wbc low

Hi

my sister might have to quit the shots her wbc is 3.3 does anyone know what could bring it back up??  She had only 7 shots......

Thanks

Eileen

I had that same problem when I tried interferon A back in 93/94.  At first the doc cut the shots from 3 days a week to 2, and then tried cutting the dosage in half, but nothing worked to bring my wbc count back up.  Therefore, I was taken off treatment.  This was done twice, as I tried it again a few months later.  I was catching every cold and sore throat in my office.

Connie

Eileen, you are correct that different docs have different outlooks and approaches to hep C. I don't know about a transfusion of white cells...whether they would do that or not, or if it would make any difference. Milk thistle (weed) is a natural substance, in powder form (in a capsule) that is used by a lot of people with hep C, and some say it has cleared them of the virus. It didn't do anything for me, so I stopped taking it. It can be found in health food stores. Do some research on it first. The dosage will be higher to treat hep C than what is printed on the label. It will not raise WBCs, though.

If your sister has insurance, she might try switching to another hepatologist. Don't blame yourself--your sister needed to know. Now that she knows she has hep C, it is up to her to decide whether to treat it or not. After I found I couldn't take the interferon (combo was not yet available, was in trials), I chose to ignore my hep C. Though I was very tired all the time, and had to switch to part-time work, I did okay until 2 years ago when the cancerous liver tumor was found. After that, things went downhill rapidly. I had to have cancer treatment before I could undergo surgery, as the tumor was huge and had metastasized to the inferior vena cava. Praise God and Mayo, they were finally able to operate, but had to take the entire right lobe of my liver (as well as gall bladder.) I will be seeing a hepatologist next month, who is very knowledgeable in hep C. I need to find out if I can try treatment again. If not, I will just hope the left lobe keeps me alive for some years to come. If not, I will need a transplant. All of this is a result of not being able to continue with treatment or the willingness to try something new. In addition, I was found to have early cirrhosis in the left lobe (from the hep C.) All of this is to tell you what can happen if hep C is not treated. As stated in the beginning, your sister needs to see another hepatologist, if only as a "second opinion."

Hugs,
Connie

Post Edited (hep93) : 6/23/2007 3:29:12 PM (GMT-6)