WBC at 1.15 after first chemo

This is what oncologists and hematologists know a lot about. The bottom line is you are now in the immunocompromised group and you don’t want to get sick with anything. My wife’s oncologist said “it would not be pretty if she got Covid”.

When my wife was on chemo 20 years ago, WBC was the main number they watched. She was on a 2 week cycle which they don’t do much anymore. I used to give her shots in stomach to boost WBC so she could stay on schedule as they ran all the blood tests before each treatment. Now she is on an oral chemo-like med and the neutrophils are the magic number every month. They have lower levels that they monitor against so you will need to find out where you are at for tracking.

My guess is the Levoflaxasin is a precaution but only they would know.

Islandboy, i cant comment on whats "normal" or out of range. But i can tell you that low blood counts, especially white counts, are a common side effect of chemo. I recall when my wife was on Pa***axil and Carboplatin Before every treatment, they ran bloodwork and her counts were often low. (i dont remember the numbers sorry). If they were too low to treat without putting her in danger, they gave her a shot , i think it was Neulasta, to get her counts up, and sent her home. She would come back the following week and her counts were always back up and treatment resumed.
All this is typical side effect of chemo, and nothing to be concerned about but yes, it does compromise your immune system, so take every precaution to avoid germs, up to and including being a hermit temporarily, if necessary. Especially right now with so many infections floating around in the population.

Good luck.

Like Cyclone, I was given a Neulasta shot after first round of taxotere, but I had a reaction to it (fever, etc) so they switched to nutropenia (sp?) shots. When my WBC also got to 1.5, I had to do DAILY nutropenia shots to get it back up. That continued after most taxotere txs.

CAUTION: When WBC is that low during taxotere, if you get a fever of at least 100, you need to go to Emergency Room to assure you don't have a virus of any kind. I had two of those visits during taxotere. Hang in there, brother. Wishing you the best. Steve

Thanks for the advice — am taking it to heart, and more. I had my first chemo treatment on 11/10. On 11/17, my Absolute Neutrophil # was 0.31; as of 11/21, it’s dropped further, to 0.18. MY doctors say the Absolute Neutrophil # is the one to watch, and they have given me orders for blood work this Friday, 11/25, and then Tuesday, 11/29, as my next chemo treatment is scheduled for 12/2. My oncologist says if the numbers don’t improve sufficiently, they will have to reschedule the second treatment so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. They’ve also put Neulasta into my future treatment program, so that’s good. Not really sure why they didn’t deploy it for this last treatment, but I suppose they have their reasons. Anyways, I feel great. Am working out, hiking and staying away from people beyond my immediate circle (all tested and otherwise healthy). I’m keeping the thermometer handy…if it goes above 100 I can guarantee you I will be on my way to the hospital just 10 minutes away. I understand how serious this can be without intervention. THANK YOU for keeping tabs on me and giving me the benefit if your experience.