Spanky Posted April 15, 2003 Share Posted April 15, 2003 Well my mom was suppost to start her 3rd of chemo today, but unfortunately after they did the blood work they informed her that her white count was low so they've cancelled it until next Wednesday & hopefully it will be ok then. Keeping the fingers crossed until then I guess! She's concerned about her ears being so sore since the brain radiation though. She saw the radiologist a few weeks ago & had mentioned it to him, but he didn't seem to think that this was caused by the radiation. He said if it got any worse that she should see her GP, which she did, and her GP still thinks that it's from the radiation. She went to see him again yesterday(her GP) because it was really sore and apparently there was a little pus pocket on the top of her ear with something like a core in the middle of it. He lanced it & gave her some antibiotic ointment to put on it. Has anyone ever heard of or had this happen before? We can't seem to get a straight answer from any of the doctors and no one seems to know what it is. All my mom knows is that it started just after her last radiation treatment, about the same time she lost all her hair...Keep in mind this is before any chemo treatments were started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted April 16, 2003 Share Posted April 16, 2003 Hi Spanky, My Mom has very sensitive skin too and she is finishing up with her brain radiation. She said her ears are sore too. She had 18 treatments..If the blood counts are low they will wait till they come back up for safety. Hope your Mom feels better soon! Laurie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spanky Posted April 16, 2003 Author Share Posted April 16, 2003 I forgot to ask, is there a drug that one can take to bring up the white count..one that works for thoracic(sp?) tumours? I did read about one but theres certain cancers that it doesn't work on and thats one of them. I know if her red count drops she covered by her insurance for eprex, but I'm hoping there's something for her white count. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john Posted April 16, 2003 Share Posted April 16, 2003 You can ask the Dr about Neupogen http://www.neupogen.com/patients/overview/neupogen.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candy Posted April 16, 2003 Share Posted April 16, 2003 Hi Spanky, My husband has 3 days of chemo (VP 16/Carbo) and then receives a Neulastra shot on the 4th day. I THINK, but am not positive, that its for his white blood cell count. Since your mom is getting different treatment, that may not be an option for you. I don't know a lot about this stuff, but I'm learning. He also get Arenesp once a week now because his red blood cell count is low. On our last visit the doctor said his white blood cell count was also low, but not lower than they "would expect". Radiation wasn't an option for my husband so I don't know a thing about side-effects from that. Hope your mom is feeling better soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hopeful2 Posted April 16, 2003 Share Posted April 16, 2003 Spanky, Neulasta is given 24hours after finishing each round of chemo. It has been more effective for me than neuprogen. Neulasta helps prevent the white count from going so low. With it the lowest I have gone is 3. The Neuprogen wasn't given until my blood count showed I needed it, and then it took awhile to come back up, and I would feel horrible the whole time. So, definitely ask for Neulasta! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ry Posted April 16, 2003 Share Posted April 16, 2003 Luekine is another drug for the white count (not sure that's the correct spelling). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 I'm so glad to see all this great info posted here. I just had an incident with low white cell counts that put me in the hospital. I'm worried too that they may not proceed with my 3rd round of chemo this week. (See separate post.) Feeling better now. Spanky, I hope your mom is feeling stronger too. We'll get through all this. Jenny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spanky Posted April 27, 2003 Author Share Posted April 27, 2003 Hi Jenny; Actually things are better this week. My mom went back again this past Wednesday(23rd) & they did go ahead with the chemo. Her white count was higher than it was the previous week when they opted not to do the treatment. She's doing pretty well, no nausea & her appetite is great, all things considered! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanna M. Posted April 28, 2003 Share Posted April 28, 2003 Spanky, Glad to hear you mom's white counts are good now and she was able to get treatment. Hope they stay up!! My mom's counts have been really good with her treatment, but a few times she was a bit anemic she got procrit. One time her white blood cells were slightly low and they gave her a shot of neupogen and she hasn't needed it since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spanky Posted April 28, 2003 Author Share Posted April 28, 2003 Deanna; Thanks and I'm happy to hear your moms doing well with her treatment also. It's such a relief when things run smoothly, just a little less to worry about too! I know how it feels on this end when treatments are held up, I can only imagine how scary and frustrating it is to be on the receiving end of it all. All in all though good spirits & a great attitude make a world of difference. A nice sunny day & warm temperatures(finally) don't hurt either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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