Low White Blood Cell count

[mcclane]

During my first transplant, this issue never arose.

When I was on hemo last year, it did come up once, in a nutshell the doctor called me on friday to inform me of a low white blood cell count (I was on sirolimus, septra, and prednisone), so then they told me to hold off on my sirolimus and prednisone and the problem went away.

Fast forward to this year, the same doctor that called me last time called me again to tell me my white blood cell count had plummeted, down to 1.2.  He told me to hold off on my myfortic, and do a blood work the next day.  WBC count went down to 1.1 the next day.

Since then, I've been put on neupogen, 3 vials 1mL each, so I had to fill and poke myself with a syringe for 3 days - this stuff works and works very well, but I had a nasty side effect, I had the worst back pain ever.  Doing a search for neupogen, I found it that it can cause bone/muscle ache, and did I ever get a doozy of a back ache.  After I did my last shot, the back pain went away.  I was also told to hold off on my myfortic, septra, and anti cmv.

So after 2 shots (I can't count the third shot, as I took it just before my bloodwork) my WBC count shot up to 7 and the hospital was happy.  They told me to restart full dose myfortic, and a week later my WBC count went down to 2.9. 

I was told to do half dose on my myfortic, and they will be sending me to a hematologist.  I am really hoping I don't need a bone marrow transplant, because I'd hate to ask my mom again to undergo another surgery.  I do hope it has to do with the meds I am taking.

[Cordelia]

That's scary!

I hope you don't need a bone marrow transplant either, Mcclane!       

Fingers and Toes crossed that you won't have to!

Keep us posted on how things go       

[jeannea]

A bone marrow transplant? That seems drastic. I hope they can help you without that.

[mcclane]

I'm really hoping it is just a matter of the meds doing a number on the white blood cell count, funny it never happened before

[Chris]

When I was on Neupogen, for a much longer period of tme and twice withthe prefilled shots package I had the bone pain soooo bad. The slightest twitch hurt like h*$^ !
 
I know your pain

[mcclane]

When I was on Neupogen, for a much longer period of tme and twice withthe prefilled shots package I had the bone pain soooo bad. The slightest twitch hurt like h*$^ !
 
I know your pain

Usually I don't suffer side effects from medication, but that neupogen was potent stuff

[mcclane]

update :

i just received a call from my nephrologist (dialysis), he called me up to see how my transplant was doing.  I told him kidney function is doing well, except the low white blood cell count.  He looked up my bloodwork from this morning, and informed me of my creatine level (116, normal), and told me my white blood cell count (last week) 2.9, then 3.9 (thurs bloodwork), and now it is 5.2 (today's bloodwork).  So it has gone up ! 

That is a big relief.

[Cordelia]

update :

i just received a call from my nephrologist (dialysis), he called me up to see how my transplant was doing.  I told him kidney function is doing well, except the low white blood cell count.  He looked up my bloodwork from this morning, and informed me of my creatine level (116, normal), and told me my white blood cell count (last week) 2.9, then 3.9 (thurs bloodwork), and now it is 5.2 (today's bloodwork).  So it has gone up ! 

That is a big relief.

\

                  That's great news!

[paris]

Glad it is up.  We'll hope it continues and things smooth out for you 

[Chris]

I hope it stays up for you so that you do not have to go thru the side effects of neupogen.