I noticed a slight increase in my white blood cell count. It had risen from 5.3 to 7.9. No problem there.
5 days later, it so happened that I had another test. The WBC count was 12.0. My onc wanted another test in 2 weeks.
14 days later it had risen to 14.1. He checked for inflammation markers and found none. He decided that things might be going awry and I should have a BMB to check Ph+ level.
I felt better than I had for some time and observed that he needed one more point on the curve to determine the trend. The rise rate was low and reducing. If the source of any inflammation had gone and the WBC count had peaked before the last reading and was now falling, he couldn’t tell. He is a very nice guy, and thought about it and agreed. Another test would be done in 14 days, but if the WBC count was up by even the slightest amount, I should have a BMB.
14 days later the WBC count had fallen to 8.5 and the BMB was put back to normal schedule.
By looking at the data with a non-medical eye, I saved myself an unnecessary BMB (although even if the WBC count had risen, my basic premise would still have been correct).
I guess the moral is, don’t be afraid to question a judgement by your Onc, even if he has your confidence.
John
