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CBC Results And Chemo Suspension


Bill

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Hi Bill,

I was told on platelets, they cannot be below 100,000. Not sure if that is just in my case or across the board. I had them drop twice @ the beginning (20,000 and 5000) but had transfusions to built them back up so I could continue on. Did not have any problems with white/red cells. Here is a site that might be of help.

Rich

http://www.vh.org/adult/patient/cancerc ... index.html (Understanding Blood Tests / A Guide for Patients with Cancer)

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dadstimeon Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2004 10:10 am Post subject:

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Hi Bill,

I was told on platelets, they cannot be below 100,000. Not sure if that is just in my case or across the board. I had them drop twice @ the beginning (20,000 and 5000) but had transfusions to built them back up so I could continue on. Did not have any problems with white/red cells.

Rich

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Rich :

Thanks. What you describe is exactly what happened to my wife. Since then it's been a weekly evaluation of platelet count, hemoglobin and hematocrit. But, no definite rock bottom #s have ever been given. Her medical onc just switched her to an every other week chemo regimen ( Gemzar / carbo ) stating that this regimen may be easier on her blood. As of Saturday's CBC her platelet count and hematocrit are okay but her hemoglobin is slipping ( 11 ). She receives procrit but it hasn't helped much in the last couple of weeks.

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Hi Bill,

Just a side note I too was on the gemzar/carbo (day 1, day 8 and day 21) treatment and had to switch to day (because of the platelet problem) 1 and day 21, they also reduced the chemo dosage and that solved the problem. My thoughts and prayers are with your wife and you to get back on track and for the best of results.

Rich

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Hi Bill,

My treatment was interrupted a couple of times. Pretty much across the board, my counts were down. The one that the doctor was most concerned about was the one that was causing symptomatic distress. I was having severe taccycardia due to low neutrophils, if I remember correctly. A couple bags of beautiful stacked platelets and I was symptom free immediately.

I was not understanding one of your sentences..."But, no rock bottom numbers have ever been given."

Does this mean that you didn't receive information on at what point intervention would start and treatment halted? If this is what you meant, then it is my understanding that the doctor weighs each case individually on a variety of factors based on their broad education and experience. Based on the prior health of the patient, the medical history, age, sex, weight, clinical symptomology or asymptomology etc. are some of the considerations when weighing the decision to proceed with treatment or to halt. In short, they do not rely on the numbers from the lab reports exclusively, but rather use it as part of their formula in decison making.

Best wishes for positive results.

Cindi o'h

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It was the platelets with me too. My schedule was to be week 1 cisplatin/gemzar, week 2 and 3 gemzar only, then a week off and start over again. I was not able to get the gemzar in week three because by then my platelets had dropped too far. They gave me an arnesp shot and sent me home with instructions to come back in a week. By then the platelets were back up again and we resumed.

Things just got a little changed around from original plans, but I ended up with three treatments of cisplatin and 9 gemzar, just not in the systematic order we first planned.

The number they gave me was 100000 too.

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