Guest guest Posted November 18, 2007 Report Share Posted November 18, 2007 Hello- There are better resources then me on this forum and I am sure they will pop on and tell you exactly what you need to know but I wanted to let you know that I have been on these meds for 2 3/4 years now and my count have stayed down. My WBC stay between 2.0 and 3.5, and my hemoglobin and hematocrit are always low as well as my platelets have ran between 60-120 for the whole time. You want to make sure that the WBC count doesn't go below 1 or you will need to reduce the dose or take a break from it to let the count recover. As I said- there are better people on here that can explain things really good. They should be along shortly. Hang in there, there will respond! Hugs and hope- CML 5/13/05 Spyrcel 100mg Gleevec 800mg until 8/07 Wife and mother of 3 (12,8,6) ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2007 Report Share Posted November 19, 2007 Hi, Make sure that you have a copy of all her blood work and BMA results. In order to make sense of these results, you need to compare them to the previous test that was done. Get hold of her previous blood work and it will make sense. Most reports will flag results that are outside the normal range. You say that her WBC is down, so you must have the initial report. A WBC of 3.42 would be flagged as outside the normal range by my lab (4-11). For patients on Gleevec, values of 2 are common. Mine run around between 3 and 5. I always have about 6 results that are flagged outside the normal range. But because I am on Gleevec and Coumadin, those values are considered to normal because of the meds I’m taking. It looks like she has hit the first milestone in the treatment with Gleevec and that is achieving a CHR or a Complete Hematologic Response. Looking forward to enrolling her in the Zero Club. Zavie Zavie (age 69) 67 Shoreham Avenue Ottawa, Canada, K2G 3X3 dxd AUG/99 INF OCT/99 to FEB/00, CHF No meds FEB/00 to JAN/01 Gleevec since MAR/27/01 (400 mg) CCR SEP/01. #102 in Zero Club 2.8 log reduction Sep/05 3.0 log reduction Jan/06 2.9 log reduction Feb/07 3.2 log reduction Jun/07 3.6 log reduction Sep/07 e-mail: zmiller@... Tel: 613-726-1117 Fax: 309-296-0807 Cell: 613-202-0204 ID: zaviem _____ From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of monkeyfun_16901 Sent: November 18, 2007 11:20 PM Subject: [ ] Question on bloodwork 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2007 Report Share Posted November 19, 2007 Hi, I don't remember what Beth's WBC was on diagnosis but she's certainly made excellent progress with Gleevec in just two weeks. If she's also on Hydrea (as many of us were at the beginning), she should stop taking it now. Her WBC isn't nearly as important as her absolute neutrophil count or ANC. You want to see her ANC at least above 1 (or 1000 depending on the way the lab reports it). If her ANC is 0.85 it looks like she is neutropenic. What is the normal reference range for your lab? Usually it's around 1.5-7 (or 1500-7000) but doctors don't worry if the ANC goes to 1 as long as it stays above 1. I suggest you definitely check with her doctor about her ANC because 0.85 is considered neutropenic in most labs. Some doctors would suggest a Gleevec break if her ANC is below 1 but others will just monitor it VERY closely and see if it can rebound on it's own. I know that you are concerned regarding her job (as you should be) and I don't think you'd be overreacting if she took some time off at this point, at least until her counts stabalize. This could take several weeks. Her red count looks very good. The other count you want to watch is her hemoglobin (Hgb). This will tell you if she becomes anemic. All in all, it looks like she's responding very typically but considering her job, and her neutropenia, I think she would be wise to take some time off at this point. Please ask her doctor and let us know what he/she suggests. Take care, Tracey --- In , " monkeyfun_16901 " <monkeyfun_16901@...> wrote: > > 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 > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2007 Report Share Posted November 19, 2007 Hello, this is Beth. this is my first time in a chat, so please forgive me for any fauxpas. First, Thank you for all of your support! My original WBC was 85,000, but I topped out at 89,000. I came down to 11.6 on the hydroxurea. He took me off that when we started the Gleevec. We tend to dwell on the WBC, because we understand that. Everything else is totally foreign to me, Ray understands a few more. Forunately in my overwhelmed state when I was diagnosed, I thought to start a binder with everthing in it. I keep a copy of all orders,blood work,even receipts for scripts. The ANC nl for our lab is 1.4- 6.5 My Hgb is 12.2, and that has been good all along. We missed a call from the Dr. today, so will talk with him tomorrow. What is your opinion on the Flu shot? And do you wear a mask when your ANC & WBC get too low. Do I need to worry about wearing a mask out in public, or just extra precaution at work? Sometimes it feels like a little over kill, but then I think of the possibilities. Thank you, again. Beth > > > > 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 > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2007 Report Share Posted November 20, 2007 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 > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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