Day seventeen of Cancer Treatment:- Today, I am writing this post in a new venue! My Parents house. The reason for this is because my poor baby is not well, and had a bad night last night. And is being well looked after by her mum, So the arrangements were made for me to spend the day, being looked after and pampered at my parents for the day, unfortunately away from a poorly baby. Many of you reading this, probably think that cancer sufferers are susceptible to infection or illness because of our chemotherapy, which of course is true, but dont know why. Well as I have posted my blood results previously, my count of neutrophils is still quite good and high for someone with cancer. But what are they? Time for an education!!! Neutrophils are the most common type of white blood cell, comprising about 50-70% of all white blood cells. They are phagocytic, meaning that they can ingest other cells, though they do not survive the act. Neutrophils are the first immune cells to arrive at a site of infection, through a process known as chemotaxis. Before ingesting invasive bacteria, neutrophils can release a net of fibers called a neutrophil extracellular trap (NET), which serves to trap and kill microbes outside of the cell. When neutrophils ingest microbes, they release a number of proteins in primary, secondary, and tertiary granules that help kill the bacteria. They also release superoxide, which becomes converted into hypochlorous acid, which is theorized to play a part in killing microbes as well. A deficiency of neutrophils is called neutropenia and may be congenital or acquired, for example in certain kinds of anemia and leukemia, or as a side effect of chemotherapy. Since neutrophils are such an important part of the immune response, a lowered neutrophil count results in a compromised immune system. So it is this, that the nurses and doctors are concerned about after we have our chemo, and why we have to be extra careful on where we go, who we see and what we touch! So when you are naturally used to not even thinking about being anywhere, or seeing anyone, I have actually have to not be at work, keep away from anyone with even the slight sniffles and not even touch the simplest thing such as an apple, as any type of bacteria can put us into hospital. And there is no bacteria at mums! Lol Oh, and to top it off, my hair is falling out in absolute ribbons!!
Posted on: Wed, 09 Apr 2014 19:10:39 +0000