"I still have Mt.Everest to climb, but I have traveled across the world and arrived at the mountain". Posts: 633 | From baltimore | Registered: Mar 2010
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
It means you now how insufficient white blood cells to fight infection. It is a "low white blood cell count."
This can happen when on antibiotics.
My lyme doc put me on Transfer Factor when this happened to me. In 2 weeks, he retested my blood and the white cell count was back up to normal, so I didn't have to stop my antibiotic therapy. The Transfer Factor worked great.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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"I still have Mt.Everest to climb, but I have traveled across the world and arrived at the mountain". Posts: 633 | From baltimore | Registered: Mar 2010
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"I still have Mt.Everest to climb, but I have traveled across the world and arrived at the mountain". Posts: 633 | From baltimore | Registered: Mar 2010
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
Evidently, when we are on antibiotics for so long, our bodies can get the idea that they don't have to make white blood cells anymore. The antibiotics are fighting infection for us.
So, it is a possible side effect of taking antibiotics continuously.
But, it is easily remedied with the Transfer Factor or stopping antibiotics.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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posted
TF - do you have any idea if children can take Transfer Factor? My son's white count is down. Any link you can give to info on this would be great.
Thanks.
Posts: 239 | From Virginia | Registered: Jun 2009
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tick battler
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 21113
posted
I think it also can be a sign of ehrlichia. Might be worth getting some testing, although the tests are not very accurate and can easily miss an infection.
Once you knock down one infection, often symptoms of another will surface. So it is possible that the ehrlichia is surfacing.
tickbattler
Posts: 1763 | From Malvern, PA | Registered: Jul 2009
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timaca
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6911
posted
some drugs can cause a low WBC. Here's a website to check: www.doublecheckmd.com
Mepron can cause a low WBC in 5% of the people who take it:http://doublecheckmd.com/EffectsDetail.do?dname=Mepron&sid=1907&eid=2237#sesearch
I did not check your other drugs...you can do that.
When I have a low WBC, my doctor will run a repeat CBC with a differential. (I'm having one tomorrow, for I have a low WBC presently. I think my current low WBC is due to the reactivation of EBV).
Best, Timaca
Posts: 2872 | From above 7,000 ft in a pine forest | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
I had low WBC count before any treatment, when I had lyme but not yet diagnosed.
Posts: 8430 | From Not available | Registered: Oct 2000
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
Aimee, I don't see why children would not be able to take advantage of Transfer Factor. The one I was given was made from bovine (cow) colostrum.
As you probably know, colostrum is the first "milk" a mother produces. It is very important for the newborn as it gives it the immunities from the mother's body. That is what transfer factor does also.
Here is a website for a particular brand made from bovine colostrum:
This may be the brand my doc gave me. I am not sure.
I understand that at one time some cancer docs were giving their patients Transfer Factor to help them overcome the ravages of cancer therapies.
By the way, I got a low white blood cell count while on Bactrim DS. I had already treated lyme and bartonella. I was treating babesiosis when this happened to me. That was the last med I took. Then, my treatment was complete.
So, in my case, I did not have any more tick-borne diseases that happened to cause this.
I have been symptom-free now for the last 5 years. I am enjoying my life. And, it is the same life I had BEFORE lyme disease. Praise God!! I praise Him every day for this.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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Amanda
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 14107
posted
Many, many things can cause low WBC.
To my knowledge lyme, erlichia, bartnoenlla and Babesea all have the capacity to lower WBC counts.
As said before, some meds cause low WBC counts. I have found that just lowering the dose of abx causes my WBC counts to go even lower, so I would be careful about stopping any medicne without first speaking the your MD.
virus's are also famous for lowering WBC counts. Aerobic exercise will temporarily lower certain WBC, which is why many of the lyme doctors tell you to avoid aerobic exercise until your are healed (they do strongly recommend anaerobic exercises though).
-------------------- "few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example" - Mark Twain Posts: 1008 | From US | Registered: Dec 2007
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posted
I have low WBC too. I am now taking shark liver oil and Siberian ginseng to try and raise my WBC count, and I feel better since starting these, along with zinc. I haven't had another blood test though so I don't know if they're actually raising my WBC count, but shark liver oil and Siberian ginseng are both supposed to help with this.
Posts: 929 | From Massachusetts | Registered: Oct 2007
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timaca
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6911
posted
Well, I just had a repeat CBC with differential due to my low WBC and low platelets 2 weeks ago. The results are now normal. This supports my theory that the low counts 2 weeks ago were infection based since my EBV titers had spiked at that lab draw, and I had felt just awful.
I am way excited to discuss this with my doctors next week.
Best, Timaca
Posts: 2872 | From above 7,000 ft in a pine forest | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
I have followed my absolute lymphocyte count for several months while treating 1st for Lyme mainly (doxy) then Bart zith,bactrim,flagyl, and now for Babs: zith bactrim artemisinin. I focus on lymphocytes because they make the antibodies. These cells have been slowly, steadily rising throughout the last 10 months. My total WBC was higher at the beginning though (more phagocytes then). The CD 57 counts are a subclass of Lymphocytes and I am on limited budget so I am using total lymphocyte count as a proxy for CD 57 and for me it correllates well with my slow mostly steady recovery.
Beachinit.
-------------------- Ideas not advice. Posts: 448 | From Downeast Maine | Registered: Jul 2009
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