Anyone with high inflammatory markers and spiking temperatures

Hi, this is my first time to put up a post. I just wondered if anyone was going through similar to me.  I have mets in my bones and also my liver.  Had my first cycle of treatment started on 11 January this year.  First one strong blast of radiotherapy then Denosumab, letrozole and ribociclib.  All went ok but 2nd cycle was delayed because of bloods. Before I got started 2nd cycle my temperature started spiking and I was told my inflammatory markers were very high, therefore an infection. I was in hospital but they could never find the source of infection.  They sent me home when they thought they were at an acceptable level, but I was back in again within a week. My treatment was delayed for 6 weeks! Started my 2nd cycle on a lower dose and same thing again, all well but on my week off I started coughing up green phlegm although I felt perfectly well and had no temperature, but then the temperature did start to spike so I am presently in hospital again. I have had all sorts of tests, X-RAYs, Ct scans MRI. They can’t find the source of the infection again, but feel it must be a chest infection since I was coughing up phlegm, but even though that stopped a day or two on antibiotics, the inflammatory markers kept rising dramatically! They changed me to 3 IV antibiotics daily and the markers are now coming down. I am now 11 days in hospital and seem to be a mystery to them.  I feel the infection must be something to do with the cancer or the treatment but the oncologists don’t agree, and the medical staff can’t figure it out.   Meanwhile my treatment is delayed again, 5 weeks so far.

can anyone out there give me any hope.  I just feel as if I won’t be around much longer to see my grandchildren grow up.  It is hard to stay positive.

Hi garly

What a horrendous start, after such a body-blow as a secondary diagnosis. I can’t offer any advice I’m afraid, though I have been admitted before with neutropoenic sepsis from an unknown cause so I’ve an inkling of your worry. Since you keep responding to antibiotics, common sense says it must be a medical issue, rather than the cancer or treatment, but knowing that doesn’t change anything for you. Your initial radiotherapy will have had an strong impact so delaying your treatment further must be in your best interests. If it helps at all, I was told that, unless you have one of the more aggressive breast cancers, like triple negative, most cancers are “really quite sluggish” so maybe rid yourself of the idea that the cancer is running rampant and unchecked. This will be being monitored very closely through the scans and markers.

I hope someone comes up with some comparable experience because this situation, apart from being frustrating, must feel pretty scary for you. Thinking of you,

Jan x