Low blood counts...what does this mean?

I got my complete blood count (CBC) today, which confirmed that all of my blood counts were low. I get my blood counts every week when I go into treatment and good or bad...I comb over the counts to understand everything. I thought I would explain a little bit of this science on the blog so you can know why people get infections or have low energy on chemotherapy. Now, remember I am not a doctor or a nurse. This is just amateur information sharing, yet i think it is important.

First of all, when doctors take a CBC, they are looking at a variety of things. However, the main points we will talk about are the importance of white blood cells and red blood cells. White blood cells help the immune system to fight infection. Red blood cell (RBC) count information includes platelets, hematocrit and RBCs. RBCs oxygenate the body and give us energy.

Chemotherapy is a term that represents a variety of drugs. Each drug attacks cancer cells in a unique fashion, but the commonality among chemo is that it goes after fast growing cells. These are the cells in our body that grow and divide quickly. Cancer grows quickly, but so do white blood cells and red blood cells. If a drug is deemed a chemo, it means that it does not have the ability to go after cancer cells without destroying good cells along the way. What the doctors try to figure out is how a patient's cells will respond to a chemo without destroying the rest of the body along the way.

Each chemo also has unique side effects based on the way they attack the cancer. It is important to know the name of your chemo and what it does at the cellular level. Sometimes this information can overwhelm patients. I have met people who don't know the name of the drugs they are on and I don't fault them. I understand it can be frightening, but for me...awareness is critical for my mind over matter fight. Also, I want to be a part of the decisions so understanding a medicine's benefit, even at a basic level, can help.

For me, this past week, my energy has been extremely low. I was fatigued, felt weak, dizzy, etc. It was not fun. I am starting to pull out of it, but am not there yet. When I looked at my counts, I could tell that they matched my feelings of being sick. This doesn't always happen. Sometimes your counts can be low and you don't know it, yet my body is pretty sensitive and I usually FEEL bad when my counts are super low. My platelets, hematocrit and red blood cells were all low. My white blood cells were low, but were not as concerning as the RBC information. The big thing for me right now is restoring my energy and restoring some strength.

We have decided to make some medicine changes to help with my RBC deficiency. Even with cancer, it is all about balance of life. I am continually thankful that I not only have a great doctor, but I have one who accepts me as part of the team. I do have difficulty admitting when I feel weak or sick so I brought Michael along to keep me honest today. I always want to act tough, like I can take every medicine they give me. However, sometimes the strong ones are the ones who can actually admit they are weak. So I am working on letting my walls down and admitting when I don't feel good so I can get the best care possible.

I am always learning and being humbled by this process. But, I know what my body can do and I know I will be back on my feet in no time. I am excited about the changes we are making and know they are right for my healing. Will keep you all posted, but for now I will nap.:)

Blessings,
Lolo