Low white blood cells and neutrophils.

Hi LouLoubelle64

I can understand your concern re infections but don't have the necessary experience to be able to answer your question. However, I noticed that you hadn't had any responses so thought I'd suggest that you also post this in the bowel cancer group. I'm sure there'll be people in that group who are on the same treatment as you.

x

Thank you for your reply Latchbrook, 

No I don't seem to get many replies to my emails . Not sure why really. 

Feel very alone and sad at the moment. 

Felt so ill yesterday, didn't feel able to do anything much. 

Not sure I can carry on with this, don't know if it's worth it. 

Thanks Latchbrook, 

No I don't seem to have any replies from the community. . 

Feel so sad and alone now. Really don't know if it's worth carrying on with the chemo. 

I feel so sick and ill now it's horrible. Just wanted to stop the pills yesterday. I really had to make myself take them.

Don't even know if it will stop any more cancers coming back.

Hi LouLoubelle64

Please post in the bowel cancer group as I'm sure you'll get replies from the people over there. 

The chemotherapy group is very quiet as most people post their chemotherapy questions in the cancer specific groups.

Have you spoken to your hospital team about how ill you're feeling? I think you should have been issued with a contact number to phone if you feel unwell.

You might like to give the Macmillan Support Line a call and chat to them about how low you're feeling as they're very good at listening. 

It's free to call them on 0808 808 0000 and they're available every day between 8am and 8pm.

Sending a virtual (((hug))) 

Hi Latchbrook, 

Thank you so much for your reply. I am feeling slightly better now. I just had a really bad day on Wednesday, I know it is going to get better and some people have a lot worse to cope with. I had a hospital appointment to have my Picc line flushed today and my sister took me out for lunch, so it was good to get out of my flat and a change from staring at the same 4 walls! I will speak to the Macmillion nurse about how I feel tomorrow. My chemo nurses are lovely but I just seem to go in there, have the chemo and leave as soon as I can, I can see how busy they are so I just get on with it. I will speak to my doctor also at my next apt.

Ah thank you for the virtual hug, 

Sending you one back! 

Thanks for the hug LouLoubelle64, they're always welcome.

Glad to hear that you're feeling better. I always try to do something nice on the days I go to the hospital for check-ups so that the day is remembered for a nice reason rather than just as a day I went to hospital.

Hope things continue to improve for you.

x

Many thanks Latchbrook, 

That's a very good idea. 

It's strange for me going to appointments as up until November when I got admitted for the emergency surgery, I was working at the hospital for the last 22 years, so a lot of the faces are familiar and I sometimes pop in to my workplace to see my friends and colleagues.

Xx 

HI Louloubelle64. 

Sorry to hear things have been tough. I think perhaps you have had few responses because this is the general Chemo page so I agree you should find the forum specific to your type of cancer. 

I can only speak as someone who had ABVD for Hodgkins Lymphoma, and whose neutrophils went very low which meant I had to be hospitalised with neutropenic sepsis...basically this means that your immune system has crashed due to the chemo, and is unable to produce enough neutrophils (which are important part of immunity and protecting you from infection). 

My feeling is that if your nurses say they are good enough I would be confident that they are good enough. I am pretty sure they would not want you having the chemo if your body couldn't handle it. For me, because mine kept dropping very low (don't have numbers I'm afraid) I had to take extra GSF injections to stimulate bone marrow all the way through chemo.  

If you are worried about the sepsis, this is how it happened to me: I knew something was wrong when my temperature went above 37.5, so I called the NHS number and they advised I go to A&E. I went but found the wait too long and came home. But that night my temperature continued to rise so I called my nurse in the morning and she told me to go back to a&e, but that I MUST show my 'chemo card' when I got there. I did this and was whisked pretty quickly into the acute assessment unit and from there into a room for 3 days where they gave me antibiotics, GSF injections and liquids. 

Not sure if this is much help but just wanted to say that your nurses will know if your levels are okay... but in between rounds do keep checking your temperature and if ti goes above 37.5 you should take yourself, with chemo card, to the hospital. 

Many thanks for the response Oaktree. 

It was very helpful. So sorry to hear that you developed neutropenic sepsis, it must have been very frightening for you. Yes I have been vigilant in taking my temperature since starting the chemo and especially now with the covid 19 virus, and so far it has been fine. 36. 4 or so. Never above 37.

I will just have to see what the next blood test shows and trust my doctors and nurses advice. 

Take care,