Reduced Neutraphils

[thomas62]

I am half way though 6 treatments carbo/taxel. However my 4th treatment just cancelled due to neutraphils being reduced for the 2nd time - now 1.1 instead of 1.5. I will have my 4th treatment next Friday if my count's gone up naturally to 1.5. Whatever I think I will need injections called GCSF and possibly a dose reduction if my neutraphils are recovering too slowly. My question is, is there anything I can do myself to bring my neutraphils up (and quickly)?

[MH500]

Hi

I had this exact problem and it is very frustrating, but chemo takes no prisoners!

I found lots of green tea (decent stuff) really helped. Brazil nuts, lots of seeds and nuts and colourful fruit and veggies. Maybe try juicing veg too like beetroot, carrots etc

Hope this helps....... they will come back up eventually

Marian xx

[thomas62 in reply to MH500]

Hi Marian,

I do try to keep a healthy diet. I drink green tea (although perhaps not as much as I used to), and a vegetable/pulses as well as fruit. I don't juice as such but put it through a nutri-bullit so I get all the fibre too; I use a lot of spinach, watercress, ginger, chlorella and Bramley apple. I don't have too many nuts although I like brazils and walnuts - will have to try and eat more of them!! I walk a lot as well, at least 5 times weekly for upto an hour each time. I always thought I could manage my treatment well believing I was healthy but these issues knock you back!!

[Lyndy]

I found the injections to be a Godsend...kept me out of hospital and well for most of my chemo...and don't worry about doing them, the trick is to go slowly xx

[Hidden]

Short answer is "no".... in my experience, 4 different chemo regimes, having tried pretty much everything to support my poor old body, only two things work.... time ( i.e. putting off treatment) or the injections... once you get the hang of it, they're a doddle and have almost instant effects

[Spes]

I'm with Mac27 on this one! I had 10 cycles of chemo last year and my neutrophils crashed after the first one. The injections got me through the rest and they are no big deal x

[thesilent1]

Sorry having this problem. I was always being delayed because of it, longest delay 7 weeks during first and again on second line treatment. They prefer them to come back up naturally. Ann xx

[thomas62]

Hi special ladies,

Thanks for all your comments - I'm feeling lots more positive now! Yes, silent one, they are monitoring me this week to see if the neutrophils come back up naturally and how fast this occurs - if it's too slow I'll have to have injections for the remainer of my cycles.

Gwen xxx

[rijkje]

Hello

There is something out there that will bring your neutrophils back up. It is called astragalus. I took this during first line and second line chemo. The only time my neutrophils dropped too low was when i ran out of astragalus and the health store had to order it in.

[Marzipan]

I had a nurse who said quite a few of her patients got a better reading if they did stairs just before getting tested. Worth a try?

[thomas62]

Hi rijkje - Thanks for this info. I'll definitely look at astragalus. I have heard of it.

Hi Marzipan - Do you mean climbing/running up and down stairs?

Thanks to everybody.

[kat98116]

This happened to me for the first time last Thursday. TX was put off for a week due to low white blood count. This was after my 7th treatment. OK up until then. I get Carbo/Taxol every three weeks and Taxol only on in between weeks. Docs and nurses said nothing I did would improve it; just time. I'd definitely check if astragalus is ok during chemo. It's a traditional Chinese herb known as an immune booster. If you find out....please post!