Hi Everyone.
I’ve just had a 4-day spell in isolation with febrile neutropoenia and neutropoenic sepsis. I couldn’t have asked for better treatment and didn’t actually feel ill, more exhausted. They couldn’t identify the cause - all I had was a runny nose and then whoosh, up went my temperature. My blood count was 0.11 and, despite 24/7 antibiotics and other treatments, it was very slow to improve. The doctor wanted to get it up to 2.0 but would compromise at 0.5. It didn’t happen. Eventually I had a blood transfusion so I could go home. When I went back yesterday for my clinic appointment (ready to start weekly Paclitaxel therapy on Monday), the oncologist told me I’d been ‘dangerously ill’ (I’m so glad no one told me before) and it could happen again.
Has anyone else found that EC therapy caused such a low blood count and did this impact on their treatment schedule? I’m worried that Paclitaxel will cause similar problems, particularly as it’s weekly, and that I won’t be able to cope with the constant exhaustion. I’ve experienced maybe 9 ‘normal’ days when I’ve been able to get out and about, drive etc in the last 9 weeks since I started chemotherapy. I’ve a further 9 weeks ahead and the prospect of the same is beginning to depress me. Psychologically, I think I’ve dealt with it all well but physically I sense I’m at breaking point, particularly as I have no control over my blood count. Any advice would be welcome.