Fever during Chemo

[SteveD]

After completing nine days of radiation and two sessions of chemo (Thursdays), I was fine Friday but felt awful Saturday. Saturday was the worst, but I took my temperature upon feeling hot Sunday. (Mostly 100.4 but up to 101). Has any one experienced fever while on chemo? Because of the current Covid mentality, I had to be tested, missed my treatment today and was prescibed Levoquin.

On a side note for those of you who read my previous post, I've been taking the bus to treatments since my first chemo session. This means climbing a steep hill 80 feet in elevation, then it gets more gradual. I took my vehicle to a friend's auto repair shop, of which he is totally jammed up with work, about a week ago, and Sunday he called to pick me up. My truck was finished, but he didn't write up a slip. Just pay it forward, he said.

[BridgetO]

Hey Steve,

YES!  I was on chemo for an unrelated non-lung cancer that I had before my lung cancer. Twice I had fever and called my oncologist , who sent me to the ER since it was after hours. Both times I had neutropenia, which is an extremely low count of neutrophils, a type of white blood cells that fights off infections. Once my neutrphils were down to zero. I learned that neutropenia with a fever is really serious, because we can get not only bacterial infections from the environment or other people, but we can get them from ourselves. The bacteria that are normally in our digestive tract or on our skin can get into our bloodstream and without the neutrophils to resist them can cause an overwhelming and potentially fatal infection. The fever is often the only sign of infection. 

At the ER, they did chest e-xrays and other tests to see if they could find a location or type of infection. They couldn't but they gave me two kinds of antibiotics and I was OK. Good you got Levoquin, which is a pretty strong antibiotic.

Thanks for posting this! I have written about neutropenia several times on these forums and I'm surprised that many people having chemo don't know about it. So I'm glad to have the opportunity to say something about it again.

I hope you're better and can get back to your treatment soon.

Your friend the auto mechanic is a wonderful friend!

Bridget O

 

[LouT]

SteveD

Sorry I did not see your previous post, but welcome to the forum.  Sounds like you've had a tough "row to hoe" getting to treatment, but I'm stoked to hear about the "pass it on" approach he took.  Sounds like a great guy.  I have had no chemo treatment (surgery only) so I can't share that experience, but if you have any other questions then I, or someone, will be happy to share what we know or refer you to a part of the forum for assistance.  Please keep us updated as you move ahead.

Lou