Low white blood cell count...high fever...
Keith did not have a very good day yesterday. His fever is back up and his white blood cell count has taken a deep dive. Since white blood cells help fight infection, he is now very vulnerable to opportunistic infections so he has been moved to a isolation room.
We don't know where or what the infection is - but the fever tells us there is an infection. This morning his fever peaked at 103, but so far it comes down with Tylenol. An xray yesterday morning signaled the beginnings of pneumonia; we did a cat scan last night and should have results this morning when the doctors make their rounds.
In the meantime, Keith is back on antibiotics and oxygen. He is also on a drug which will stimulate his body to produce white blood cells. This means that he should return to "normal" within 3-5 days rather than the 10 days his body would take unassisted.
While we don't know for certain why we took this tumble, it is likely a result of the combination of drugs Keith has been taking - including the chemo. Temsirolimus (the IV chemo) is a "relative" of Sirolimus which is used for transplant patients to suppress their immune systems and prevent rejection. Not all patients who are on Temsirolimus have this reduction in white blood cells side effect - but it is a real possibility that that drug is the culprit. Additionally, both the steroids and the Keppra (the anti-seizure med that we used during and right after the surgery) are also known to sometimes affect white blood cell production. These may have acted synergistically - or one alone could have caused our problem. Either way, the next few days will be a bit tough.
We don't know where or what the infection is - but the fever tells us there is an infection. This morning his fever peaked at 103, but so far it comes down with Tylenol. An xray yesterday morning signaled the beginnings of pneumonia; we did a cat scan last night and should have results this morning when the doctors make their rounds.
In the meantime, Keith is back on antibiotics and oxygen. He is also on a drug which will stimulate his body to produce white blood cells. This means that he should return to "normal" within 3-5 days rather than the 10 days his body would take unassisted.
While we don't know for certain why we took this tumble, it is likely a result of the combination of drugs Keith has been taking - including the chemo. Temsirolimus (the IV chemo) is a "relative" of Sirolimus which is used for transplant patients to suppress their immune systems and prevent rejection. Not all patients who are on Temsirolimus have this reduction in white blood cells side effect - but it is a real possibility that that drug is the culprit. Additionally, both the steroids and the Keppra (the anti-seizure med that we used during and right after the surgery) are also known to sometimes affect white blood cell production. These may have acted synergistically - or one alone could have caused our problem. Either way, the next few days will be a bit tough.
posted by Keith and Kathy | 5:55 PM
2 Comments:
Really sorry to hear about the white cells. Hang in there, both of you; remind yourself that 3-5 days is a pretty short span of time, and that the isolation room is the best possible place for Keith to spend them in.
Much love to you both,
x spk
We are all exchanging calls and emails and having positive thoughts coming your way...hang in there you guys. We will see you soon at home. We love you all!
Mercedes,Mark, Gerald, Spiros,Scott O et al
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