white blood cell have been decreasing

[aspasialee]

My father has Hepatitis C and been receiving interferon treatment(pegasys,ribavirin) for the last week.  But,this week, his white blood cell have been decreasing. Doctor's decided to wait second injection next week. Is it normal? If not, what should be done?

I would appreciate your kind answer.

[cheriums]

Yes, falling white blood cell count is a normal part of this treatment. Some people lose more WBC's than others do. As others have said,here, a doctor who wants this treatment to succeed for your father will Rx the growth factor, Neupogen, to encourage the production of new white cells, if the count falls TOO low. However, it is a VERY COSTLY medication -- depending on one's health insurance coverage, this could be the issue.  (By the way, I forget who, platelets are a clotting factor, not white blood cells.)  The Peg. causes the reduction of the white cells, and for some (but not everyone), a reduction in platelets also.  The ribavirin causes a loss of red blood cells -- kinda smashes 'em -- which is called hemolytic anemia.  This, too, is a normal part of treatment.  If the hemoglobin falls too low, your father will be short of breath with any exertion, which is not fun, and if it keeps falling, serious problems can develop.  There is also a growth factor to treat the loss of red blood cells, called Procrit, and many of us are taking/ have taken it.  Again, however, this is a costly (nearly $500/ weekly dose) drug, so who's paying (or not paying) can be a problem.

[Ella Mackenzie]

I started out with low WBC and was seeing a wonderful hematologist who said I would probably need to go on Neupogen with the interferon. I did at about week 8: 3x per week and my WBC are normal. I am anxious to see what happens when I stop treatment in 29 days!!!
He also said (before I started neupogen) to be carful of fresh fruits like strawberries and other berries because they are difficult to wash and get rid of bacteria. Also fresh vegies...wash them really well to get rid of bacteria or cook all vegies if possible.

[BD146]

My wbc count went down to 1.5 at which time I was put on NEUPOGEN... it brought my numbers back up almost immediately...

I wish you and your Dad the very best.... He is blessed with a wonderful and caring child....Edgar

[hph5477]

My dr doesn't get concerned til my WBC count drops below 1.5.  I got as low as 1.6 once but my dr said that chemo patients get much lower and do fine.  Make sure your dad washes his hands a lot...that will help him keep from getting ill.  
  Also, Ask your dad to be sure and get copies of his labwork each time so you/he can keep track of it and see how it's progressing/digressing.
  I am in wk 37/48 and my counts have slowly but steadily dropped throughout tx.  It's just nice to have the labwork tracked and in your hands.......always helpful to take with you to your primary care dr if you need to visit him.
  Good luck to both you and your father.

[jonihs]

My e-mail is: ***@****. Hope to hear from you soon!

[jonihs]

Is he still taking his riba pills? I would really question his Dr. as we feel you need to hit it hard and fast at first and maybe later on, it doesn't hurt to cut back on the riba. Also white blood cells fight infection, so as long as he stays away from sickos and washes w/ anti-baacterial soap, I don't think it is alot to worry about yet, and if it is low enough to worry about, they can put him on nupogen (sp) to bring it back up. I know I would have gotten hysterical w/ them if they had tried to delay me. They wanted to stop mine at 10 weeks cuz of low platelettes and I got hysterical and changed Drs. Talk to his Dr. and find out how commited he/she is to killing this virus. If he's not committed, I'd change Drs.

[oldhippiechick67]

I have heard of that happening, holding off a week, but I dont know the long term results.  Nice to have a child that cares enough to know what is going on with his father's health - cheers to you!

[cuteus]

do you know what decreased? was it platelets or neutrophils? with low neutrophils they can intervene with a blood booster rather than reducing the meds early in treatment> see if you can find out./