chemo on hold..again..cuz of low white cell count.. very frustrated.?

Question

Dad has colon cancer...and he obviously would like to get his 12 chemo treatments done..but for the 2nd time in a row.. he has to wait..cuz of his blood work. Does chemo only work if its done consistantly..(like every 2 weeks)..or.. is it just important..to get as many in your system..even if it can only be done once a month for example?..

Scared daugther.. thanks you all..

Answer 1

Your dad needs help with his white blood cells. Usually Oncologist order injections of Neupogen or other really expensive colony stimulating factors to get the white blood cell to shoot up. I am assuming your dad has had these, but they are not helping. Its best, no matter what to wait for the white blood cells to come back into normal range before you give chemotherapy. Its not perfect to wait, but it is what it is, so its the best he can do for now.
Peace and prayers for your dad.

Answer 2

No, it will still be effective for your dad even if he has to wait for a while to get the next dosage. Because the chemo is so hard on the body...he needs to be at his best to receive it. My sis and bro always seemed to handle the dosages better when they were feeling good and their blood counts were up. Times that they were given it even when counts were borderline or just a bit low...they were more nauseated, tired, and in pain.
It is frustrating when you know this is a life saving med for our loved ones and it feels like it is increasing the chances of the cancer to grow again but hang in there and talk to his Oncologist to better explain what exactly happens to the body when chemo is presented. I found bringing a notebook to jot down things as he talked really helped as there is so much information given at once. You take care and God bless you and dad!

Answer 3

Not to be unduly negative, but getting the treatments at the "right" time actually does make a difference (although it's definitely a better-late-than-never situation). Dose-density (i.e. getting treatments in over as few weeks as possible) has been well established in many cancers as making chemo work better.

You should discuss with your doctor whether medications like neupogen or neulasta can help in the recovery of the WBC count to help facilitate staying "on schedule".

Answer 4

Sorry to hear your pa has colon cancer, but try not to fret too much. The delay in the chemo because of low white count is very frustrating, but there is no need for it to be "regular" to work effectively, all that is really happening is cancer cells are being exposed to toxicity, which, since they metabolize the toxin at a higher rate than "normal" cells does them more damage than it does the rest of Dad....so it IS critical that he be in the best shape he can each session!

Cancer ALL sucks, but colon cancer is one of the "better" (LOL?) cancers to get! It is very, very treatable, and your father's chances for a normal life (eventually) are probably better than either of you are able to believe right now...

Best wishes...

Answer 5

im sorry....i believe about his white cells that you really shouldn't go on a winter holiday because cancer patients inmune system tends to go down a lot during chemo...this means your dad could easily end up with pneumonia during this time of the year. I truly hope your dad gets better, so i would try to surprise him and bring the holidays to him. Try making a surprise party with his closest friends, rent movies, watch family videos, above all make him laugh a lot so he feels happy at all times. If you live in a place that snows then try getting some sand and bring it in to the house and build a sand castle or something like that with your dad so he doesn't miss going outside. Make a beach party inside of the house and ever make a CD with the ocean's sound. My prayers go to your family and your dad. Hope this works!

Answer 6

Is your father doing either neupogen or neulasta. They are injections that boost your white blood cell production.