Low WBC after Surgery

I found that during my treatment, any drugs at all reduced my WBC, it was consistently below 1 or just around or above. It's still low and is always flagged up in blood tests. I have some blood test results from years back before my treatment, and it was around 6 then. So this seems to be the new norm for me. 3 isn't especially low and I was told the risk of infection is higher is it's under 1. I was hospitalised on numerous occasions when mine was under 1.

It is also important to note that the ranges on lab tests were formulated for adult men, not women. My MO has pointed out that being at the low end of the range can be totally normal and acceptable for women. I have had a significant number of surgeries and continue to consistently be at the low end of, or slightly below, normal on WBC but have not had any issues with infection. I did receive Neulasta during chemo to keep my WBC high enough to avoid an opportunistic infection during that time period.

lunderwood - my DH used to be a marathoner so I feel ya on the resting HR, his was always low as was his BP. He still has low-ish results for those when vitals are taken but he developed knee issues, mainly degenerative arthritis, so can't run distance anymore - he has had to settle for short races. His ortho said too much mileage means a total knee replacement. His doc is amazed that at 56 he takes no meds on a regular basis - low BP, blood sugar and cholesterol and a great BMI - he is very fit and started lifting eights again to keep his metabolism under control since he can't use running to do so. You may also see some elevated liver values if you are inducing muscle fatigue regularly - I have a friend who is experiencing this. I think often if we have not regularly had CBC and CMP or BMP done at intervals prior to diagnosis so we don't always know what our normal results are, then we have those tests more routinely after diagnosis and become concerned. If you don't already use one, you might consider a probiotic - so much of the immune system is in the gut and using probiotics seems to help strengthen that for some.