nickysfight's Cancer Blog

February 13, 2007

White Blood Cell Count Too Low

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Hello All!

I just made the long trek from Colorado to Texas to spend some time with mom. It is good to be with her and spending some time together. I’m taking her to all of her doctors appointments this week which is also nice, not only to spend time with my mom but to be able to talk to the doctors as well. Mom is very fatigued these days, and I must say that it is very tough to see someone you love so sick! Today mom was scheduled to get her second dose of FOLFOX but her white blood cell count was too low. Evidently this is a common side effect of chemotherapy. Instead of the FOLFOX she was given a shot of NEUPOGEN (Filgrastim) to help increase her white blood cell count. We will have to return tomorrow to Dr. Barrington’s to get a second dose of the NEUPOGEN. Mom had the option of receiving the FOLFOX on Wednesday, after her white cell count has increased, or just waiting until next Monday. She has opted to wait until next Monday so that her body is given a bit more time to rest and regenerate. Mom’s lack of appetite has been of great concern over the last couple of weeks. She has been trying to eat more but she just doesn’t feel like eating and says that food doesn’t even sound good (she lost another two pounds last week). Even when she tries to eat, her calorie count is low, probably less than 1000 calories, because she is eating very small portions. I had recently read in the “Advances in the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer” booklet I downloaded from cancercare.org that you can be prescribed a steroid to help stimulate an appetite and build muscle mass. However, when I spoke to my mom’s nurse she asked that we try MEGACE ES first. Mom will need to take one teaspoon in the morning starting tomorrow – I really hope this helps!