Low.white

Hey man. Sounds like a life lived to the fullest or, at least the rough and tumble.
Neutropenia and leukopenia refer to lowered numbers of white blood cells (WBCs) in the blood. WBCs help the body fight infections and such. When this is low we have a higher risk of infection.

I have found - as this was what started my journey into MDS - that this alone does not slow us down too much, just have to be careful in some settings.
At first, my dentist would not even do cleaning unless I have a note from the hema. Thankfully she agreed as long as they were gentle 😉

Boning up on extra sunlight, less stress (yeah, right?!) along with acupuncture has made a big difference in holding my MDS at bay as once WBC's were found, most everything else blood-wise started to spiral downward for about a year though Traditional Chinese Medicine has slowed this decrease dramatically.

Bottom line - at least from here - low WBC simply made me more aware that sniffles could cascade into full blown illnesses so staying as healthy as possible, Quercetin, K2.D3 combos daily to ward off funky stuff.

Chin up! Enjoy those cruises!

Hi @koneil. Don’t go putting your plans retirement, golfing, taking cruises and enjoying your granddaughters on hold. You didn’t go through all of those surgeries to replace ‘defective parts’ only to be sidelined. ☺️
There can be any number of reasons that your white blood count is low. Underlying inflammation in the body, viral infections, autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, changes in the bone marrow and even medications can have an impact on our blood cells.

Since your white blood count is lower than what’s considered in the normal range, you were referred to a hematologist. This is a doctor who specializes in blood conditions. It’s a logical next step and not a cause for concern. You have another surgery date ahead. Because having a lower white blood count does decrease your body’s defense against infection, it’s important get this looked into before your surgery. That way your medical team can come up with a plan for post operative antibiotics or whatever might be needed. Does that make sense?

Thanks everyone for the replies. My low white cell count isn't freaking me out as much as before. I'm still waiting on my referral to a Hematologist. I have the referral, but no appointment yet. I did Google the condition, and the recommendations were a little restrictive. Like cleaning the cat's litter box and the covering of all cuts and scrapes. I have the thinnest skin in the world for the past few years. A stiff wind will brake my skin. I'll just stock up on bandaids. I wonder where they picked out that skin color for the bandaids? They make me look like an albino.
Thanks for the help. Now I'm just worried about the spine surgery.

Hopefully you can get the hematology appointment scheduled soon so you have a clearer idea of what is causing the low white blood cell count. It would also be a good idea to discuss your upcoming spine surgery with your surgeon, since they can advise whether your blood work needs to be addressed before the procedure. Wishing you some good news and an easier few weeks ahead.

@rnnr65dragon ,
I too have the blessing of MDS. My acupuncturist of 20+ years has helped me get the WBC stabilized and my oncologist is very pleased with my current status. Like you I am more aware of my surroundings with people and their sniffing etc.
Stay strong and keep posting.

@chefd Awesome to hear of the 'pleased with current status'; thanks! Bummer on the MDS though we live/push through it.
This really opened my eyes to the complexities of blood cancers. I've been an advocate and coach for a breast cancer survivor dragon boat team - who right now are competing in France - though this really was / is something to learn more and more about.
I've slowed down some however, that does not stop me from wanting to help...in December as a fund-raising effort for Blood Cancer United, I am taking part in a four-day event, four half marathons in four days. Not the 100 miler I was planning to do this past December before MDS sidelined that training, though now I think run, walk or crawl through the desert, I'll be able to do this.
Stay in touch!

@chefd

That is great that your white blood cells stabilized! I am interested to hear more about the acupuncture you have done. I have mds - my wbc and neutrophils have been slowly declining - along w rbc and platelets. Do you know if acupuncture is safe to do even w low platelets? How long did it take to see these results? I am open to do anything supportive, especially while I am still just being monitored. I will be sure to ask my hematologist also

I have been going to my acupuncturist for 20+ years for a variety of issues, in fact I go see her before my annual physical each year so I know what to expect. See looks at my tongue, ears and eyes and tells me where I have "HEAT" ! Accupucture is safe and not painful at all. Lijie has let me view acupuncture medical books that have included photos of tongue, eyes and ears that show how our bodies nervous system interconnects.
On a more serious note she supplies me with herbs and teas that has assisted me in my recovery from covid, infections and anxiety issues. I trust Lijie Chu McGimsey with my health.
I went through a series of shots that was to boast my white blood count...which it helped a little bit, but the bone pain that occurred at night just was not worth the little effect. I spoke to Mayo and my local oncologist and they agreed that discontinuing the shots was the best course forward. I had been to Lijie in order to get some relief from horrible bone pain and she explained that what the medicine that were injecting me with was to push the production of white blood cells, however, I was producing immature cells hence they were of little or no value in my improvement. She gave me a special Chinese herbal tea that is to help increase white blood count. Since taking the tea daily my count has increased from under 1 just over 3. No it is not normal, but it moved me out of the doctor panic mode and the bone pain is finally subsiding. It's nice to get a good nights sleep. Let me know if you have any other questions. Stay strong and try not to worry too much, there is good life even with MDS

@clinectthan Thank you so much for your reply. I'm trying to get all my appointments in order. I have a cardiovascular release and a general health release to complete prior to surgery. I'll go to an appointment anytime since I'm retired, but specialists are booked a few months out. Thank you again.