Quote:
Originally Posted by maggiemag
Hello BW. It all depends on what the numbers are. When I have had an ANC (absolute neutrophil count) under 1.0, AND I had a fever of 100.4 or higher, I was told to go right away to the ER for a neutropenic fever. Otherwise, I would just make sure my physician was aware of a persistent fever over 100.8 if my ANC was normal.
Mags
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marriemag is right on! Your husband should get in the habit of checking his temperature twice a day. Generally, you don't want a single temperature of 101.0 F (38.0 C) or a temperature of more than 100.4 F (38.0 C) for more than one hour.
Fever's must be taken seriously in patient's with neutropenia, an ANC count below 0.500. When a normal person gets an infection, we're used to seeing swelling and other signs of our bodies fighting an infection. But, people with neutropenia don't have enough neutrophils and white blood cells to form an attack. So, by the time an infection is suspected, the infection has spread and difficult to treat. And contrary to popular belief, the most common cause of death in patients with MDS is NOT Leukemia. But, infection. The most common sites of infection is the skin, catheter insertion sites, oral cavities, sinuses, lung, and abdomen. So, when you see your husband reach these temperatures, get him to the ER right away so that antibiotic therapy can be administered.
Don't wait for his Doctor to call back. You call a doctor's office and subject to get a voicemail. A wise man once said, when it comes to acting on fevers in the neutropenic: "It's better to make the wrong move and be embarrassed, than to make no move at all and be embalmed. (Honestly, I am the wise man
) But, hopefully, you get my drift.
Hope this answers your question!!
Works Cited
Elizabeth Engle and Maike Haehle, Febrile Neutropenia In Myelodysplastic Syndromes. 2014
http://www.mdsbeacon.com/news/2014/0...tic-syndromes/