blood test while on radiation treatments.....

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ashly1959
ashly1959 Member Posts: 29
edited June 2014 in Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After

I'm going on my 4th week of radiation. A few day ago the nurse was looking at my chart and she notice that my last blood work was taken by my ongologist 2 weeks before I started the radiation treatments- the nurse told me that I should be taking another blood test. When the nurse spoke to my radiation oncologist she said it was not necessary since I had my blood taken not to long ago. I was reading the other day that blood test should be taken monthly when one is on radiation to check the blood cells level. Do anyone had this same experience? or know something else about blood test while on radiation?

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  • NativeMainer
    NativeMainer Member Posts: 10,462
    edited June 2007

    When I asked the nurse she said the center doesn't routinely check blood work. It's probably one of those things that is different at every center.

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  • janet11
    janet11 Member Posts: 262
    edited June 2007

    My rad center didn't do any blood work either.(finished rads Feb 28, 2007)

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  • ps123
    ps123 Member Posts: 221
    edited June 2007

    I never had any blood tests while doing rads.

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  • sherloc
    sherloc Member Posts: 1,047
    edited June 2007

    I think blood work is dependent on what type of cancer you have. Don't think labs are standard during rads for bc.

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited June 2007
    My center tested my blood every two weeks...Im thankful that they did...my body had a strange reaction to the rads and it caused my potassium levels to drop dangerously low....I had been have symptoms but didnt realize what was causing them...as soon as the level came back up the symptoms went away but it was a tussel to keep in within the normal levels until about two weeks after I finished rads (mid-March 07), then the following test showed everything fine.

    Jule
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  • Leahrc
    Leahrc Member Posts: 459
    edited June 2007

    My center checks every two weeks. They are looking for red counts and platelet counts which can be affected. They will offer procrit if they fall low enough. I already told them I would refuse!!!! (I hate that shot). But so far, so good.

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  • dawnsie
    dawnsie Member Posts: 17
    edited June 2007

    I had a blood test as well to check counts too.

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  • Lynn12
    Lynn12 Member Posts: 1,008
    edited June 2007

    I have blood tests weekly. I think the onc said because I had chemo which leads me to believe that the women that didn't have chemo don't get the blood draw.

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  • lc111350
    lc111350 Member Posts: 33
    edited June 2007

    I had chemo so my oncologist still does monthly labs but the rad onc doesn't do any. The area being treated isn't much involved with blood production, that goes on in the long flat bones. This does all seem to be center specific and perhaps income generated. I wonder if the ones doing weekly labs have their own lab they are using.

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  • Lynne
    Lynne Member Posts: 641
    edited July 2007
    I did not have chemo, and during radiation they did not do any blood tests. I had only the oncologist blood tests before I started the chemo.

    Lynne
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  • CaliforniaKate
    CaliforniaKate Member Posts: 258
    edited July 2007

    No one ever told me to have blood tests during rads either. Kate

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  • dkmaustx
    dkmaustx Member Posts: 363
    edited July 2007

    I specifically asked the radiation oncologist about blood tests when I saw him today for the consultation visit. He said that he doesn't see any reason to do them during radiation. He said some centers do them regularly, but it isn't necessary in my case, anyway.

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  • PookieBear
    PookieBear Member Posts: 75
    edited July 2007

    No blood count checks with rads, only with oncologist every 3 months.

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  • leebrigs
    leebrigs Member Posts: 41
    edited July 2007
    I only had a blood test at my initial rad consult. That's been it so far and I'll be finished next week. (Yeah!)
    Lee
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  • L8895
    L8895 Member Posts: 69
    edited July 2007
    No blood tests for me during rads either. I did not have chemo, if that makes any diff.
    I also will be finished next week. Yeah again!
    - Linda
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  • Brenda_R
    Brenda_R Member Posts: 509
    edited July 2007
    I had chemo but the rad onc didn't order any blood work.
    I have to get my chemo port flushed once a month and they did try to draw from the port but didn't get a blood return.
    The nurse said it was not a big deal. Probably because my CA27-29's has been within the normal range since the beginning, and even though my counts dropped during chemo, they always came back up before the next round.
    So, I have had no blood work during rads.
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  • ReldaL17
    ReldaL17 Member Posts: 28
    edited July 2007

    I was still doing Herceptin through rads so my onc would give me a copy of my blood work to give to my rad onc. Otherwise my rad onc said he would have done blood work every 2 weeks. As it was he did draw blood my second to last week cause it had been three weeks since I had been to my onc for Herceptin at that time. I did have chemo if that makes a difference.....

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  • itizwutetiz
    itizwutetiz Member Posts: 19
    edited May 2010

    I didn't have chemo. Im just having rads and they do blood tests every 3 weeks on me. Some I see are having it every week, some every two weeks, so I guess it all depends.

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