low blood counts

[moodeacs]

This is my first time posting and I needed some advice. I have only had one treatment of folfox4 and already have low blood counts and have had to delay treatment a week at least. Has anyone had their counts drop so quickly after starting treatment?

[michele]

Mine dropped after treatment number 2. I also was shocked at how early in the treatments things could drop. But, I only had one other delay after treatment number 6.

Sometimes a break is good. It sure made me feel better. Although, I really wanted to be done.

michele

[meighan]

hi, my husband had elevated liver enzymes after round 2 and they did a three week delay and dosage reduction of the oxciliplatin and we thought we were in big trouble..........last week he just finished round 7. I guess what i am trying to say is please don't get too discouraged, i know it is hard but i think it takes some adjustments in the beginning for your body and your doctor to know how it is going to effect you and that first glitch feels like oh please no, here we go again. Since then we have had elevated urine proteins from dehydration, low platlets and other glitches saying a prayer with each treatment but realize they don't just stop because of one thing that quickly..... they work with you.Also you will figure out little things that help you along the way as well. As for my husbands liver enzymes well we put him on a mushroom supplement called liver cleanse (checked with his MD first) and he just takes one a day and they have normalized, we don't know for sure it is that or the reduction or a combination of both but we aren't changing what is working. Good luck.

[northern lights]

I had low WBC from the first treatment. They were usually low for two weeks. At first they started a dose reductions (2o%) but that had no effect. after round 5 I started neutropin which boosts the production of the cells. It is a 5 day/daily injection. I would start talking to you doctor about it now. It is an expensive drug not always covered but it worked for me. My doctor also told me that is usually not used for colon cancer patients, but they would try it. It workds perfectly. Home care comes to my house for 5 days and then the next day is the blood test. My counts have risen from a usauly 0.5 to 5.7.

The delays are really frustrating because you get all set up and then come home with nothing. It also extends the overall time for treatment.

Good luck and I hope it works out for you.

Sharon

[Magnolia]

Mine didn't drop until round 6, but I needed Neulasta to bring them back up. They wouldn't come up on their own. That extended the total time, and I'm on a 20% dose reduction. Now we're a little worried about neuropathy. We may have to hold a dose of oxaliplatin. We're all a bit different, and we need to find just the right doses to suit our bodies. One of my docs told me my cancer may be gone already, we don't know. What we have to make sure of is that we don't kill me with the chemo. Funny phrasing, but I know what he meant. We think, sometimes, the more chemo the better, but the fact is, chemo can kill too. We have to balance the risks. Just enough chemo to get rid of the cancer without doing too much damage to the rest of our bodies. It's a dance and our doctors know how to do it. Trust them, but stay informed. I like the old saying, "Trust God, but steer clear of the rocks." You can put your faith in God or your docs or whatever, but not blindly.

[moodeacs]

Thank you all so much for the advice. This website is wonderful. I did not expect a reply so quickly. God bless you all!!!