Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) Support Group
Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), also known as acute myeloid leukemia, is a cancer of the myeloid line of blood cells. Patients with AML usually present with symptoms such as fatigue, bleeding, infection, prompting medical attention. An abnormal blood test reading will then result in further testing in a hospital with a hematologist to determine AML.
Hi everyone(brand new here today and very scared right now)
My husband has been in remission 1 year (to the date almost) he is 41, was diagnosed w AML (inversion 16) and C-kit negative last year, at diagnosis his WBC was almost 160,000, with very Low red and plate counts. He was in complete remission after induction and we did 4 rounds of high dose Ara-c consolidation chemo. The bone marrow biopsy after round 4 showed complete molecular remission & no inversion 16. His counts at his 6 week and 3 month check up were great, all in normal range. At that time 12/2013) His WBC was 4900, ANC 2500, reds13.7, plates 255. He runs 2 miles a day, fast, and physically feels great, no fatigue, etc.
he and our baby both came down w a bad cough 2.5 weeks ago (assumed it was viral, bc theres a lot of that going around near us, so did the pediatrician) when We went for his blood work last week, we were pretty surprised to find out his white count was low, 2900 and his ANC was low (1500). The Doc checked him out and thought he looked fantastic, she was surprised too, but said it was most likely bc he had a bad cold for a few weeks. She ordered another test for today to see what his counts were doing. We went in, looking great, feeling great, full of energy, and shocked to see his whites down to 1850 and ANC 500!!! There were no blasts, & no immature grain. She ordered a bone marrow biopsy for us Friday, but still thinks it is his body's response to this virus. His platelets and reds stayed the same.
Has anyone experienced WBC and neutrophil drops due to a bad cold, flu or virus? Any input is greatly appreciated! Please i'm a very worried wife. We are fearful it's the leukemia coming back, even though the white count is low as opposed to high. Sitting on pins and needles
Lea
My husband has been in remission 1 year (to the date almost) he is 41, was diagnosed w AML (inversion 16) and C-kit negative last year, at diagnosis his WBC was almost 160,000, with very Low red and plate counts. He was in complete remission after induction and we did 4 rounds of high dose Ara-c consolidation chemo. The bone marrow biopsy after round 4 showed complete molecular remission & no inversion 16. His counts at his 6 week and 3 month check up were great, all in normal range. At that time 12/2013) His WBC was 4900, ANC 2500, reds13.7, plates 255. He runs 2 miles a day, fast, and physically feels great, no fatigue, etc.
he and our baby both came down w a bad cough 2.5 weeks ago (assumed it was viral, bc theres a lot of that going around near us, so did the pediatrician) when We went for his blood work last week, we were pretty surprised to find out his white count was low, 2900 and his ANC was low (1500). The Doc checked him out and thought he looked fantastic, she was surprised too, but said it was most likely bc he had a bad cold for a few weeks. She ordered another test for today to see what his counts were doing. We went in, looking great, feeling great, full of energy, and shocked to see his whites down to 1850 and ANC 500!!! There were no blasts, & no immature grain. She ordered a bone marrow biopsy for us Friday, but still thinks it is his body's response to this virus. His platelets and reds stayed the same.
Has anyone experienced WBC and neutrophil drops due to a bad cold, flu or virus? Any input is greatly appreciated! Please i'm a very worried wife. We are fearful it's the leukemia coming back, even though the white count is low as opposed to high. Sitting on pins and needles
Lea
Glad you have posted and joined the community :) Sounds like your husband got through treatment well and feeling good.
I can only go on experience on my mums blood works since she was in remission, and they did go low when she got a cold, she got it just after her last condition treatment and rather than her numbers going up they went down.
There is another thing they can look at which the name escapes me at the moment, but if its high it shows there is an infection the body is fighting .... as he had low counts last year, chances are each time he gets a cold the bloods will go down.
Sorry couldn't give you a medical reason, just an experience,.
Wishing you all the best
xxx
There is no question that the WBC counts can go down after a viral infection. In fact that happens commonly. With a normal platelet count (something that is very susceptible to BAD things that go on with the bone marrow), I am sorry that your husband has to have a bone marrow biopsy, but I would bet that his counts will recover nicely and that his marrow will show no evidence of disease at all.
Cliff
It seems that your husband and I have a very similar diagnosis and timeline. I was DXd on March 22 of 2013 with Inversion 16 and a negative CKIT. I am now 49. I reached remission after Induction on April 26th. My four consolidation treatments took longer due to slow platelet recovery-I finished on Nov 17th. I also was deemed in complete remission after treatment with no cytogenic sign of the Inversions 16. So I think our remission date is just about a month apart.
When I was diagnosed, my ANC was .2. So it is possible to have a low WBC and ANC at diagnosis. My med team says the ONLY counts they watch for remission is WBC, ANC and platelets. I could tell you not to worry and I honestly would not be based on you husbands recent infection, no I know that is next to impossible.
My next monthly lab is on 21 April and I am tentative because my platelets have bounced from 97 to 86 to 74 to 55 to 72 since Dec. As long as they are holding steady or rising I can avoid a BMB.
It sounds like your med team is much like mine, very proactive and agressive. If my counts do anything wonky, they want a BMB to be absolutely sure. I have had seven thus far and in way take great comfort in getting the definitive results they provide.
I will be praying for your family for a clean bmb. Please give us an update and stay with us-this is a great group of supporters.
Blessings,
Julie
The good news is that they are not taking any chances and are doing a BMB Friday. Unfortunately you will not get the final results for a while, but perhaps you can ask them for some prelim results to ease your mind. We are all praying for you and I am sure that things are going to turn out OK.
Other good news -- even in the worst case scenario since they are catching is so early, it will be quite subject to treatment.
Other good news -- no blasts? I cannot imagine that there could be a problem if they did not find any blasts. But then, I am no Cliff. He seems to have good news as well.
Take care and do your best to realize that we are all in God's loving hands. -- dave
We have a beautiful little girl, Isabella, who is 22 months, was 9 months old at diagnosis. She is his driving force - his everythig, I've never seen a daddy do in love,. I lost my Dad 2 years ago to AML (sepsis during round 2 consolidation)if you can believe it or not, 1 year later my 40 year old husband is diagnosed. The fear, anxiety and sheer heartache I feel on a daily basis is almost unbearable. I can't imagine my lil girl growing up with out Tony. I at least had my Dad for 35 years.
I keep the strong face on for Tony but I don't know what to do to stop the fear...:(
Please do not get too anxious about this. As a physician, I have seen many patients drop their counts in association with viral infections. I cannot imagine a platelet count remaining normal in the face of an AML relapse. I am confident that your husband's counts will bounce back (they may already have). I will be thinking of you tomorrow when he has his biopsy. It is definitely the thing to do to clear the air. I was so sorry to hear about your father. The whole thing is just too horrible to think about. Please be upbeat. I think your husband is going to weather this "speed bump" just fine.
Cliff
I will continue to post, vent, etc over these next 7 nail biting days awaiting results... I am grateful I have fond this group, I wish I would have during my Dads treatment.
Welcome from a relative newbie to both this site and AML. The waiting is the most stressful part and allows your mind to wander to places it should not go. I'm hoping that will get easier with time. My 12 year old daughter is my biggest motivation to beat this disease and your daughter will be the same for your husband. I was originally told when I had my bmb that it would take a week for the results but I had the bmb Thursdady and preliminary results were with my med team on the Monday. Luckily results showed no leukaemia cells and 2% blasts. I asked the head of my transplant team should my blasts be 0% and he said 'no'. No blasts means no new cells - it was whether they were good or bad blasts which he had not received the full results of at that stage but he was not at all worried they would show anything adverse - he was right. See if the med team can get you some preliminary results earlier as I know the waiting can seem like an eternity.
Reading around we have had several who have had variations in their blood counts after treatment. Please stay aboard and keep us up. If things go the way I am expecting there will be good news for you and the others who are also similarly concerned. I will be praying for your husband that the BMB results will show NED -- no evidence of disease. -- dave
The cold is still hanging on, but my ANC and WBC have returned to just below to low normal.
My platelets were low at this time too, overall count, but they were inching up from the mess they had been in September.
As everyone else has said there are many things that can cause the drops. Best wishes for a clean marrow on Friday. The waiting game is the worst when all the bad things going through your mind. Hope your DH's doc can view the slide and get your prelim OK back to you the same day.
Julie, Tonys dx and path seems very similar to yours. I am glad to know you're here!
Mondreamr1, congratulations on being one year past transplant know that's an amazing feat, and Dave four years remission, wow, I dream about that day being able to see that for Tony.
Taswegian,we plan on getting prelim results hopefully Tuesday, still feels like an eternity, but as long as they say NED, I am ok waiting.
Much love and thanks to everyone, and thank you all for continuing to pray for us and the support
Lea
Lea
Praise almighty God for the outstanding outcome!!
Julie
To know his doc would never take any chances if she felt something was wrong, we would have had today's bmt, but having her cxl it shows us that she knows better than us what can happen w these nasty viruses going around.
I have very bad post traumatic stress after my dad died during treatment from a blood bacteria infection, then to have my husband get diagnosed and in his final round of consolidation to have a blood bacteria, I haven't learned how to take control of my anxiety and fear yet. I hope some people here can help me!
Finding this group has already helped me.