June 15, 2017
I went in for chemo today and my bloodwork was not good. I have no immune system! My white blood cell count (WBC) was a 2.0 (normal range is 4.1-10.8) and ANC was a 0.30 (normal range is 1.70 - 6.00). My ANC has to be at least a 1.0 (referred to as 1,000) to be treated with chemo.
To make sense of all this and what it means, I have to share some of what I've learned. A WBC count test measures the number of white blood cells in the body. There are several types of white blood cells, and your blood usually contains a percentage of each type.
WBCs, also called leukocytes, are an important part of the immune system. These cells help fight infections by attacking bacteria, viruses, and germs that invade the body. White blood cells originate in the bone marrow but circulate throughout the bloodstream.
There are five major types of white blood cells:
Blood work measures all of these types. So, we have a total WBC count and then it's broken down by types of WBCs in the blood.
Neutrophil % should be between 34.0 and 69.5; mine was 12.0
Lymphocyte % should be between 20.0-53.0; mine was 53.0
Eosinophil % should be between 0.7-6.0; mine was 7.0
Monocyte % should be between 5.0-12.5; mine was 21.0
Basophil % should be between 0.0-3.0; mine was 1.0
The ANC test stands for absolute neutrophil count. This is just another way of figuring out how many of that type of white blood cells a person has. Neutropenia is the term for low neutrophil levels. You’re at greatest risk of infection if your neutrophil count drops below 1,500 neutrophils per microliter. Very low neutrophil counts can lead to life-threatening infections.
(Source: http://www.healthline.com/health/neutrophils#low-levels4)
So basically I'm supposed to have NO LESS THAN 1,500 neutrophil type white blood cells per microliter and I have 300. This means I can't go anywhere without a super fun hospital mask on (oh yay). I have to sanitize shopping carts, wash my hands nonstop, and use a mask when I go into public. A small infection - like, for instance, a cold - could land me in the hospital with a full body shut down. That's what happens when a person has no immune system.
I'm on quarantine!!
Now, let's talk about LIVER DAMAGE from CHEMO...
The blood test for aspartate aminotransferase (AST) is used to detect liver damage. It is often ordered in conjunction with another liver enzyme, alanine aminotransferase (ALT).
AST (SGOT) should be between 8 and 34, mine is 43
ALT (SGPT) should be less than or equal to 24, mine is 44
These numbers indicate liver damage from the chemo. HOWEVER, my bilirubin and protein are in normal ranges, which is good. They consider those things along with the AST and ALT and come up with a ratio to determine an amount of damage. My ratio is in the normal range. If it falls out of the normal range, chemo will be stopped again.
There were lots more items out of normal range too.
The only thing that can fix this is time. Just time. There is nothing dietary I can do. All I can do is rest and let my bone marrow try to build itself back up.
I've learned so much about the body throughout this process and I continue to learn. Chemo is truly a POISON. There has to be something better for cancer.
I went in for chemo today and my bloodwork was not good. I have no immune system! My white blood cell count (WBC) was a 2.0 (normal range is 4.1-10.8) and ANC was a 0.30 (normal range is 1.70 - 6.00). My ANC has to be at least a 1.0 (referred to as 1,000) to be treated with chemo.
To make sense of all this and what it means, I have to share some of what I've learned. A WBC count test measures the number of white blood cells in the body. There are several types of white blood cells, and your blood usually contains a percentage of each type.
WBCs, also called leukocytes, are an important part of the immune system. These cells help fight infections by attacking bacteria, viruses, and germs that invade the body. White blood cells originate in the bone marrow but circulate throughout the bloodstream.
There are five major types of white blood cells:
- neutrophils
- lymphocytes
- eosinophils
- monocytes
- basophils
Blood work measures all of these types. So, we have a total WBC count and then it's broken down by types of WBCs in the blood.
Neutrophil % should be between 34.0 and 69.5; mine was 12.0
Lymphocyte % should be between 20.0-53.0; mine was 53.0
Eosinophil % should be between 0.7-6.0; mine was 7.0
Monocyte % should be between 5.0-12.5; mine was 21.0
Basophil % should be between 0.0-3.0; mine was 1.0
The ANC test stands for absolute neutrophil count. This is just another way of figuring out how many of that type of white blood cells a person has. Neutropenia is the term for low neutrophil levels. You’re at greatest risk of infection if your neutrophil count drops below 1,500 neutrophils per microliter. Very low neutrophil counts can lead to life-threatening infections.
(Source: http://www.healthline.com/health/neutrophils#low-levels4)
So basically I'm supposed to have NO LESS THAN 1,500 neutrophil type white blood cells per microliter and I have 300. This means I can't go anywhere without a super fun hospital mask on (oh yay). I have to sanitize shopping carts, wash my hands nonstop, and use a mask when I go into public. A small infection - like, for instance, a cold - could land me in the hospital with a full body shut down. That's what happens when a person has no immune system.
I'm on quarantine!!
Now, let's talk about LIVER DAMAGE from CHEMO...
The blood test for aspartate aminotransferase (AST) is used to detect liver damage. It is often ordered in conjunction with another liver enzyme, alanine aminotransferase (ALT).
AST (SGOT) should be between 8 and 34, mine is 43
ALT (SGPT) should be less than or equal to 24, mine is 44
These numbers indicate liver damage from the chemo. HOWEVER, my bilirubin and protein are in normal ranges, which is good. They consider those things along with the AST and ALT and come up with a ratio to determine an amount of damage. My ratio is in the normal range. If it falls out of the normal range, chemo will be stopped again.
There were lots more items out of normal range too.
The only thing that can fix this is time. Just time. There is nothing dietary I can do. All I can do is rest and let my bone marrow try to build itself back up.
I've learned so much about the body throughout this process and I continue to learn. Chemo is truly a POISON. There has to be something better for cancer.