17wk CBC results

53 yr male stage 2 level 2
wk 17 0f 72
180 Peg
1200 rbv
40,000 procrit weekly
wbc 2.1
rbc 3.10
hemoglobin 9.9
hemocrit 31.0
neutrophils 1.2

liver doc does not seam to be paying attention to CBC's should I see a hemo specialist?

[madbrad]

Hey Tomofficial,
I'm 49 geno 1,I had 12.5 million VL....At around the same place in tx you are my Hemo dropped below 9...It 8.8 and they didn't pick up on it,By the time I got so bad that I went in and complained and they did a cbc and it was 7.2...They took me off riba and kept me on Interferon full 180..But kept me on Procrit for the next 6 weeks..Then put me back on riba at 200 mg bid...
   I'm back on riba now..I have some low counts...But my hemo is 12.5...which is good...I do think I need more procrit though...

Right now my WBC 3.87...Thats a full point below minimum.
RBC is only 7 tenths below normal low.
NE# 1.5
HCT 36.4

But I'm UND......26/48

[traveler65]

Your wbc and neuts seem a little low, but probably not at the point to take any action. Your rbc, hgb, and hct look real good for week 17.
How long have you been on procrit, and what was your hgb, and hct when they started you on procrit.
I am only at week 9 and my hgb and hct are much lower than yours 8.7, and 25.1. I got my third weekly shot of procrit today, and they upped it from 40000 to 60000. Hope it helps, as the doc says he will cut riba dose if I go below 8.5

Good luck to you, someone who nows more on the wbc and neuts will stop by and comment.

[madbrad]

Dude are you feeling OK???????????? Seriously???
You got to be hurting........My Doc only gave me a 40k booster to begin..but only 20k maintenance..But took me completely off riba......Your dosage is high ,but I guess thats why because their keeping you on the riba.

  Below 10 hmg is not good.....

[madbrad]

It's just a guess but are you using a VA hepatologist?....

[Teufelhunden]

I consider myself lucky I didn't have to do the procrit. My RBC while on treatment has always been in the 3.5 range. It was the low WBC that prompted the Neupogen. The hemoglobin normal range for men is 14.0-18.0 and yours looks low enough to cause anemia and fatigue. Mine bounces from 10.0-12.0.  Lets keep our fingers crossed your doc won't drop the riba. Since  coming to this forum, one thing I've noticed is the variance of treatment, test results, and statistics from state to state, coast to coast, and across the seas. Wheras my doc will look at my HGB and say it's ok(11.6), someone else somewhere else would probably be getting a shot of procrit. I was getting a shot of Neupogen when my WBC was 4.9. Why? My doc set the limit at 5.0.  I guess everybody is different but you'd think there would be a standard reading of test results across the board. Could it also possibily be that there are some doctors out there that are still using the old spinning wheel? Round and round it go's , where it stops nobody knows...Oh look!  Mr Smith gets procrit today...and by the way, the kewpie doll will be added on to your bill.

[tomofficial]

As all of you on tx know feeling OK is relative, I've been on procrit for 6 weeks, more tired this week than most, I'll ask my PCP to recommend a hemo tomorrow

[traveler65]

I think my doc let my hemo go to low before starting procrit, down to 9.2. I started tx with a hemo of 15, and he should have put me on the procrit at 11.
Luckily the hemo doc was smart enough to raise the dose to 60,000 at the 3rd shot when my hemo was at 8.7.
My doc is talking about reducing my riba to 600 from 1000 daily if I drop below 8.5. He is going to get a fight from me over it, as I will not go below 800 per day. I already talked to the hemo doc about doing procrit every 5 days instead of 7 if need be.
All the docs are different, there really is no standard, it is almost like they are throwing darts. You have to step in and take charge.
I hope going off the riba does not jepodize you getting to SVR

[Teufelhunden]

Actually I'm not using the VA although looking back with hindsight maybe I should have. Here in eastern NC the local horse doctor makes his buggy trip every couple weeks. In all fairness, my doc likes to be called an "infectious disease specialist". When I start mentioning VL's and PCR's and ANC's, his eyes glaze over. That's a good sign, right?