Hi ladies,
I am confused,
I know ladies here will be able to help.
I was meant to have my 4th FEC this week and also a much needed filling in a tooth, but i had a phone call from the oncology nurse to say i couldn’t have my fillinf or my chemo this week due to the fact that my blood test was not great.
She did’t explain much but said to have another blood test next week and hopefully chemo.All i know is whatever it was that was wrong was, something should have been at least 1.5 but it was only 0.4, and the nurse said the doc may decide to give me injections.
I haven’t got a clue what she was on about, all i remember is she said to take my temp regularly and not to get an infection.
Can anyone help? Thanks ladies
Sandrae x
Hi Sandrae
The following publication contains some information about the situation you are in at the moment:
breastcancercare.org.uk/upload/pdf/FEC_factsheet_BCC96.pdf
Please do call our helpline for further information and support on 0808 800 6000, weekdays 9-5 and Sat 9-2.
Hope this helps
Take care
Lucy
Thanks Lucy,
I have had a read , such a shame it seems to be a bit of a lottery as to who gets the injections, i will find out more on monday after my next blood test.have also been trying for weeks to get my tooth filling done, what a pain! literally.
I have given up making dental appointments, will get it done eventually.
Thanks again
Sandrae
Hope your bloods bounce back. Theinjections do seem to do their job. Good luck and also with the filling!
Sandrae,
please be really careful with your results so low. I was ill after first chemo and ended up in hospital on iv for 6 days. I started with a really bad headache and then felt very weak and ill. Never had a temperature though. Went for tests and my results were 0.3 and my onc was really annoyed I hadn’t gone as soon as I felt ill.
Had injections after chemo for the remaining 5 and yet WBC was low 4 weeks after last chemo and ended up on antibiotics.
If you don’t feel well please don’t ignore it.
Take care
K x
Hi guys
Just noticed this thread. just thought i would share my experience. I had my 6th dose of CMF just over 4 weeks ago. Noticed on day 14 my temp had gone to 38.9. A trip to A&E was called for as always these things happen out of hours. Then spent the next 8 days attached to a drip in hospital giving IV Tacozin and IV Vancomycin. 2 antibiotics to wrestle with the neutronpenic sepsis that had occurred. Mine neutrophils were as low as 0.3, but by the time i left were 1.1 and just before my last chemo ( yesterday) had risen again to 4.52. Its the temperature that is key. I didn;t feel unwell as such just really hot. I am grateful that the chemo unit gave me a business card that told A&E exactly what to do. When i have my last and final chemo next week i have 5 days of injections thereafter to stop it happening again ( hopefullY ). will post next week when i know more.
Good luck.
Wendy
x
just another quick message.
Be careful as I had no temperature at all so ignored the headache and weakness until I had a text from a mate asking how I was and realised I actually felt awful !!
K x
G-CSF (granulocyte-colony stimulating factor) is a haematopoietic growth factor. It stimulates the bone marrow to produce more white blood cells. Growth factors are special proteins which are produced naturally in the body.
One of the main side effects of chemotherapy is a reduction in the number of white blood cells. This makes your body less able to fight infection. There is a risk that you could develop a serious infection, which might have to be treated in hospital. If your number of blood cells (your blood count) is low when your next dose of chemotherapy is due, the chemotherapy may have to be postponed, or the dose lowered.
G-CSF stimulates the bone marrow to make white blood cells more quickly after chemotherapy . This shortens the length of time that you are at risk of developing a serious infection. G-CSF is not needed with all types of chemotherapy treatment, as the white blood cell count usually recovers on its own.
They can then be given back to you after high-dose chemotherapy treatment and make new blood cells to replace those you have lost.
There are three different types of G-CSF:
lenograstim (Granocyte®)
filgrastim (Neupogen®, Ratiogastrim®)
pegylated filgrastim (Neulasta®).
These drugs all work in similar ways. The molecules of the pegylated filgrastim have a substance that helps the drug to be active in the body for longer.
* Mild neutropenia, when the ANC falls below a lower limit of 1500 per mm3 (1.5 x 109 /1), but remains higher than 1000 per mm3 (1.0 x 109 /1).
* Moderate neutropenia, when the ANC falls between 500 per mm3 and 1000 per mm3 (0.5 x 109 /1 - 1.0 x 109 /1)
* Severe neutropenia, when the ANC falls below 500 per mm3 (0.5 x 109 /1)
Symptoms which patients experience depend on the level of neutropenia. The lower the neutrophil count, the greater the risk of infection. This risk increases if low neutrophil counts persist for more than three days. Types of infection include otis media; tonsillitis; sore throat; mouth ulcers; gum infection and skin abscesses. Any fever (body temperature above 38.5° C/101.3° F) must be taken very seriously and your chemo unit should be informed. The temperature limit depends on your unit.
Hope this helps. X
Hi all
I had a sore throat yesterday popped into the chemo unit after picking up my wig. They did a test 0.2 but no sign of infection so was sent home with 3 injections. I have no temp but the injections have given me a headache and bone pain. At least I think it is the injections. Have to go back on fri to be retested. They said they will have adjust my chemo as it is too strong. Dx
Thank you ladies for all your input,
I have a problem tooth still, i had an abcess 2 weeks ago, i had antibiotics, the mouth pain susided by the end of the course of antibiotics, but as i have not been allowed to have the filling i need i feel as if the abcess may be returning, have bad toothache on and off, what a pain. surely thats not good as it’s an infection/
I do hope all you ladies who are having similar problems recover as soon as poss, i wonder if i need more antibiotics for oral infection. 2 weeks ago my oncologist gave me a weeks supply of antibiotics, as my dentist had only given me 5 days of 250mg, so i have not long completed a course, but it doesn’t help that i can’t have the filling i obviously need.NIGHTMARE!
Thanks again for everyones input, it is really really appreciated, best of luck to you all.
Sandrae x x x
Tina45
Thank you so much for all your valuable info about neutropenia and next weeks course of injections. i am truely thankful.
Nanny4 - there is nothing like toothache pain when we are well, so having chemo as well it really must be a worry apart from the obvious pain. I hope you get it sorted as soon as poss.
Lots of love
Wendyx
You can take nurofen or co-codamol for the bone pains, they happen mostly in your large bones like hips etc, as they have the most area of bone marrow where the WBC are produced hence the pain!
Good luck!
Hi
My biggest prob was the headache. I rang this morning and they said to go for a blood test today to see if I needed the last injection. So went . With 2 injections it had gone from 0.2 to 4.8 so I don’t need the third jab hurray. Oh and I got a foot massage while was waiting so that was nice. Debx
Fab deb! Enjoy your party now and the rest of your good week. I cut my hair the day after my sons party too!
Thanks again ladies, i was wondering why i was getting bone pain, mainly in my hips and wrists, now i know why, can chemo help old bone pain? i have had bad hip and back aches and pains for about 2 years but since i have been having chemo the pains have gone, no matter what pain killers i took from the docs the pain was often there, (right hip ankle , and back), that has gone YIPEE now i have left hip pain now and then,i wondered if it was the steroids that had helped, bad backs run in my family all my 4 children have back probs and my mother. i did worry when i realised the old pains had gone finally, as it has only been since i started chemo.
As for the toothache, i went to oncology on friday, had another blood test, my WBC was 4.1, great i thought, rang the dentist, no help whatso ever, couldn’t see me for a few days. i gave up in the end, it is a bit better at the mo so will have to see how it goes, as i have chemo on wednesday i was told i couldnt have tooth filled next week, what a pain.
Sorry for the winge ladies
But thanks for listening
Sandrae x x x