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Help with Low WBC Count and Seizures

Pancreatic Cancer | Last Active: Nov 12, 2023 | Replies (3)

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@ncteacher

I am not a medical expert, but there are medications (injections) that can significantly boost white blood cell count. The one I was given is Udenyca; another one is Neulasta. In my case, I had chemo (day one) and the 5FU pump disconnected (day three). On day four, I got the Udenyca injection. Per insurance rules, the injection must be given a minimum of 24 hours after the pump finishes administering the fluroruracil. (I don't know why minimum 24 hours, but we were told if the injection was given even a minute or two earlier than 24 hours, insurance would deny coverage. So we and the nurses were extremely precise about noting and recording the timing.) I haven't had the Udenyca in a couple of cycles because my WBC counts were so high that I didn't need the injections any longer.

Forgot to add: The injection really hurts going in; the med is stored cold, and that makes it sting. But after that, I had no issues with it. However, some people have bone pain due to the increased activity in bone marrow. I was told to take antihistamines (Claritin in my case) to ward off the pain.

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Replies to "I am not a medical expert, but there are medications (injections) that can significantly boost white..."

I also did Neulasta. They applied it when they took the pump off and it automatically injected 25 hours later. My husband could remove it 26 hours later as it takes about 45 minutes to inject all medicine. I had no pain from either the injection or an any subsequent bone pain though they said it was possible. My WBC stayed very high throughout the 12 sessions I had of Folfirinox. Good luck.