hi…i’m dx with liver, lungs, lymph nodes and bones mets in march. i’m 28 yrs old and living in malaysia. my chemo regimen is a bit different iwas on several regimeng and now on ifosfamide (D1-D3) and vineralbine (D1 &D8) the problem is since its already nearing day 21 and i still have’nt got my D8 dose of vineralbine because of neutropenia, and here since neupogen is a bit expensive they will only give me a shot if i have a fever due to neutropenia by the way my reading is 0.3. i really need advice on how to increase my neutrophil count. i’ve been eating a lot and putting on weight but still on d10 and d15 it did not help. has anybody faced this problem and what should i do.
Sorry to hear that. I have no idea what ifosfamide is. Is it a chemo or something else?
i had vineralbine D1 and day8 for 5 cycles and then had to have 3 weeks off for last day1 and day 8 cycle ue to neutropaenia.
I’m now on gemcetabine and carboplatin but miss out the day 8 as it made me so neutropaenic. I’m not sure what you can do when they refuse neutrasta - i’m in the uk and my hospital won’t use it either.
The only thing that seems to help me is to rest but with 3 children under 11 that is easier said than done!!!
Some people have written about this before so you could try searching the site on the search engine for tips re diet and supplements… I
What a journey you’ve had and so young as well hope things imporve for you
I know my oncs often look at the wbc as well as the neutrophils and often seem to be more concerned what my wbc count is rather than the neutrophils. It’s all so confusing isn’t it/
Hope you get some better replies than this waffle!!
Kate
Hi izzati,
I am sorry to read that you are having a tough time, especially with your low neutrophil count delaying your treatment. The regime of ifosfamide and vineralbine is not a common one used here in the UK for treating secondary breast cancer, however they are both frequently used chemotherapy drugs and a low neutrophil count is a side effect many people experience with them.
Unfortunately there is nothing you can eat or do your self to bring the neutrophil count back up, the body will eventually produce more of these cells, and the only way to assist it in doing this is with drugs like neupogen.
Whilst you are waiting for the cells to recover eating as balanced a diet as possible and resting will help your body cope overall with your treatment.
Thank you for posting on our discussion forums and I hope you continue to gain support from them.
best wishes
Tara Beaumont
Clinical Nurse Specialist
thanks…dippykate…3 kids thats a handful…he…he… i’ve got a 2 and 1/2 year old girl and taking care of her sometimes can be tiring…but kids…when they smile it’s enough to take all the weight of the world of your back…tara thanks also…to certain circumstances i had to work between chemo’s it’s a bit tiring … i’ll try to rest more after this hopfully my neutrophil count would be better.