I have been on monthly interferon injections since stopping Besremi in May. My neutrophil count has dropped month on month and was 1.4 at the beginning of September. I have had another injection since my last blood test so suspect this is now even lower.
The problem is, I have had a cough and cold symptoms and feel completely washed out for 6 weeks now. Just can’t get over it and back to some kind of normality. I wonder if this could be related to the lowered neutrophil count. Has anyone had a similar experience?
Ps I am waiting for haematology to get back to me but it may take a few days
Dear @HelRol,
Thank you for reaching out, sorry to hear that your neutrophil count is dropping on the interferon.
Your neutrophils are responsible for fighting off infection, when these cells are low it means you can get unwell much more easily and are at an increased risk of infections.
Having low neutrophils means you need to be much more vigilant when you become unwell and seek medical attention as soon as you get any signs of being unwell/having an infection as you may need antibiotics a lot sooner than you would do normally, its essential we get on top of things as quickly as possible.
I have attached our infection information here which might be helpful - Blood cancer and infection | Blood Cancer UK You can also order one of our helpful alert cards.
It sounds like you have been unwell for some time, have you seen a Doctor at all about his? I would encourage you to visit the GP to be assessed. If you are having fevers or are becoming more unwell I would suggest going to your nearest A&E.
When is your next Haematology appointment? It would be helpful to have a discussion with the Haematologists about the plan going forward.
If you would like to talk things through you are welcome to call us on 0808 2080 888.
Thanks for your message Heidi - I have managed to get an appointment with my haematologist on Wednesday where I’ll have repeat bloods. Hopefully things will have stabilised by then but I didn’t want to take my next Pegasys injection if my neutrophils are still falling.