Aa
Update on mom.
Hello everyone. I hope you all are doing well.
I thought I would give an update on my mom. She saw the doc - they took blood and her red AND white counts were VERY low. SO they gave her some injections. Is it normal for counts to go so low? It seems like they have to keep boosting them up...but luckily in this day and age they have the capability of doing that.
QUESTIONS...
1.)She is having her next treatment as scheduled...but the day after she has to go back with some medication (that will be refrigerated) that the doc will inject her with. They got a prescription...anyone know what its for?
2.) The doc asked if she felt ok and if she had been getting a fever. My mom feels fine and her temperature is normal. Any reason the doc asked this? Do women get fevers from the treatments or from the injections to boost the counts?
3.) My mom gained a few pounds. She admits to eating a lot and not watching the calories. The nurse said its fine...theyd be concerned if she LOST weight. Is this true? I thought some women get water drained from their bodies, so Im concerned about that. BUT they checked my mom out and listened to her breathing, I guess with the stethescope and I would think if there was any fluid buildup they would know, right?
4.) This is all new to me. Does it sound like she is tolerating this well? She so far seems to be doing as well as can be expected, I just pray the treatments are killing the cancer cells so she can live many many more years.
I could use some encouraging words.
Thanks and God Bless all of you!
I thought I would give an update on my mom. She saw the doc - they took blood and her red AND white counts were VERY low. SO they gave her some injections. Is it normal for counts to go so low? It seems like they have to keep boosting them up...but luckily in this day and age they have the capability of doing that.
QUESTIONS...
1.)She is having her next treatment as scheduled...but the day after she has to go back with some medication (that will be refrigerated) that the doc will inject her with. They got a prescription...anyone know what its for?
2.) The doc asked if she felt ok and if she had been getting a fever. My mom feels fine and her temperature is normal. Any reason the doc asked this? Do women get fevers from the treatments or from the injections to boost the counts?
3.) My mom gained a few pounds. She admits to eating a lot and not watching the calories. The nurse said its fine...theyd be concerned if she LOST weight. Is this true? I thought some women get water drained from their bodies, so Im concerned about that. BUT they checked my mom out and listened to her breathing, I guess with the stethescope and I would think if there was any fluid buildup they would know, right?
4.) This is all new to me. Does it sound like she is tolerating this well? She so far seems to be doing as well as can be expected, I just pray the treatments are killing the cancer cells so she can live many many more years.
I could use some encouraging words.
Thanks and God Bless all of you!
Alan, I was on Neulasta (white blood cell booster) and Aranesp (red blood cell booster) during the entire treatment. Once the blood goes down it will stay down and boosters are needed for the remainder of the chemo.
They told me that most women GAIN weight while on this particular chemo...probably due to the steroids. I always felt queasy with loss of appetite for 5-7 days after treatment, but then made up for it big time! I couldn't stop eating and got up in the middle of the night for snacks.
They told me that most women GAIN weight while on this particular chemo...probably due to the steroids. I always felt queasy with loss of appetite for 5-7 days after treatment, but then made up for it big time! I couldn't stop eating and got up in the middle of the night for snacks.
ALAN
All of the above questions tell me that everything is going along well. You described what sounds like me going to my Drs. appt/all of the same things. The pre-meds for the chemo include steroids that make you so hungry its unbelievable, The prescription for the Neulasta shot which stays in your body longer than neupogen and starts to work in a couple of days. I was on that last time and it caused alot of pain for me. I asked to try the Nepougen this time and it also hurts,my white blood cells have yet to be in the Normal range since I started Chemo, this is why no energy. You are a wonderful son Alan amd I am sure you are very appreciated! Also when I was inatially done with my first six chemos, I had a cat scan and there was still a few spots of Ascities (fluid) so I had to have three more to get rid ofr that nasty stuff. So far none of the fluid has come back. Goof Luck
All of the above questions tell me that everything is going along well. You described what sounds like me going to my Drs. appt/all of the same things. The pre-meds for the chemo include steroids that make you so hungry its unbelievable, The prescription for the Neulasta shot which stays in your body longer than neupogen and starts to work in a couple of days. I was on that last time and it caused alot of pain for me. I asked to try the Nepougen this time and it also hurts,my white blood cells have yet to be in the Normal range since I started Chemo, this is why no energy. You are a wonderful son Alan amd I am sure you are very appreciated! Also when I was inatially done with my first six chemos, I had a cat scan and there was still a few spots of Ascities (fluid) so I had to have three more to get rid ofr that nasty stuff. So far none of the fluid has come back. Goof Luck
Anyone on chemo is in put in a "immuno-suppressed condition" or is not able fight of germs and "bugs" as easy as you or I. A common cold can really go into something serious really quick.
Oh I forgot...they also prescribed antibiotics for her. SO i guess with the white counts so low they are concerned about infections. SO many medications...but hey, as long as they work thats all that counts.
And her appetite? She is always hungry...she told me the other night she couldnt sleep because she was dreaming of a stack of pancakes! LOL That must be a good sign that she has her appetite.
And her appetite? She is always hungry...she told me the other night she couldnt sleep because she was dreaming of a stack of pancakes! LOL That must be a good sign that she has her appetite.
Hi Suzsen.
THanks for the response and Im so happy to hear your mom is doing great.
AFter her last treatment my mom did get a little cranky and she felt a little aches and pains which went away in a few days.
She lost her hair which is tough emotionally on her - and I cant blame her...its tough to deal with that on top of everything else.
I just hope the chemo is doing its thing so she can put al this behind her.
THanks for the response and Im so happy to hear your mom is doing great.
AFter her last treatment my mom did get a little cranky and she felt a little aches and pains which went away in a few days.
She lost her hair which is tough emotionally on her - and I cant blame her...its tough to deal with that on top of everything else.
I just hope the chemo is doing its thing so she can put al this behind her.
I think it is normal for red and white counts to drop while on chemo. My mom had 6 months of chemo after her surgery, and based on her experience I can venture a guess at your questions:
1) The prescription may be for ProCrit (to keep up her red count and her energy), or Nuelasta (to keep up her white count and prevent her immune system from becoming too compromised) or it could be something to prevent nausea.
2) The fever questions were probably just to make sure she isn't getting an infection or contagious illness of any kind. While her white count is down, her immune system is compromised and any illness/infection can become dangerous.
3) Don't know about the fluid buildup, but they told my mom to eat anything she wanted and not worry about it.
4) It sounds like she's tolerating this extremely well! Although my mom never actually vomited, she lost her appetite and had to force herself to eat.
If they put your mom on something to keep up her white count, it may have some side-effects (leg pain, feeling like she has the flu). But it's really important to keep the white count up and the immune system functioning so they can continue with her treatments on schedule. Just wanted you to be aware so you don't panic if it happens.
Now that I've rambled on... there are people here who have gone thru this themselves and can give you more info.
Give your mom a hug from me! PS it's been 16 months since my mom finished chemo and she's doing great.
1) The prescription may be for ProCrit (to keep up her red count and her energy), or Nuelasta (to keep up her white count and prevent her immune system from becoming too compromised) or it could be something to prevent nausea.
2) The fever questions were probably just to make sure she isn't getting an infection or contagious illness of any kind. While her white count is down, her immune system is compromised and any illness/infection can become dangerous.
3) Don't know about the fluid buildup, but they told my mom to eat anything she wanted and not worry about it.
4) It sounds like she's tolerating this extremely well! Although my mom never actually vomited, she lost her appetite and had to force herself to eat.
If they put your mom on something to keep up her white count, it may have some side-effects (leg pain, feeling like she has the flu). But it's really important to keep the white count up and the immune system functioning so they can continue with her treatments on schedule. Just wanted you to be aware so you don't panic if it happens.
Now that I've rambled on... there are people here who have gone thru this themselves and can give you more info.
Give your mom a hug from me! PS it's been 16 months since my mom finished chemo and she's doing great.
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