Quote:
Originally Posted by margieinindy
When you guys talk about blood counts being "dangerously low" what levels are you referring to?
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Hi, Margie.
Welcome to Marrowforums. Sounds as if you have tons of medical/caregiver experiences you can share with us from your husband's history with brain cancer. I hope that, in return, we can help you learn the ropes of dealing with bone marrow disease.
The question of what constitutes "dangerously low" blood counts is hard to define because it's different for each person. For example, a hemoglobin (HGB) count below 6.0 is probably critical, but some people are critical at 7.0 and some people can live with 4.0. A platelet count below 10 is critical, but many people have bleeding problems with a count in the 20-30 range. Likewise, a low white blood count or neutophil count doesn't necessarily mean that a patient will get an infection--only that they are more likely to. Hospitals and doctors will have their own cutoffs for transfusions and other treatments. Patients have to get to know themselves too so they know the symptoms they experience when their counts get low.
Hope this helps. I'm sure you'll hear from other members on this topic.
Regards,
Ruth