Pneumonia with no known cause

[Bionic Granny]

I haven't been here in a while, but I need answers. My white blood count was 30,000 in April and was put in ICU and on a ventilator for almost two weeks. Every test imaginable was run, with no viral or bacterial infection. X-rays showed I had fluid in both lungs--almost died. Are there any other reasons for this to happen. Pulmonary doctor was also puzzled. I have researched everything about pneumonia and high white blood count, the only thing left is a test for leukemia. Please help.

[National Jewish]

There are a variety of causes of pneumonia.  It is possible that this was not an infectious pneumonia.  There are chemical, posttraumatic, and allergic pneumonias to list a few.  It is also possible that it was infectious.  Sometimes it is difficult to find the bacteria or virus that is causing the problem.  An example of this is Legionella.

Some forms of infectious pneumonias result in high antibody titers that may last for sometime, even after the pneumonia has cleared.  You might ask your doctor about these and whether blood tests for these antibodies might still be worth doing.

A high white blood count does not always indicate an infectious pneumonia.  Now that the pneumonia has cleared, the white blood count should have returned to normal.  If not, other causes of the high count, including leukemia, should be investigated.

[Bionic Granny]

I went to see one of the pulmonary doctors who treated me and one (he treated me 3 years ago) told me I did not have pneumonia, but had ARDS. I do know what this is, but he also said this was a secondary condition to an infection somewhere. I also had a pancreatic attack he said and this was the second time this has happened.What kind of test is done to diagnose pancreatic disease??????? He said the doctors need to find out what is causing my white blood count to keep getting high--he did a test for leukemia and do not have that. I don't have a spleen anymore and I am 54 years old. Is pancreatic disease cureable????

[Ellis7]

See:
http://www.mamashealth.com/pancreatitis.asp  Pancreatitis
Excerpts:
"Complications?

Some of the complications from pancreatitis are: low blood pressure, heart failure, kidney failure, ARDS (adult respiratory distress syndrome), diabetes, ascites, accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, and cysts or abscesses in the pancreas.

Symptoms?

The symptoms of acute pancreatitis usually begins with severe pain in the upper abdomen. The pain may last for a few days. Some of the other symptoms are: swollen and tender abdomen, sweating, nausea, vomiting, fever, mild jaundice, and rapid pulse."
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http://www.ards.org/learnaboutards/whatisards/faq/
FAQ on ARDS
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