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Posted by Lily (Member # 13158) on :
 
He saw my recent labwork and was concerned. He told me to go off of all supps/abx. for one week and then retest. This is just for a comparison. I will see him in just over a week.

Anyone want to take a stab at helping me understand some of this?

Hemoglobin 8.9 (low)
Hematocrit 20 (low)
Neutrophil % 80.2 (high)
Lymphocyte % 6 (low)
Lymphocyte abs .5 (low)
SED 90 (high)

Urine (not during cycle)
Protein 100 (+2)
cloudy
Sp Gr.urine (high)
Sq. Epithelial Cell 4-6 (high)
Bacteria (0cc)
Occult Blood 1+


Now, the really confusing one...

CD 57

CD 57+ 8
CD 57+ (% lymphocytes) 1% of WBC
40 cells/ul

Then, they calculated it with other CD numbers like CD3, CD8.

Any help is appreciated.

I can obviously see the "anemia" and the inflamation (SED). I have no signs of any UTI, though I've never had one.

Can anyone help me pull this all together?

Thanks!

Lily
 
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
 
Hey lily..

Your results indicate you will probably live at least till the 3rd weekend in March, 2094. If not.. contact me and I will refund your money for this tea-leaf reading I am getting ready to do. OK?

1st... I had close to the same readings (urine) for years. Turned out NO ONE paid attention to it and wrote it off... but I eventually researched those results in depth myself and learned it was most likely a strange disease they called "Babesiosis".

Of course now it is common place.. so you might want to consider Babs if you haven't already.

IF you have a urine culture done.. or even many of them.. they probably won't be able to identify the actual infection... as they don't test for babs through urine. IF that is what it is that is causing it.. like it was for me.

Are you on a low-fat diet? If so.. maybe add more fats... the GOOD fats.

It appears you have a low defense against infections too.

I am not a doctor... so don't take my advise here.. ok?

Hope that helps some?

[Big Grin]
 
Posted by Lily (Member # 13158) on :
 
Thanks, Tincup.

I appreciate the insight.

I am, in fact, being treated for babesiosis right now.

My LLMD and my MD both called today about the results. Both were concerned. Since LLMD said to stop all meds, he got me a little concerned as well.

Yes, I'm a very healthy eater so fat content is healthy/low. What would adding fats to my diet accomplish? Also, I'm thin and I have lost 15 pounds these last two months of relapse. Any connection to the above labs?

I have no idea how to interpret that CD57 test. It just does not make sense.

Blessings,

Lily
 
Posted by InADaze (Member # 7711) on :
 
CD57 is just a marker as far as I know. Very low CD57 means big time Lyme. Mine was 57 two years ago and climbed to 84 or so now.

Although that's considered in the normal range, my doc says it's still low and consistent with my chronic Lyme.

8 is pretty low.

I can't help with the others stuff. [Big Grin]
 
Posted by merrygirl (Member # 12041) on :
 
the protein and blood in your urine could be from your kidneys.. just a thought. Hope you feel better soon.
 
Posted by METALLlC BLUE (Member # 6628) on :
 
Obviously an extremely active infection. Neutrophilia in conjunction with a high SED rate. So inflammation is rampant. It appears to be -- to me -- an active Herxheimer reaction, in conjunction with a medication which may be lowering the blood count at the same time.


I also see a possible co-infection here. Is there a diagnosis of Babesia or Bartonella or another infection? The kidney issue could be entirely independent, a separate problem but I don't know. Has further blood testing been done on other infectious disease?

I am uneducated, and not a health care professional, so at best this is a guess.
 
Posted by Lily (Member # 13158) on :
 
Metallic Blue,

Yes, I believe I was in the middle of a Herx when this was taken. However, my SED rate stays high as long as I have symptoms. In fact, my main problem is inflamation. That was quite interesting that you picked that up.

LLMD has me stopping meds so that we can see if they are reducing my counts. We'll see. I'm stopping for 1 week.

Never had kidney issues.

Never tested but being treated for Babs. You said you see a possible co-infection. What numbers from the labs helped you see this? I'm just trying to learn from this.

I was tested a year ago when this all started. I was tested for everything under the sun. Nothing cam back positive except Lyme (from Quest and IgeneX). I have not had all the testing again since the relapse looked just like the initial infection.

Thanks for the comments. Do you see anything all that concerning?

Lily
 
Posted by METALLlC BLUE (Member # 6628) on :
 
quote:
Metallic Blue,

Yes, I believe I was in the middle of a Herx when this was taken. However, my SED rate stays high as long as I have symptoms. In fact, my main problem is inflamation. That was quite interesting that you picked that up.

Well the internet is an amazing thing. Combined with my experience and the ability to fill in the holes by looking things up fast, I can usually figure out 2 + 3 = more than 4. Hehe

quote:

LLMD has me stopping meds so that we can see if they are reducing my counts. We'll see. I'm stopping for 1 week.

That's the right move. Staying on the medication would be dangerous I suspect.

quote:

Never had kidney issues.

So this has only surfaced during this specific test?

quote:

Never tested but being treated for Babs.

That would explain the anemia, and low hemocrit, as well as the Sq Endothelial. Chronic Lyme disease also contributes to anemia in a lot of patients, though it's often mild.

quote:

I was tested a year ago when this all started. I was tested for everything under the sun. Nothing cam back positive except Lyme (from Quest and IgeneX). I have not had all the testing again since the relapse looked just like the initial infection.

Whatever it is, is chronic, that's for sure. What medications, supplements and herbs are you using?

quote:

Thanks for the comments. Do you see anything all that concerning?

Coming off the medication should solve the "alarming" problem here.

Lily
 
Posted by JillF (Member # 5553) on :
 
i wouldn't worry. just do as the doctors say and see how your bloodwork is after the break


my sed rate has always been high 90's - it never really changed even after my lyme treatment. noone ever figured out why, none of the doctors


ever seemed worried about so i stopped being concerned. i should get it checked again. no idea how important the test is considering all the docs i saw didn't really care about it


as for the cd 57 - i don't know how i feel about that test. after about 8 mo of treatment, i was finally tested and i was declared cured simply because mine was 126.


i was much better but i still had (have) symptoms but was told they could not be lyme related now due to the test (but before the test they were being considered due to lyme).


my husband's cd 57 was 208 and he had no symptoms at the time and i thought he was def cured of lyme...a year later his symptoms are back and he


feels worse then the first time around. so i have mixed feelings about that test


i agree w/metallic blue. and i think my lab work was somewhat similar in regards to the babs treatment


anyways, don't worry - just take the week off and see how it goes. i have found no matter how anxious i make myself with my illness, it never


makes things any better or any easier (easier said than done, btw)
 
Posted by knshore (Member # 13451) on :
 
I'm going to just say...you need iron!!!

I had hemoglobin that low and they wanted to send me to the ER for a blood transfusion. You need to ask them what they plan to do about your hemoglobin.

That's really too low to just go off of meds and do nothing about.
 
Posted by terri3boys (Member # 12993) on :
 
I agree! You definitely need IRON!

My hemo got really low like that several years ago. My doctor put me in the hospital for 24 hours and did an iron infusion.

Ask your doctor about doing that. You need IRON!

terri3boys
 
Posted by Lily (Member # 13158) on :
 
I'm currently taking iron. Obviously, it is not obsorbing the way that it should!

Thanks for all the input.

Lily
 
Posted by HopefulStill (Member # 15375) on :
 
Regarding iron,
this is what Doctor Mehmet Oz and Dr Michael Roizen(Guests on Oprah) says in his book
'You Staying Young".

Pg 94 of this book-
And what about taking iron supplements to treat the anemia that comes with chronic illness? Not so fast. This may be exactly what the bacteria want you to do. Iron is a key resource for bacteria, and our bodies have evolved several different ways to keep it away from them. When we become infected, our bodies produce a chemical called leucocyte endogenous mediator (LEM), which decreases the amount of iron in our bloodstream. So, ironically, while the blood test tells us we're anemic, this intentionally low iron level is helping keep the bacteria in check.
That's especially important in the body's response to infection. For example, the bubonic plague was very deadly in the Middle Ages because the bacteria would enter our macrophages (white blood cell scavenger system) and thrive due to their high iron content. But in people with hemochromatosis (iron-loading disease to their high iron content), which is now the most common genetic abnormality in northern Europeans, bubonic bacteria had trouble surviving, since the macrophage iron level was so low. Although abnormal iron loading leads to premature death in people with hemochromatosis, the sufferrs of this genetic condition do not die of bubonic plague. So when a quarter of the European population was killed during the first plague, our ancestors with hemochromatosis survived. Subsequent bouts of the plague were much less devastating because of this change.
So infections have shaped our genes through natural selection and have forced humans to jump through hoops in developing complex systems to protect ourselves. Aging can weaken our well-honed immune function, which becomes one of the first places we see and obvious change in our health. Sometimes we catch things we used to duck, and sometimes thes meticulous defenses go awry.

I thought this was interesting. I do take iron myself and I wonder if when your iron is really low if it is best to take it. I just don't know. It is best to talk to a doctor that knows your individual health history.
Iron carries oxygen we need, but now I am concerned a little with what is a good balance for someone with chronic illness. Should we keep it on the low side, but a safe amount for functions? I plan on asking my doctor on my next appointment.

Take care everyone,
 
Posted by Lily (Member # 13158) on :
 
Wow, that's an interesting excerpt about iron. Hmmm. I guess I will ask my LLMD next week when I fly up there.

One more thing to consider [Smile]

I never heard this before.

Thanks.

Lily
 


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