Hi Ryan, Since your dad had the same reaction twice it may be a reaction to the chemo. The first time could have been coincidental to taking the chemo but could have been caused by an underlying infection. But twice, seems a little less of a coincidence. Usually chemo doesn’t cause a fever though so I can understand why his doctors suspected an infection.
This is why…your dad has AML which is drastically depleting his immune system of healthy cells. Even though he may have an abundance of white blood cells right now, they’re immature blasts and unable to protect him from infection. So your dad is very prone to infections not just from viral infections like flu or Covid, but bacterial and fungal infections. To show you how critical this condition can be, when I was first diagnosed I was immediately admitted to the hospital for 5 weeks and closely monitored for infections. I was administered several broad spectrum IV antibiotics, an antifungal and anti viral meds even before I began chemo a week later.
Your dad will need to be extra cautious to avoid cuts, exposure to illnesses from people and food and no gardening! He should avoid things like deli meats, craft cheeses that aren’t pasteurized, buffet tables…you get the idea. I was told that I no longer had a ‘5 second rule’…consider anything that hits the floor to be contaminated and potentially life threatening. 😉

Once Greg is through this first round, about a week or so later he’ll reach another really low point in his blood numbers referred to as the nadir period or neutropenia. He’ll feel extra fatigue and might appear mentally and emotionally low too. That should reverse itself within a few days as healthy blood cells begin to regenerate. I actually felt better while on chemo because it was killing the cancer cells.

Sorry, I digressed…what did the doctor say the 2nd time the reaction happened? Does your dad’s fever and tremors go away after a short time or did he have to return to the VA?