I am now 11 months post autologous stem cell transplant and in a full remission. My blood work is great, except the WBC (white blood cell count) hovers between 3.1 and 3.4. I have no M-spike, normal IgA, and normal hemoglobin.
I'm wondering if my WBC will ever be normal again. I am on Revlimid 5 mg (21 days on, 7 days off), which I know lowers the WBC level. Is this the new normal, or can I expect any improvement?
RT
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RadiantTiger - Name: Radiant Tiger
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself, my deceased uncle
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Feb 2015
- Age at diagnosis: 54
Re: WBC recovery post stem cell transplant?
Hello RT:
Very glad to hear that you are still in complete response (CR), and I hope it continues for a long time.
Speaking from memory, I recall that the doctors told us that the level of WBC that you are talking about is no problem. They actually look at the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) as being more significant of an indicator. If the WBC is low, and the ANC is above a certain range (from memory, I think 1,000), then it's fine.
What is important, is that if you get an infection or an illness, that the WBC respond up quickly to fight it, and then come back down after the infection/illness has cleared. After one or two such incidents, the WBC might settle at a slightly different level, which might be closer to the normal range.
So ask you doctor next time you see him/her, but I suspect that they might suggest not to worry. I think your correct that the Revlimid suppresses it a little bit, but if the immune system responds when you need it, its not an issue.
Good luck. Regards
Very glad to hear that you are still in complete response (CR), and I hope it continues for a long time.
Speaking from memory, I recall that the doctors told us that the level of WBC that you are talking about is no problem. They actually look at the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) as being more significant of an indicator. If the WBC is low, and the ANC is above a certain range (from memory, I think 1,000), then it's fine.
What is important, is that if you get an infection or an illness, that the WBC respond up quickly to fight it, and then come back down after the infection/illness has cleared. After one or two such incidents, the WBC might settle at a slightly different level, which might be closer to the normal range.
So ask you doctor next time you see him/her, but I suspect that they might suggest not to worry. I think your correct that the Revlimid suppresses it a little bit, but if the immune system responds when you need it, its not an issue.
Good luck. Regards
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JPC - Name: JPC
Re: WBC recovery post stem cell transplant?
I don't see 'ANC' in my test results, but I see 'NEUT #' and 'NEUT %', which are both in the normal range.
My doctors don't seem concerned about my WBC, but I did get 2 colds this summer. It would be nice if I can continue to build up my immune system. I guess there is some price to pay for transplant and the good response I've had, but I just posted this in case I should expect some more improvement in WBC and immune system as time progresses.
RT
My doctors don't seem concerned about my WBC, but I did get 2 colds this summer. It would be nice if I can continue to build up my immune system. I guess there is some price to pay for transplant and the good response I've had, but I just posted this in case I should expect some more improvement in WBC and immune system as time progresses.
RT
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RadiantTiger - Name: Radiant Tiger
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself, my deceased uncle
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Feb 2015
- Age at diagnosis: 54
Re: WBC recovery post stem cell transplant?
Hi RT.
On the tests we get, ANC is the abbreviation for absolute neutrophil count. I think that's probably the same, so if that is in range, that's good.
Regards, JPC
On the tests we get, ANC is the abbreviation for absolute neutrophil count. I think that's probably the same, so if that is in range, that's good.
Regards, JPC
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JPC - Name: JPC
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