Temperature spike

[Clovelly]

I finished my course of BR last November and have been doing OK up to now. Then last week my temperature went up to 39.5 and i had to go back to hospital for IV antibiotics for an infection.

Now home but worrying if/when this could happen again. For how long after chemo do you have to worry about this please?

[AussieNeil Partner Administrator]

You can develop what is termed Late Onset Neutropenia (LON) for up to a year after finishing your course. That makes you more susceptible to febrile neutropenia or neutropenic sepsis, which presumably is what happened to you. LON is more likely to happen if you needed G-CSF injections to boost your neutrophil count sufficiently to commence a cycle.

Good to hear you took the right action and are now home.

Neil

[Clovelly in reply to AussieNeil]

Thanks.

This all seems to make sense except my neutrophils were showing up at 3 when I was admitted - up from 1 at my last review in June. Would this still be classed as LON?

[AussieNeil Partner Administrator in reply to Clovelly]

If you weren't neutropenic before your June review, then you had LON in June. Perhaps your body started having difficulties keeping infections under control after that June review when you became neutropenic? Your doctor/specialist may have a better idea of what happened and why.

[Marie-54]

I am glad you caught the infection and had it treated. As a rule - I have been instructed to take my temperature before breakfast, lunch, supper and bedtime for a year after chemo. Anything over 38 Celsius or 100.4 Fahrenheit is a call to head to the emergency room.