Pneumonia after chemo?!

This can be very dangerous. Chemo and radiation knocks a persons immune system down where they can not fight off infections and germs that can make them very ill. This is why they have them where mask over there nose and mouth when they go out into the public. To prevent them from getting germs that can make them very sick. (colds,flu whatever) There white blood cell count is very low. The higher the white blood cell count is, the better the chance you have to fight off infections/diseases etc. The "LOWER" the white blood cell count.... the less likely you are able to fight off infections.

White blood cells (WBC) are one part of our body's immune system, working to protect us against infection. A "neutrophil" is one type of WBC (white blood cell) and they make up the majority of WBCs (white blood cells). They are the "first responders" and quickly appear at the site of infection, ingesting and destroying foreign particles. They can be found in the pus of a wound and play a role in acute inflammation (redness, warmth, swelling, and pain). A normal neutrophil count (also called absolute neutrophil count or ANC) is between 2500 and 5000. A low neutrophil count (less than 1000) is known as "neutropenia". The lower the neutrophil count, the higher the risk of infection. Neutropenia is most often caused by cancer therapies, including chemotherapy and radiation therapy. For chemotherapy, low counts usually occur 7-10 days after treatment.
Given that "neutropenia" is caused by cancer treatments, there is not much you can do to prevent it from occurring, but you can decrease the risk of getting an infection while your count is low by washing your hands more frequently, wearing a mask out in public, staying away from people that are sick etc. I wish you the Best OF Luck with your Aunt and even tho she is very sick she can still pull through this but it will not be an easy road for her to travel or your family. I hope I answered your question and will be glad to answer anymore questions that you may have. Good Luck!!! "T"

Chemotherapy tends to suppress the body's natural defenses against disease. In particular, white blood cell production is reduced significantly and this allows for opportunistic infections to take hold.

Pneumonia is a serious disease that can be life-threatening for persons with compromised immune systems. You aunt will be given an aggressive course of antibiotic treatment and, depending upon her overall medical condition, may require hospitalization.

Best wishes for agood outcome.

Any time someone has done chemo their immune system may be weakened and getting pneumonia might be harder to fight off. I am sure your aunt's doctors are taking good care of her and she is getting the best treatment possible.