonville or doing something else to help those less fortunate. Maybe a small adjustment is all that's needed. When it comes to charitable and service organizations, I know that for myself at least, it makes a big difference what role I have in the organization. Dealing with administrative matters as a board member, while necessary, is a lot less satisfying than working directly with those receiving the help.

Congratulations on the 3 years! Aloha,

Ned