Blood Counts DROPPING After Blood Transfusion

Hi Everyone...

My MIL has Stage IV OC, diagnosed 2/06. She participated in two trials but is now on her 6th chemo regimen of Cisplatin & Gemcitabine. While this treatment has been working (i.e. lowered CA125) she has been incredibly ill ever since she started it about 6 months ago. She has had multiple blood transfusions because it messes with your blood so badly...usually, this produces improvement in lab values and in how she feels in general.
This time she was so anemic that she spent all day Xmas Eve at the hospital getting another transfusion. Her follow up blood work since then has shown all of her counts except platelets dropping steadily. She never had ANY rebound at all and is having another transfusion today. Obviously, this course of therapy is over for her...but I'm wondering if any of you have ever had a blood transfusion due to chemo side effects and whether or not you ever had an instance in which your lab values continued to drop AFTERWARD? Since I am a paramedic, this seems quite ominous to me...but just wondered if anyone out there experienced similar and rebounded. Need a little hope, I guess. :-)

Thanks!

Debbie

By Jennali
Posted January 2, 2009 at 11:08 pm
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I am so sorry your MIL is having such a hard time. What a good DIL you are to reach out for help for her.

I have not had a blood transfusion, so I am not qualified to answer that. What does her oncologist say?

I hope tomorrow things will be looking up.

By verlinda
Posted January 4, 2009 at 2:07 am
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I know this must be terrifying for all of you. One thing to remember is that the chemo continues to kill cells. When I had carbo/taxol, the counts continued to drop for 2 weeks, so it could be the new blood cells are being attacked, but the counts will level off and improve.

Let us know; your MIL and all of you are in our prayers!

Blessings.

By DTMEDIC
Posted January 4, 2009 at 8:45 am
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Thanks everyone. I am anxiously awaiting her bloodwork tomorrow & her appt with oncologist this week. I think the blood work tomorrow will probably tell us the tale as it will have been over 2 weeks since her last chemo treatment.

By Shelter
Posted January 4, 2009 at 3:59 pm
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I havent started chemo yet

but I did have 4 units of blood during surgery......

my question is
haveing ablood transfusion
I dont feel teh same

Im cold now all teh time
my hothands are no longer hot Im cold..
and a BIG girl who is not sued to being freeezing..needs extra layers of clothes.. extra blankets.. I take more hot baths to warm up

the only thing I can figure is who ever dontate my blood... theri blood is changing me ?
possible?

or is that a weird wild thought

By DTMEDIC
Posted January 4, 2009 at 8:31 pm
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If your surgery was for Ovarian Cancer and you had a complete hysterectomy, I would say your new-found coldness is a result of the completion of menopause. Most of my post-menopausal lady friends are now much more cold-natured than in the 3-4 years premenopausal. I don't think the blood is changing you. HaHa...but who knows.

By Shelter
Posted January 5, 2009 at 4:37 pm
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thanks DTMEDIC

I was already post menopausal, but perhaps...
there was a bit... of normal left in me have all my inards...

I did experience extreme.. sweats again for a few days.. and I cried suddenly with out warning.. a few times..after surgery..
and I thoguht it might be hormonal

By DTMEDIC
Posted January 6, 2009 at 9:06 am
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Hi everyone. Thanks for all the well-wishes and prayers. We got her lab results yesterday and things are still critically low, but have improved ever so slightly. She seemed to feel better than in a long time on Sunday...she even managed to go to a movie and out to dinner; ate better than she has in 3 months too. So all of that is definitely good! One small problem that we are all hoping will not become a huge one...she seems to be getting a cold (sore throat, sniffles/congestion). One of her doctors felt that her white counts were just barely high enough to fight it and hopefully prevent it from going into something worse...so we're still praying with fingers & toes crossed.

Thanks again for the support!

Debbie

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