What Can I Do To Prevent Neutropenia?
Since white blood cells are destroyed as a side effect of chemotherapy, there is nothing specifically that you can do to prevent neutropenia from occurring. Nonetheless, there are several things that you can do to reduce your risk of getting an infection when your white blood cells are low: Taking action at the first signs of infection can help prevent it from spreading and getting worse. There are several signs and symptoms of infection that you should look for, including: • oral temperature above 100.5 degrees, chills or sweats • cough, excess mucous, shortness of breath or painful breathing • soreness or swelling in your mouth, ulcers or white patches in your mouth, or a change in the color of your gums • pain or burning with urination or an odor to your urine • change in the odor, character or frequency of your stool, especially diarrhea • redness, pain or swelling of any area of your skin • redness, pain, swelling or drainage from any tube you may have (e.g., Hickman catheter, fee
