Hello Maccer, sorry to hear that your mum is experiencing sepsis. A condition called neutropenic sepsis can be quite common during chemo as the treatment can result in reduced neutrophils in the white blood cells, which help fight infection. I was admitted to hospital recently with suspected neutropenic sepsis and my neutrophil count was found to be very low. To prevent this happening in future my oncologist has now prescribed injections which will boost my neutrophils whilst having chemo. Has your mum had a discussion with her nurse/medical team about whether there is anything that can be done to prevent her getting sepsis with every chemo cycle? Usually they try their best to minimise any adverse side effects if they can.
Thank you so much for reply. I really appreciate it. Yes my mum is having the injection to boost her neutrophils. She’s still getting sepsis sadly. But she’s recovering well each time.
Good to hear that your mum is recovering well each time. My suspected sepsis turned out not to be, as there was no infection identified - it was the reduced neutrophils which were causing the symptoms/problem (neutropenia rather than neutropenic sepsis). If your mum's sepsis has been confirmed each time, were they able to identify the type of infection? Not sure if it will help but this Macmillan fact sheet includes some useful tips about how to reduce your chances of getting an infection (the 'Helping yourself' section) so there may be some things that your mum can consider if not already doing so: www.macmillan.org.uk/.../sepsis
Hi, sorry I have no advice to give you but I want you to know that your mum is not alone. I am on my 6th cycle of chemo and these last 2 cycles I have ended up in the hospital with an infection both times. I really don’t know what we can do to prevent it, but as long as you are looking out for any symptoms and getting her treatment as soon as she needs it that’s the main thing. x
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