Re: Re: Question on bloodwork

[Guest guest]

Hi Beth,

I agree with Tracey, you look to be responding pretty well to the

treatment but you should be careful about infections for some time.

Also I think it is important in the beginning to take some time to get

a good idea of what you are be able to do without being tired all the

time, and to try to adjust you life around it. It gets better with

time (at least it did for me) but for a year or so I had to be

sensible about pacing myself to really enjoy the day, or I would

really crash for a few days. I thinks it helps moral a lot to not feel

tired, and then cml is just a few pills to get with lunch

On a positive note, if you keep doing well with gleevec and get to CCR

with normal blood counts (as it does with the majority) this is

temporary. I am outdoors quite a bit, diving in waters near seal

colonies where the smell tells me the water quality is below average,

I get cuts and scratches all the time, got bitten a few time by the

wild life, and so far everything is good. On the other hand I try to

be more sensible about not waiting too much to see a dr when needed, I

learnt my lesson on that one. When I get a deep cut and it looks it

would help to get stitches I see a dr even if I hate dealing with the

paper work.

The dr doesn't ask me to get the flu shot anymore but I still get it

as I am pretty happy to do without the flu. Never had any problems

with the shot or other immunizations (I had a few lately for

immigration).

Cheers,

Marcos.

On Nov 20, 2007 10:05 AM, Tracey <traceyincanada@...> wrote:

>

>

>

>

> Hi Beth,

>

> It's great to " meet " you. We all remember how overwhelming those

> first weeks were after diagnosis but don't worry, it DOES get

> better.

>

> You're responding really well to treatment. My WBC was also 85,000

> on my original blood test but then it got to 114,000 two days later.

> My platelets were a bigger problem though, they went past 1.6 million

> at one point before they started to come back down.

>

> Your neutrophils are your infection fighting white cells and they are

> the important ones to watch for when looking for neutropenia. In

> the " old " days, it was standard protocol to take patients off Gleevec

> if their ANC went below 1 but now many doctors aren't as conservative

> and will let their patients dip a bit below the 1 but keep a really

> close eye on it. How often are you getting a CBC (complete blood

> test)? It should be at least once a week at this point, maybe even

> twice considering your neutropenia.

>

> Many patients get the annual flu shot every year without problems.

> You just want to make sure that the shot doesn't contain a live

> virus. I think only the nasal flu shot has the live virus now but

> you can ask your doctor just to make sure.

>

> Some doctors recommend wearing a mask for neutropenic patients while

> others just tell their patients to stay home and avoid public

> places. I like to do all my shopping first thing in the morning

> which lets me avoid all the crowds. I also make it a habit to keep

> my hands away from my face when I'm out in public and I wash my hands

> the minute I get home from being anywhere.

>

> Don't be shy to ask any questions or to vent your feelings. That's

> what we're here for.

>

> Take care,

> Tracey

> dx Jan 2002

>

>

>

>

> > > >

> > > > Hi folks, hoping for some insights on recent bloodwork. After

> > two

> > > > weeks on Gleevec with minimal side effects Beths first blood

> > work

> > > came

> > > > back to day. I noted most of her white counts are down as

> > fallows:

> > > > WBC is 3.42, Neutrophils are 25.0, abs. neutrophils are 0.85

> > with

> > > > monocytes at 1.0. I also noted her RBC was 4.11. Would this

> be

> > in

> > > > the realm of what we should expect in the first couple of

> > weeks.

> > > > Should we be expecting her counts to return to more normal

> > readings

> > > > after the gleevec has had more time to work. Just wondering

> > > because I

> > > > want to stay on top of things if she is becoming

> imunosuppressed

> > to

> > > > the point that we need to pay more attention.

> > > > Thanks

> > > >

> > >

> >

>

>

>

>

>

--

Marcos Perreau Guimaraes

Suppes Brain Lab

Ventura Hall - CSLI

Stanford University

220 Panama street

Stanford CA 94305-4101

650 614 2305

650 630 5015 (cell)

marcospg@...

montereyunderwater@...

www.stanford.edu/~marcospg/