Neutropenic Fever

Last Friday, I started getting a low grade fever. What didn't make sense to me was that I was on antibiotics, so I shouldn't have an infection. I told my doctor, but they didn't seem too worried. Over the next couple days, my pain was reaching new daily levels. I could hardly get out of bed. I was having such bad headaches.

Instead of sending me straight to the hospital in the middle of a pandemic, they ordered labs to be done. I went in right away and when they got the labwork back, they noticed my white blood count was low. They said Bactrim - my antibiotic - could cause this and advised me to stop taking it.

By the end of the day, my temperature hit 102.2 and that's when the decision was made that I needed to be seen. Of course, I would need to go all the way out to Santa Monica to their ER, so my doctor could oversee my visit.

When I got there, my fever was over 103 and they put me in a white tent out in the driveway. They tested me for everything an everything came back negative, including COVID-19. However, my white blood count dropped more. They admitted me.

Over my 5-day stay in the hospital, I would learn that I had a "rare, but serious" (apparently my subtitle for the year) to the Bactrim. It caused me to have a Neutropenic Fever. This antibiotic is now the only one on my drug allergy list.

During a Neutropenic Fever, the neutrophils drop significantly. The neutrophils are part of the white blood count and without them, you can't fight infections. So, I needed my neutrophils number on my labs to get to 1000. They reached as low as 250, so it took some time for them to get back up. My fever was gone and my pain was actually better, too.

Who would have thought that an antibiotic could do all this? It is so important to pay attention to your body and advocate for yourself. At first they didn't even want to admit me. They were going to send me home without lab results. I waited in that tent until almost 2am the first night. I could have gone home, but I knew I needed to be there.

Fight for yourself. Ask questions. You know your body better than anyone else.

#ineffablepain #crps #crpsjourney #bactrim #antibiotic #complications #neutropenic #neutropenicfever #advocate