Crying and afraid. Blood test answers?

[sweetnightmare]

So a little history on me first.
* I am 27 years old and about 100 lbs overweight. (just being honest)
*I am female
* I do not drink
* I do smoke, probly a pack a day x.x
I have a history of depression, anxiety, bladder infections and I am bipolar.

In March 2012 I had a CT scan on my chest and it indicated nothing was wrong except for some enlarged lymph nodes due to just getting over bronchitis.

Two months ago I ended up with pneumonia, which then turned into a sinus infection, and I am not going to an ENT and he is treating it with heavy duty antibiotics (treated with zithromyacin, now taking 3 weeks of Bactrum.) If it doesnt work he will do sinus surgery.

I dont ever feel good. Admittedly I am a hypochondriac but my chest hurts alot and I get short of breath. I feel like I cant do anything. My hypochondria makes me afraid I have leukemia or lymphoma.

Last night I went to the hospital cuz of left sided chest pain. The doctor said it was atypical and I probly had just chest wall pain (costocondritis) and that my blood counts can be abnormal cuz of stress.

EKG was normal, chest X-ray was normal, However I am concerned about my blood tests.
My WBC was high at 11.2, 11.0 being normal. My NEUT % was high at 78.0 when 76.0 is normal. My NEUT ABS was high at 8.8 when 7.2 is normal. And my LYMPH % was low at 16.3. everything else was fine.

I am scared because the left side and center of my chest still hurts. :/ I dont know if I even really have a sinus infection. But ever since I had pneumonia a couple of months ago I am always coughing up stuff especially at night when I lay down. I am scared.
Any advice? I was also told a chest X-ray wont show lymphoma or leukemia.

[Red_Star]

A decreased lymphocyte count may be a temporary response to a virus, use of medications such as steroids, a more serious infection, or an underlying autoimmune disease or cancer.

An increased percentage of neutrophils may be due to acute infection, acute stress, myelocytic leukemia, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroiditis, trauma.

Are you taking the drug lithium for bipolar? Lithium is a known cause of hypothyroidism. If you had your symptoms prior to any drug treatment, i would suspect Hashimoto's thyroiditis (autoimmune hypothyroidism) which mimics bipolar. Other symptoms of low thyroid hormone includes depression, anxiety, weight gain, and a poor immune system.

If there isn't enough thyroid hormone in the cells, these cells are unable to fight off infections from viruses and bacteria, especially those that attack the respiratory system and the urinary tract.  Some of these infections are pneumonia, tonsillitis, middle ear infections, bladder infections, and sore throat.

It would be very rare indeed for a healthy person to "catch" pneumonia. I would also recommend testing your vitamin D levels. Vitamin D is crucial to activate T cells into killer T cells to kill off bacteria and viruses.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi!
Well your WBC count and that of different types of WBC is on the higher side. However, it is not alarmingly high, nor indicative of cancer, lymphoma etc. The counts could be on higher side due to pneumonia and due to stress. Even if you have costochondritis, the WBC count can be high. If you have costochondritis, you can apply a pain killer gel and use a heating pad at the site where you have pain. Since ECG is normal, the pain can also be due to acidity. Take Omeprazole empty stomach in morning and an antacid gel at bedtime. Refrain from smoking, alcohol, fuzzy drinks and spicy food. See  if this helps. Do discuss these possibilities with your doctor. Take care!