I'm very alarmed

Question

My mom started some new chemotherapy.  She's also been getting drained once a week.  Today, she went to get her picc line cleaned, and also get a blood test.  Well, they found out ALL OF HER BLOOD COUNTS ARE DOWN!! The white, red, and something else that starts with an H.  Does this happen to many ovca patients?  I know part of it is the chemotherapy. She will be getting several blood transfusions...but first, they need an empty bed in the hospital!  She's been waiting at the doctor's office since about 10:00 this morning.  

In addition, her abdomen, legs, ankles and FEET are very, very swollen.  She almost couldn't walk this morning.  Please keep her in your prayers.  I'll try to let you know how she's doing. I'll probably spend the night at the hospital with her.

Gatsby · Answer

You and your mother are in my thoughts and prayers.  Godspeed.
~Tascha

Moosiebjm · Answer

Hi Christine.  I'll pray for your mom, and you too.

Was it her hemoglobin that is low?

Love, hugs and God bless, Barb

Christine72 · Answer

Yes, it's her hemoglobin that's low.  How serious is that?

xrayu2 · Answer

If she had been on chemo, it will take her counts down.  That is why they check it so often.  Maybe they give her Neupogen or Neulasta to help build her counts.  Iron rich foods may herlp her hemoglobin.  I am anemic most all the time(hemoglobin is always down).  I try to eat liver at least once a month and once a week if my hemoglobin is really low.

gah_70 · Answer

Hemoglobin is the protein carried by red blood cells.  It is responsible for moving oxygen from the lungs to the body, and returns carbon dioxide from the body back to the lungs.  I was anemic before my OVCA was discovered, so chemo brought it down even lower.  My doctor told me to eat lots of protein to help my bone marrow produce more red and white cells.  I had weekly shots of Procrit (for red cells) and Neupogen (for white cells) during my course of treatment.  I finished my last cycle of chemo 8 weeks ago, and am still getting shots of Procrit.  Chemo is some nasty stuff, but I tried to look on the bright side.  I

DebiR · Answer

Praying for both of you.

faithdestiny · Answer

I wish I could make you feel unscared but chemo is a terrible thing it poisens the body and unfortunately it causes all blood counts to go down because it is a stupid medicine and it does not know the difference between good and bad cells therefor it destroys all of them. Fear of the unknown is the worst. You are added to my long list of prayers and be strong your mother needs you as much as you need her.

Christine72 · Answer

Yes, my mom gets a Nupogen shot.  I believe that's the one she gets three days in a row after the chemo.  But it still made her count go down.  I'm just worried how this is effecting her physically. Right now, I'm not even that worried about the cancer itself.  Although she has been getting sharp pains in her abdomen, near the tumors.  But she's been back and forth to the bathroom.

My mom is home, after all.  There was NO ROOMS in the hospital!  So she got one blood transfusion at this cancer center next to the hospital, and she has to go back tomorrow and get a few more.  I guess it's better than staying in the hospital.  I'm afraid of what this is doing to her immune system.  I know the doctors and nurses are monitoring her, but it still scares me.  At one point, her blood pressure was 92/36!!!  When she left the cancer center tonight it was a little higher...99/44, I think if I remember right.

I'm very alarmed

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