In a bad flare - Blood Test Results

[bertiedog]

This year I have had endless viruses and a throat infection. Two weeks ago I started yet another virus but managed to get over it after about 3 days with almost hourly doses of Echinacea Augstiflora. However I soon felt very unwell with full blown ME/CFS symptoms but especially severe pain in my neck and shoulders plus exhaustion.

I have had this pain almost non-stop since then and have big lumps in my shoulder and neck area but thankfully since having some lovely relaxing treatments at my local spa I have felt a touch better in myself. In the mornings I am back to feeling terrible and unable to do anything before about 11 o'clock.

My GP wanted to rule out Polymyalgia Rheumatica because of my severe body pain/aches and I just got the blood test results which thankfully show it isn't that at all but it is a flare of ME/CFS.

C Reactive protein results was very low at 1 and ESR also low at 5 but what the results show is that again my total white blood cell count is at the bottom of the range, lymphocytes are below the range and the lowest they have been for several years at 1.1 (bottom of the range is 1.5) but Basophils are at the top of the range and have been since developing ME/CFS in 2000.

Has anybody been able to do anything about these low lymphocytes because I am sure its one reason I get so many viruses in the winter which leave me so unwell and also I don't understand why I would have these quite high basophils almost permanently.

I have tried lots of herbal remedies to aid the immune system but they have obviously not helped at all. I was also wondering again about whether I do have a problem with borrelia (positive test in 2015 through Infectolab Germany) but I know that @JonathanEdwards doesn't believe these tests are accurate.

Thanks if anybody can enlighten me.

Pam

 

[Mary]

@bertiedog, copper deficiency can cause low white blood cell count. My WBC has been low for many years, though I've recently increased my copper and it would be interesting to see if my number has gone up.

You might try andrographis - I found this to be more effective than Echinacea for viruses. I think it did cause a herx reaction because initially I got quite tired for a couple of days, but then that passed. It's an immune modulator.

 

[bertiedog]

Thanks @Mary I would doubt it was a copper deficiency cos I eat loads of peanuts and cashews each day and I think they contain copper but that's not to say this isn't the case.

I do have Andrographis and have taken lots of it but not recently. The last time, 2 weeks' ago I took Echinacea Augustaflora at first sign of virus and I think it did knock it on the head but only took it for 3 days and then stopped. So the virus seemed to be cleared but it seemed to be the last straw and my body seemed to come down with what I thought was lots of inflammation and pain though the blood test didn't really indicate the inflammation. Must be something to do with the lack of energy because my stamina is dreadful.

One thing I always worried about with the Andro was whether it caused migraines which I get very easily. Its difficult to know cos I get migraines when I have a virus anyway!

Pam

 

[Crux]

Hi Pam,
I haven't had elevated basophils before, but it's associated with a variety of inflammatory conditions, including allergies and asthma.
This article does bring up that basophils may be elevated post viral infection, but since you've had them for so long, it's odd.
http://www.medfriendly.com/basophil.html

With the low lymphocytes, of course it's non-specific , but , zinc deficiency may lower lymphocytes. Corticosteroid use may lower zinc, even if it's a physiological dose.

http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/ab...&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&journalCode=nutr

And with those migraines you keep having, iron deposition in the brain is associated with migraine. Researchers aren't ready to say it's causal, but , there they are.

http://headache.imedpub.com/neuroimaging-in-headache-disorders.php?aid=18312

In Chronic daily headaches, the following changes have been documented. Increased iron deposition in the peri aqueductal gray, Putamen, Globus pallidus and Red nucleus and also reduction in gray and white matter density and volume depletion in multiple regions of the brain.