My daughter is fighting tongue cancer. This is my first post. She suddenly has developed mouth sores over the weekend, fever 102, low white blood count. They admitted her today. Just wondering if any one here knows how quickly a drug like Neulasta will increase wbc's?

Maxey,

Please tell us more about her Tx. Chemo is usually the cause of low WBC. Mouth sores are common with Rad, but more info would be helpful.

Hi, She is a T3, no nodes, no mets. 31 y/o.
Cisplatin 3 weeks ago. Erbotux every week for past 3 weeks. Rad. daily. Today was #15.
I understand about the drop in wbc's but was wondering if anyone knew how fast they can be expected to increase after Neulasta/Neupogen?
Also, she is having alot of trouble moving the phlegm around in her throat....any suggestions.
Her mouth is full of infected sores and swollen and very painful! She is on 3 IV antibiotics as inpatient. White ct. yesterday was 2.9 and lower today! Thanks, Linda

Mazey,

You need to consult with your MO re the WBC issue. Any of us can react differently to the same Tx. I had the same chemo and I assume the same IMRT but I never had mouth sore problems nor problems with low WBC.

I know from reading other posts there are a lot of mouth washes that people have used for the sores. One I recall is called Miracle Mouthwash which your doc can order through your pharmacy. I have also heard of warm salt water.

The thick secretions I did have and they were pretty bad for about 2 weeks as I remember. I would wake uo at night choaking on it. Pretty ugly stuff, but it went away on it's own and was replaced by dry mouth which will last for a long time.

My sister was hospitalized for the exact same condition as your daughter- I think Penny had neutropenia caused from treatment. Her count came up within a few days if I remember- all I really remember was the fright. I know Penny's dropped even lower than you mentioned. Just be strong-know that this is all part of it. In regards to the secretions this too I know was a constant for her for a while, I think she had a humidifier running, and also she was told to rince with baking soda and salt water- this supposedly will "deactivate" the bacteria-truly I'm not sure if this worked since she could barely put anything in her mouth, but from what I've read I think it's worth a try- Be well and ask your Dr's and then ask again and then ask some more!

My husband's wbc came up in about 2 days.

Check into getting a portable suction machine from a health supply agency like Apria. Most insurance companies will cover it. And if not, it's well worth the money to be able to suction out that awful mucous. My husband had the machine for about 4 months. It's like the machine a dentist has.

Thanks, for your suggestions and answers. She got Neulasta and wbc's up the next day from 1.5 to 6.3. Yay! Temp started coming down and was getting 3 antibiotics. Home on Friday. She was using suction at hospital and it helped ALOT! So did get a port. machine for home. She is feeling better.....also got some better pain control while in hosp. and at home.

I would look into the magic mouthwash and the suction machine, They both help my husband alot. The mouthwash is a solution the pharmacy mixes which consist of lidocaine maalox and bendadryl, it soothes and coats the sores at least for a little while infact I am going to the pharmacy after I post this to pick up some more, The suction machine works so well with the saliva, I highly recommend geting one.
Take Care
B