Low WBC after 2 weeks break from chemo.

Hello @marnae. Oh goodness, I’m so sorry to hear your little boy is having to go through treatments for leukemia. As a parent, it’s unimaginable to watch your child having to deal with any type of cancer, You must feel so helpless. I had leukemia myself and often thought about the children and how unfair it is that they should have to face experiences like this. But kids are tough little troopers and so resilient.

It’s not uncommon for blood numbers, WBC, RBC and Platelets to drop about 1.5 - 2 weeks after the end of a chemo cycle. That period lasts about a week or so and then you should see his numbers start to rise again. Just in time for another round of chemo, unfortunately.

But this is why it happens…Chemo directly attacks quickly dividing cells, which describes a cancer cell. However, it’s not discriminatory and will destroy other quickly dividing cells such as blood cells, hair/nail follicles, mucosal tissue in the mouth and sometimes intestines.

It takes about 2 weeks for the numbers to bottom out. With that, the hope is the cancer cell counts are down but that the bone marrow will produce more healthy blood cells again. However, not all the cancer cells are gone. So that’s why there may be a couple more rounds of chemo, to knock them all down. But each time there may be a drop in all those blood numbers again too.

So hang in there. I think you’ll start seeing your little boy rallying a bit soon. I’m sure right now he’s fatigued and feeling pretty yucky. Once the WBC (neutrophils) start climbing he should start to feel a little better.

This is a vulnerable time for him right now. With his immune system being weakened by the leukemia and chemo he is susceptible to illness and infections. But the normal signs of infection may not be obvious. So it’s important to take his temperature a couple times a day and once before bedtime. If he has a temp of 100.3 or higher make sure you call his oncologist.
If you don’t mind sharing, what type of leukemia does your little boy have?

Hi there , thank you so much for the comment 🌸
It is my nephew, he has B cell ALL as far as I know.

Hi @marnae, I’m sure your entire family is rallying around your little nephew and his parents as they go through this medical drama together. It’s not an easy journey for child or parents so they’re going to need a lot of support…mentally, emotionally and physically. It’s exhausting.
The encouraging news are the many advances in treating childhood cancers with more favorable outcomes. While it’s challenging at the time, these cancer treatments can bring hope for a future.
Wishing your little nephew all the best, and please don’t hesitate to ask questions along the way. Will you please let me know how he’s doing?

Hi there, thank you for the well wishes 🙏🏻

He is in remission and will be starting phase 3 of treatment this coming Sunday.

He has been reacting very well to treatment and has basically had no side effects apart from his hair thinning out 🙏🏻