LOW WBC'S

Hi everyone.

Just had a quick question. My WBC'S are at 2.5 and neutrophils are at 1.1. My doc says he is not very concerned because my neutrophils are not too bad. I am concerned. Should I be? On a good note I have just done my 10th injection and I am feeling much better. My liver enzymes are perfect. They took a big dive in the past month like 50 points. Everything else WNL except WBC"S. For those who are just starting out it does get better. I don't feel nearly as fatigued as I did in the beginning.The big thing with me is this damn rash that has spread all over my body. I guess if that is all I have to deal with I am one of the lucky ones. Doc says he is expecting a good outcome. I am geno 2. Lucked out on that too.

[meakea]

Sounds like your doc is keeping an eye on things so I think you can relax.  

I'll give you an example of low WBCs:  Because I have had Hep C for so long, my WBCs were low even prior to starting treatment.  I searched out my old medical records, after I found out about having Hep C, and I found that I had high LFTs and low WBCs for years and years but my docs never told me.  In fact, some of my WBC counts were in the 2.5 range way back when.  I was never sick so it didn't seem to harm me with them being low.  So...since your doc is watching it and comparing the neuts, etc., I wouldn't worry.

[Trinity4]

Don't understand about the neutrophils.  Normal Range is somewhere around  47.0 - 74.6

It's the ANC that they look at to determine if you are low.  WBC x Neutrophils

[Trinity4]

I think I know what you meant know.  Your ANC is around 1.1?  That's a good number for someone on tx.

[jmjm530]

A lot of your CBC numbers will be low on treatment. That is normal. To put things in context, my ANC was below 1000 for much of treatment and below 500 several times. My doctor was not concerned one whit and felt I did not need to dose reduce or take any helper drugs for the ANC, and btw ANC is the WBC fraction you should be looking at, not the WBC number. Sounds like your doc is watching things which is good.

-- Jim

[jmjm530]

My "1000" would be "1" on your scale. My "500" would be ".5" on your scale. Same values, just expressed differently.

[agatha56]

Thanks for the response.  You seem to be very informed. Are you a medical professional?

[jmjm530]

Not a medical professional  but I am close to being certified as a "bed sandwich" professional. But hey, the good news is that the advice here is free :)
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/792524

[JennyPenny]

My first time on treatment my ANC fell to .2 and my wbc was around .5. The next time I had virtually 0 neuts. I wouldn't worry for one second with your numbers. They're very normal for people on treatment. Your doc is right. Nothing to worry about.

And if they do get low enough to be of concern, there are drugs to help. Neupogen or neulasta will bring those white blood cells back.