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Morning everyone.
I am 2nd line treatment. Have had number 4 of 6 chemos. Had chemo 5 delayed due to low neutrifils. Have been offered chemo 5 next Friday which is 2 weeks and a few days later than planned (so 6 weeks and a few days after chemo 4) am worrying this gap is too long. I know the unit is very busy and this is probably down to availability of chairs/nurses. Any words of wisdom please? Thanks
Hello! I really wouldn’t worry about this… I was delayed pretty much every cycle by at least a week and it was still successful. My oncologist told me that if my neutrofils were still low it meant the chemo was still at work in my body. I think some of us are just harder hit and slower to recover than others but that’s fine as long as it still gets rid of the cancer xx
Thank you Lyndy- just so disappointed to have to wait so long- I could manage psychologically with a one week gap but over two weeks has knocked me a bit. … also means the scheduled consultant appointment to prescribe the next dose is only 2 days after I have had treatment- do u think I should change that appointment?
Don’t they update it at the chemo unit? I am sure they won’t want extra appointments for no reason. The delays can get to you…I was desperate to finish chemo but ended up having to wait….this business teaches you patience if nothing else! xx
True…No the unit to date hasn’t rearranged appts before…will sleep on it…
Hi, this happened twice to me and at the time I felt deflated and upset. Is normal to feel that way but in the end I had my chemo. I had to wait at least a couple of weeks before I had my chemo. I took up drawing to take my mind off it. All will be fine in the end and you will be ok.
Thank you
The 21 days measure is just the minimum guideline there is 28 days and few more weeks before they would speak to you so don't worry, really important your stats are good ie neutrophils, bloods etc had break with my chemo on recent treatment, and went smoothly on to next round once side effects disappeared. Good luck for the last two.
Thank you Marleyz, pretty sure my neutrifils will be fine by now…the problem I suspect is no spare chair/nurses….a clinical reason for delay I can adjust to, harder when it’s about capacity.
If what you say is true then this whole thing is about a lottery style issue based on where you are being treated etc, went through chemo in 2020 at the height of covid and hospital I was at never once missed an appt, same this time round for the recurrence, I am hearing more and more saying their appts etc have been moved. Wishing you well and hopefully after this one you have one more to go.
My first line treatment was all on time too. This time noticeable that it’s harder to get appts- took a few weeks to get treatment started. Then had a few delays of a few days for clinical reasons. This time delayed for clinical reasons but I am pretty sure the gap is this long as they can’t fit me in. I rang my CNS this morning to try and find out more and to change my consultant appt as there is no point seeing him just a couple of days after treatment… so we will see!
Wish you luck don't be getting worried, if my carbo calyex was anything to go by it lasted a long time, giving me side effects that the nature of that mix, your oncologist will monitor it to ensure it's within time period.
Hello, try not to worry, I’m sure it’s being done with your best interest at heart. I was told low neutrophils apparently repair by about half every few days so it’s likely the dates have been pushed out to reflect this and it’s important that you are able to fight off infection which can only happen if your neutrophils are at the right level, it is very much an individual thing with some people being quicker than others to reach the relevant level for chemo.I too am 2nd line treatment and was due 2nd cycle yesterday but like you it has been pushed out hopefully to next week but that will depend on results from blood tests. I was given a prescription yesterday for injections to help raise the levels and maybe this will be something I need going forward. Try not to worry, chemo continues working for quite some time after a cycle. Keep me posted and all the best xx
Hi Flute, hope your neutrifils come up quickly with the injections. Thank you for replying. I explained above to Marley that I suspect my delay to week 2 is about capacity not clinical which is why maybe I find it harder?. Haven’t had my bloods redone yet but they have been low before and it just takes a few days for them to come up. Thanks for reassurance about chemo still working after cycle as that is what worries me …
My 3rd treatment was delayed 3 weeks because of low neutrophils. Still here 15 years later, no recurrence!
You are an inspiration! That’s fantastic …thank you for sharing…
Please try not to worry happened to me a couple of times throughout my chemo. Its all quite normal l believe. Ive been absolutely fine sinceI stopped my chemo 2 years ago. Chemo can be
hard going so sometimes it takes time for your body to recover in-between. Your nearly there
only 2 more to go. So good luck sending hugs SheilaFxxx
Thank you Shelia xx
I’m sorry that your chemo has been delayed. One of my chemos was delayed two weeks because doctor was out of town. 🙄 chemo still worked to put me in remission. But my last three frontline chemos required injections of filgastim (Udenyca)to bring my bloods back up. That enabled me to stay on schedule. Maybe your doctor would consider whether that is appropriate for you. Hope all goes well for you and that you enjoy the holiday season. Best wishes from Louisiana,
Sashay
Thank you Sashay
Well..for starters find out if booster shots for low white count is in their protocol here in france once they see its a problem the shots are integrated. In some protocols like taxol or doxil they know to incorporate boosters into the cycle. While you want to stay on schedule one time may not matter. Hugs from paris
Thank you Ruebacelle. So grateful we have this forum xx
Hope you are managing okay. Just found out today that I am in the same boat. My bloods have tanked after my first dose of second line chemo (carbo/Doxil). My chemo has been postponed from Dec 15 to Dec 29. At least my CA125 has dropped from 337 to 105, which is encouraging. I’ll take what I can get!God bless us everyone and best wishes to all this holiday season from Louisiana ☃️🎄⭐️
Sashay
Great news about your ca125! I am rebooked for the end of this week- will be curious to know what my neutrifils will be . (Was 0.8)You should feel side effect free for Christmas Day too 😁
Fingers crossed for both of us that those neutrifils come back up spectacularly
Xx
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