Hi,
I am all done with my 6 weeks of chemo, and have done 26 radiation sessions (I am in the US and apparently it’s done a little differently here) & have had a delay in my radiation because of low blood counts. My white blood cells have been too low since last Wednesday so I have gone almost a week without radiation. I have 5 left, so a total of 31. Has this happened to anyone else? I am a bit panicked that it will affect the outcome of treatment. I was hoping to get a shot to boost my WBC but my insurance wouldn’t authorize the shot so I was unable. So now I’m just hoping my body does what it’s suppose to and my numbers go up so I can finish.
Hi Hayley,
I had low platelets and WBC during my last week of treatment i did not get my final chemo but did finish my external radiotherapy. Prior to my brachytherapy i had to have injections for 4 or 5 days to try and bring the count up. On the morning of my brachytherapy i had a platlet transfusion but my WBC remained low but doctor felt my overall health was good so was happy to go ahead with the brachytherapy. To be honest i never felt any different would never have known my count was low. In regards to a break in radiotherapy i dont think a week is that long so shouldn’t make a difference.
Good luck with the rest of your treatment.
Take care xx
Hi AMF,
Thank for the reply! I feel fine too, so it’s crazy to think they’re so low they can’t move forward with treatment. I was hoping to get the shot to boost them but my insurance isn’t authorizing it so it’s just a waiting game. I finished 6 rounds of chemo, and have my brachytherapy in June. Hoping to finish my final 5 radiation sessions before then. Fingers crossed!!! So close to finishing and then have to have a hiccup… it’s a bummer.
Here in the UK they give you blood transfusions if you’re low. I had two main blood transfusions (3 packs in all) and a platelet transfusion during my treatment. Could you ask about this possibility?
Hi, at the end of my treatment I had also 2 blood transfusions due to low white blood cells and I could tell the difference afterwards as I had much more energy and recovered sooner. You could check with your consultant to see if this is a possibility. Best of luck with your treatment.
Xxx
Hello ladies,
In the US they won’t offer a transfusion for low WBC count, just low Red Blood Count. They also only offer the shot to bring them back up if I’m not doing radiation… they offered it after about 4 days because radiation was put on hold but my insurance wouldn’t authorize it. The shot is $1,200 out of pocket, so they called me yesterday finally and said they’re moving forward with treatment today regardless of my numbers. So 5 left!!! I hope they are all well and there are no more hiccups. I still have brachytherapy so I’m crossing my fingers!
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Hi Hayhay10,
I wasn’t offered a blood transfusion for my low WBC either not sure if a blood transfusion helps for low WBC. I did get the injections at end of my external radiotherapy for 3 days it was called G-CSF or something like that they are given into the stomach after the first one the count came up slightly but on the second and third day it was back down and on the morning of my brachytherapy it was still below acceptable level but as i said before doctor decided to go ahead as he felt not having the brachytherapy was a greater risk than the low WBC.
Hope the rest of your treatment goes well xx
