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Has anyone with CLL experienced a spike in wbc after Reclast?

Posted by hibabs @hibabs, Jun 10 3:18pm

I was diagnosed with CLL 9/24/23 at the age of 78. So far no symptoms, and thus no treatment.
WBC at diagnosis was 27.2 and had regressed to 23.4 by 11/24/25.
On 1/7/26 I received my first Zoledronic Acid (Reclast, Zometa ) injection for osteoporosis. All of a sudden my WBC # was 30.8 on 2/25/26, and then 35.2 on 6/1/26. I'm thinking maybe the Reclast
had something to do with this. Both my CLL specialist and oncologist aren't that concerned but on the other hand my blood test intervals have now been switched from every 6 months to 3 months.
Just wondering if anyone else has had this experience with Reclast. Thank you.

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Mentor
Lori, Volunteer Mentor | @loribmt | Jun 11 9:25am

Hi @hibabs. The timing does seem suspect with your WBC rising not long after the Reclast injection and with your CLL it’s natural to try and correlate those two. However CLL may change on its own over time and this may only be coincidental.

Elevated WBCs isn’t listed as a common side effect of the injection. But from my own experience with some medications, inflammation can often raise our white blood counts temporarily. Most of the time we’re not even aware of all the body chemistry going on inside of us. But when we have a blood cancer or condition, such as CLL, those more frequent blood tests catch all these little nuances. And obviously, changes can make us pretty antsy!

What your doctor will look for in followup blood work are trends in the numbers. You’ve had two elevated results. So by having you come in more often at 3 month intervals, your doctor will be able to monitor for any subsequent changes. Hopefully the numbers will started edging back down.

It’s also important to protect you from bone loss. When is your next DEXA Scan?

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hibabs | @hibabs | Jun 15 4:55pm
In reply to @loribmt "Hi @hibabs. The timing does seem suspect with your WBC rising not long after the Reclast..." + (show)
Profile picture for Lori, Volunteer Mentor @loribmt

Hi @hibabs. The timing does seem suspect with your WBC rising not long after the Reclast injection and with your CLL it’s natural to try and correlate those two. However CLL may change on its own over time and this may only be coincidental.

Elevated WBCs isn’t listed as a common side effect of the injection. But from my own experience with some medications, inflammation can often raise our white blood counts temporarily. Most of the time we’re not even aware of all the body chemistry going on inside of us. But when we have a blood cancer or condition, such as CLL, those more frequent blood tests catch all these little nuances. And obviously, changes can make us pretty antsy!

What your doctor will look for in followup blood work are trends in the numbers. You’ve had two elevated results. So by having you come in more often at 3 month intervals, your doctor will be able to monitor for any subsequent changes. Hopefully the numbers will started edging back down.

It’s also important to protect you from bone loss. When is your next DEXA Scan?

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Oh thank you Lori! Actually I didn't see this until now because I wasn't familiar with the Mayo connect format, and didn't know where to look.
Anyway, my next DEXA is Nov., 2026. I had been doing so well, and surly hope that the numbers will start edging back down soon.
Now that I know the format a little better I will keep checking for other replies. Thanks again Lori.

Babs

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