New member - worrying self sick

[markley]

Hi all,
I am new to the forum and found y'all by the hundreds of google searches I've been doing today. Anyway, I have been getting routine bloodwork the past 5 years and have discovered an alarming trend in my WBC. Being a scientist, of course I had to plot these results out and am not at all encouraged with what i see in the graphical trend. Here are my WBC results: 12/2009 = 4.6, 10/2010 = 5.6, 9/2012 = 4.3, 10/2013 = 3.9, 9/2014 = 3.1. There is a fairly consistent drop each year beginning in 2010.0 Also my neotrophils have shown a similar downward trend for the entire 5 years, started at 3.3 and now at 1.7. I have an appointment Thursday to discuss the results with my Dr., but am worried sick with what I have found in my many google searches. I am 36, of normal weight, and exercise on a regular basis. Can anyone please help calm my nerves?

Thanks in advance for any help/suggestions.

[Neil Cuadra]

markley,

As a scientist you know the value of research, and also the value of considering all of the possibilities. Which of course includes some scary scenarios. But since a gradually dropping white count can be due to medications or nutritional issues that can be straightforward to address, there's no need to panic. Ongoing infections can cause neutropenia, as I'm sure you've read, but that seems unlikely to cause a drop three years in a row. A white count drop can also be due to a bone marrow problem, and there's no point in pretending that's not also a possibility. Your concern is appropriate.

You can take comfort from the fact that you are "on the case", you've spotted the trend, and you will have a medical evaluation. It's a lot easier to deal with facts than with our natural fear of the unknown.

Your white count has been in the normal range and only a bit off the low end of the normal range in this most recent test. You aren't in imminent danger. Blood tests even give false results sometimes and can vary from one lab to another, so another test may show you're actually in the normal range. Your graph is the evidence that an evaluation is important, but a single blood test is never conclusive.

Some people tend to assume the worst in any stressful situation and some people are naturally optimistic. You can't change your personality, but you may find it reassuring to know that you're doing exactly what you should be doing in getting a checkup, seeking information, reaching out, and asking questions. You know that the Internet is full of information but also plenty of mis-information, so you shouldn't believe every alarmist report or medical miracle story that you come across. The major medical sites have good articles on neutropenia, and you should soon know whether some of the information they present applies to you.

If you are like me, you'll feel much better once you have a medical explanation and can take action to deal with whatever the problem turns out to be, rather than waiting to learn what's going on and worrying about every last possibility. Gathering information, working with your doctor, and asking questions puts you in charge of your own health, and that's the healthiest approach.

Good luck, and I hope you have your explanation very soon.

[markley]

Thanks so much for the reply Neil! I am hoping that it is only a nutritional issue, although I have tried to eat healthier over the past few years since by cholesterol is also high. I have also been exercising a lot more this year. Also, I am not, and have not taken any regular medications. It's hard for me not to think about the bad scenarios and drive myself into a frenzy.

Hopefully my doctor will help me get to the bottom of this soon! Thanks again!

[Chirley]

I think I read somewhere that fit athletes tend to have lower blood counts than the general population and that's why they are more susceptible to infection. I always get amazed how you hear about Olympians swimming with pneumonia etc.

Are you into that kind of degree of fitness?

[markley]

Oh no...nowhere near that level of fitness. I run on average 10-15 miles a week, but that's about the extent.

[markley]

So I took a look at my wife's results over the last few years and they are as follows for wbc, 2011= 6.1, 2012=3.7, 2013=4.1. Appears to show similar drop so it possibly is a nutritional issue.

[sbk007]

Most(But not all) of us with bone marrow failures see declines in more than 1 cell line and they're more severe than what you present. Those numbers both yours and your wives are Normal, your last test was a little low(WBC) but not terribly so and probably nothing.
My guess is your worrying over nothing. Still, I think you'll feel better after you speak with your doc. Is there any specific reason why you compare blood tests yearly? I ask this as most people that take yearly exams w/ routine blood tests usually don't think anything of it unless their Dr calls them to tell there's an anomaly... - Take Care!!

[Hopeful]

Hi Markley,

Just to put you a little at ease, the WBC have the most variance of any cell line. They have a very short life cycle. I've had jumps like this on weekly CBC's. It is nothing to be alarmed about. Any inflammation, virus, or infection (even one you may not realize that you have yet) can affect the WBC/ANC.

Now, if your doctor is concerned enough to monitor you monthly, and you see that you have a continued downward slide in your ANC month-to-month, then maybe you could call it a trend. However, yearly variance in WBC/ANC is likely normal.

[triumphe64]

Do you have any autoimmune diseases?

[Chirley]

Ah, these health trends are killing us....just kidding!

Is there something wrong with the tradional meat and three vege diet?

[markley]

Thanks for all the replies! Really helping to put my mind at ease. The reason that I am getting yearly bloodwork is to monitor my cholesterol, which is borderline high. I happen to keep track of my results in a spreadsheet and graph out my results so that I can see how things are doing. My doctor hasn't called to alarm any flags..just something I noticed. I always meet with my doctor after the bloodwork gets back to discuss the results and just do a general evaluation.

As far as an autoimmune disease, not that I am aware of.

Also, my diet usually consists of a meat, sauted veggie, and a grain of some sort. I definitely "slip" at least once a week (usually on the weekend) and eat not so good. I also rarely eat breakfast, just usually grab my coffee and go. Oh and on average, i would say I have 1 drink a night (either wine or beer).

[sbk007]

I think you're fine ( and your wife as well) and your Doc will confirm that. You feel good right? Stress will mess with the immune system and cause all sorts of crazy stuff so my advise to you is don't stress over a slight difference in yearly blood exams. Could be the time of year, time of day or many other things that most people wouldn't think twice about. BTW - If you look at the actuarial tables you'll see that people that have a drink or 2 live longer on average by 3 years. Don't know if they deduct points for skipping breakfast.

[markley]

Yeah..I feel great! Can't remember the last time I got sick. I will say that my allergies have seemed to have gotten worse.

[markley]

so I saw my doctor today and he too was concerned with the trending down white blood count. he also thought it was revealing that my wives counts have been dropping the last 3 years as well. so she is getting blood drawn today to see if her levels have dropped again this year before proceeding to the next step. unfortunately that appointment did nothing to calm my nerves just another wait and see. the doctor said of her levels continue to drop like mine then we can narrow it down to an environmental issue potentially. if not its on to the hematologist for me.

[Marlene]

Has your doctor checked your vitamin D, iron, zinc, copper, b12, folate and B6 levels? B12 needs to be at 400+?

[markley]

Not yet on the b12, etc. Waiting to see wifes results before figuring out what to do next.

[Marlene]

Everything else is OK then? They checked everything but the B12? The reason I asked is that I have a friend who had declining counts similar to you & was able to reverse that by normalizing his Vitamin D and B12 and few other things. His B12 was low-normal so according to his doc, it was not an issue. Within 3 months of adding in active forms of B12 & folate,B complex, D and K, his white count was back to normal for him.

Many think that B12 only effects red cells but it has a roll in proper RNA/DNA replication along with other things.

[Marlene]

OH....missed the etc. .

If she hasn't had her blood drawn yet, you may want to ask them to check vitamin levels at the same time to avoid another draw if they come back low.

[markley]

Thanks Marlene Sorry, not sure why my same post keeps showing up?? That's right, they did not check B-12 or any of the others that you listed. Thanks for the suggestions!! I'll be sure to ask about getting those checked.

Also, I just found out that my grandfather and other relatives had rheumatoid arthritis...so I guess that is a possibility as well.

I also notice that are levels started dropping right after we moved into our new house which is on a well. So maybe we'll have to run some heavy metal tests to see if anything pops up.

[Neil Cuadra]

Originally Posted by markley

Sorry, not sure why my same post keeps showing up??

I haven't seen that happen before. Perhaps you are clicking the BACK button after submitting a post, and that causes your web browser to resubmit it. That's just a guess.

In any case, we routinely remove duplicate posts so it's now cleaned up.

[Marlene]

It's good that you are looking at the events that occurred prior to your blood work changes. Go back over the past year and identify any illnesses, exposures or other environmental changes.

[markley]

Yeah, both my wife and I have limited exposure to toxic chemicals with our jobs (working at superfund sites). However, my exposure was early 2010 for only a week (of course with personal protection precautions). I would suspect my WBC counts would not continue to decline without continued exposure. Which then leaves our well water and/or radon exposure at our new house. We do have a radon mitigation system and have had the air tested, which came back below the limit (though still detectable). We will also be testing our water for radon, as well as a slew of heavy metals.

[markley]

So my wife received her results and her WBC had also continued to drop. So while that sort of eased my mind a little (being that it may be something environmental/nutritional that we can correct), it still is troubling. I am still leaning towards environmental since both our levels started dropping after moving into our new home. Although that is also about the time we changed up our diet in an attempt to correct my high cholesterol. Maybe we cut out foods that we providing some needed vitamins??

[Marlene]

I can understand feeling a bit relieved and at the same time still concerned. Time to put your detective hat on .

How dramatic was the change in your diet and how long ago? Cholesterol, on its own, is not a good predictor of heart disease and I'm always cautious when doctors automatically treat based on a number.

[markley]

Our change in diet wasn't that drastic. Basically cut back on eggs, packaged food, fried food,and started eating more fresh veggies, grains, and more fish. I would think we're getting more needed nutrients and vitamins than we were?? I know that I don't drink enough water, and do not take any vitamins or supplements. Definitely lack on fruits.