White Blood Cell Count Question

[Tazicket]

I've been feeling really cruddy for that last couple of months. My Dr ordered blood tests to check my blood count and I had those done about 3 weeks ago. The results on that said my white blood cell count was a little elevated, so they wanted me to have more blood drawn and checked a couple of weeks later. They said the counts would most likely be back to normal by then and the test was just to confirm that.

Fast forward to last week and my 2nd blood test for this. I just got the results back today and my white blood cell count is still off. So, now I'm going back in another couple of weeks to have the levels checked (which is extra fun, b/c I fainted after getting the first one done and almost fainted after the second) .

Meanwhile, I have this weird rash thing popping up all over my body that won't go away w/ steroid creams, antifungal creams, or antihistamine creams. They did a biopsy on one of those that came back normal (turns out they were checking it for cancer which I was not aware of at the time ).

As if that's not enough, I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (an auto-immune thing where your body produces a bunch of extra antibodies that basically eat your thyroid).

My question is, at what point would you become concerned about the white blood cell count thing? I've got all this other junk going on, so it might be realted to that. OTOH, they were all sure the counts would be back to normal with the last test and they weren't - which kind of concerns me. I feel like my body is going completely out of control and it's scaring me.

 

[Tazicket]

bumping to see if anybody has any thoughts

 

[JoBird]

Oh, hon, hugs...

I guess my first question is how high your "elevated" is?

Our bodies are strange in that we could have weird things going on inside and not know it. Did they do differentials? Where were those levels?

Just because your WBC is high doesn't necessarily mean that something is terrible wrong. It just means they might need to probe a bit to find out what is going on.

I am sorry you are having this. I, too, am fighting an unknown "thing" going on with elevated blood counts, and lots of tests right now, so I feel for you. Really I do.

Jo

 

[golfgal]

My lab tests did all kinds of weird things when my thyroid was out of whack. Once it stabilized everything went back to normal. Is your thyroid issue under control or are they still trying to figure out your dosage? Are you seeing an endocrinologist?

 

[Tazicket]

Oh, hon, hugs...

I guess my first question is how high your "elevated" is?

Our bodies are strange in that we could have weird things going on inside and not know it. Did they do differentials? Where were those levels?

Just because your WBC is high doesn't necessarily mean that something is terrible wrong. It just means they might need to probe a bit to find out what is going on.

I am sorry you are having this. I, too, am fighting an unknown "thing" going on with elevated blood counts, and lots of tests right now, so I feel for you. Really I do.

Jo

Ugh! No fun getting stuck with needles all the time, is it?

They said that the "normal" range for WBC is 3.8 - 10.8 and mine are 11.9. I know that they are higher than they were the last time I got blood drawn. I don't remember what exactly they were before (and they didn't have it there when I talked to them on the phone today).

I'm not really sure what differentials are. They didn't tell me a whole lot. And it took 5 calls over 3 days to get the info I did get. They've had my results there since Wednesday, but they couldn't tell me anything about it until the Dr signed off on them. After multiple calls ( ) they said this morning that they'd ambush the Dr and promised to call me as soon as they knew something. I finally called them this afternoon and said 'd be going by to get the results and they were magically ready (and noone had called me).

Sorry - it's really frustrating to have something wrong and not be able to have info, you know?

Glad to have some words of comfort on it. It's really easy to feel all lost and scared when so much junk happens at once, you know?

 

[Tazicket]

My lab tests did all kinds of weird things when my thyroid was out of whack. Once it stabilized everything went back to normal. Is your thyroid issue under control or are they still trying to figure out your dosage? Are you seeing an endocrinologist?

They have the hormone levels within a good range - and that's been steady for several months. It's just the antibodies are crazy high (over 1000 when they're supposed to be under 35).

I see my GP for it. He's done a lot more research into thyroid issues than the avg GP since his kid has thyroid issues, too.

 

[Green Tea]

Is your platelet count normal?

 

[Hercules10]

Hate to jinx you but my wife just went through the same "Elevated white blood count" scare. After several weeks she was sent to an oncologist and had a marrow sample taken. Turned out to be chronic leukemia.

Keep in communication with your doctor. My wife's GP wasn't concerned (she'd only seen this one for about 6 months). But when her OB/gyn (who she seen for 14 years and knew my wife's family history) found out about it and did more blood work she, the doctor, got upset that the GP hadn't followed up and immediately referred my wife to an oncologist.

Good luck!!!!!!!

 

[JoBird]

Okay, I just looked at my recent lab results and the "normal" range that this particular lab uses are 4.5-11.5. In using that range, your level at 11.9 isn't very high at all.

My Rheumatologist, who is the one who is testing me for everything under the sun, said she wasn't alarmed when my levels for some of these were a tiny bit higher than "range".

Have you had any viruses lately? Anything??

I know...!

It's all that coffee we're drinking! It's causing our levels to be wacky!

JO

 

[JoBird]

Hate to jinx you but my wife just went through the same "Elevated white blood count" scare. After several weeks she was sent to an oncologist and had a marrow sample taken. Turned out to be chronic leukemia.

Keep in communication with your doctor. My wife's GP wasn't concerned (she'd only seen this one for about 6 months). But when her OB/gyn (who she seen for 14 years and knew my wife's family history) found out about it and did more blood work she, the doctor, got upset that the GP hadn't followed up and immediately referred my wife to an oncologist.

Good luck!!!!!!!

How elevated were her levels???? Just a hair over or a lot over??

How is she now?

Jo

 

[lemondog]

How elevated was the count? My WBC is always slightly elevated. Always. Has been at every appt. I've had for the last 10 years, bar none. My internist has finally decided that it's normal for me.

I wonder if your body is maybe fighting off a low-grade infection??? Hope you feel better soon.

 

[Hercules10]

How elevated were her levels???? Just a hair over or a lot over??

How is she now?

Jo

I THINK her levels hit in the 70 to 80 range. Not sure but I know the OB/gyn said "They were off the charts".

She was diagnosed with CML which can be controled by Gleevec (The 'wonder' drug). That gave her horrible bone aches for several weeks. Other then that, the stuff is working too good. Count is actually around 1.5 now and they're thinking of chopping her dosage. Beside that she's fine.

 

[Christine]

Ugh! No fun getting stuck with needles all the time, is it?

They said that the "normal" range for WBC is 3.8 - 10.8 and mine are 11.9. I know that they are higher than they were the last time I got blood drawn.

Fortunately, it is not that elevated. The worrisome numbers are when it's at something like 40!

I went for a period of time where my was elevated (in the 11 range) and no one was really concerned. I later found out that I had gastritis and it had probably been going on for awhile, hence the elevated WBC. My guess is that your body is definitely trying to fight either some type of infection or inflammatory process.