Very Bad Chills and Elderly

[AlanG]

Mother who is 86 was diagnozed with MDS a few months ago and has low hematocrit count. She is on Aranesp and has had a few transfusions. We have an appointment with Dr. Gore in January. My sister is the primary caregiver.

Trying to determine whether chills are part of MDS. They are occurring almost every day now. Needs 4 blankets and a heating pad when they occur and it can last for a few hours. The internist is baffled.

[Marlene]

Hello Alan,

Do you know if her white blood cell count is affected by the MDS also? Sometimes you can have chills from an infection even though you may not have a fever. Her local Hematologist should be consulted. I assume your sister takes her temperature also to make sure its not dropping too low either.

Lastly....look up the side effects of Arenesp to see if chills are one of the adverse side effects. A good site is www.rxlist.com

Marlene

[Ger]

Alan.
I would strongly suggest you keep track of your Mother's temperature and if there is any elevation contact her Hematologist immediately.
My welcome to the world of MDS came abruptly when seemingly out of the blue my husband Don started chilling. He had had 1 week of Dacogen infusions. Two weeks later he had to be hospitalized because of very bad chills. As it turned out his hematologist took him off the Dacogen saying in Don's case it just wasn't worth the risk.