Blood Tests??!!

[robbeth]

I was diagnosed with anxiety several years ago..... but have been unhappy with the dr's just pushing pills and not really listening to me.  I have had 2 stress echos both fine, my cardiac enzymes are fine.  I recently went to a new dr. and was explaining to him my symptoms. I took along the last 2 sets of blood test I had done.  He noticed my TSH had went down and thought it could be my thyroid and ordered more blood test.  I was really impressed that he wasn't just pushing pills down me.  He did put me on Pristiq ( a new Effexor) until we get through all the test back and see if it is my thyroid.  My TSH and my T4 continue to go down.  I got all my labs from 2005 through yesterday and they went down every test. He is scheduling me for an ultrasound of my thyroid to check for nodules.  The scary part for me is my WBC is high along with my Leukocytes and Monocytes.  He wants me to see a hematologist now.  Of course the first thing I done was "google" all my test results and came up with Leukemia.  I do not have any symptoms of this, but here is where the anxiety kicks in.  I guess my question is does anyone have any ideas as to what is causing all three of these to be high.  The interesting thing is on all my labs from 2005 to present a combination of 2 or 3 have been high.  I try to rationalize that dr's normally don't just do a CBC so how do you know if and when they were ever normal????  Hope someone can understand all this and help ease my mind.

[robbeth]

I did call the dr's office yesterday and talked to the nurse.  I told her i am sooo anxious about why he is sending me to a hematologist.  I told her I had been on "google" searching and her answer was it's not leukemia.  That calmed me down soooo much.  That was my #1 scare.  Just thought I would let you know.

Thanks again,
Elizabeth

[RubyWitch]

I am the same way you are about wanting to know, to understand everything RIGHT NOW! It is very hard for me to be told that I have to wait for test results to come back. While I DO understand why I have to wait, I pick my doctors brain about all the "what if's" I can think of at the time. I tell him I realize he can't give me an accurate DX until the tests are back, but I know damn well he has highly educated guesses and I want to know what they are! I usually end up with enough information that while I'm still a bit spooked, I'm not AS spooked as I would have been if I'd just let him walk out the door with a jaunty "see you in two weeks when we have the results!" I'm sure I drive my docs a little crazy and there probably IS a picture of a fruitcake in my chart, but frankly my dear, I don't give a damn. HE isn't the one who won't be getting any sleep for the next two weeks, so HE'S gonna do whatever HE can to help ME get through that waiting period. I like being "older!" You get away with a great deal more than kids. LOL
You hang in there, OK?
And you let us know as soon as you find anything out!
Peace
Greenlydia
    

[robbeth]

I am doing better at staying off the internet and searching.  My problem is I have to know, I have to understand.  I am not one who takes what the dr may tell me and say "OH OK" and go on.  The problem with this is I don't wait on a real dx to do the search to understand the issue, I search all the "What if's" and thats bad bad bad!!!!  I do feel better about it all since the original phone call, and when I go back to the dr on the 25th I will question all the why's.  Thanks for your responses.  They are greatly appreciated.

Elizabeth

[RubyWitch]

You're very welcome, but if you are still freaking out, call your doctor's nurse back and ask her why the doctor wants these tests. She will no doubt have to call you back after pulling your chart and talking to the doctor...........oh well! She should have given you this information when she called in the first place. I am a bit of crank when it comes to doctors trying to blow me off and I simply don't let it happen anymore. You want this information, then you deserve to have it. Your health is not some secret to be kept from you.
I hope your efforts to avoid the Internet are working! You will find nothing there except more fear!
Stay in touch.
Peace
Greenlydia

[robbeth]

Thank you both for you comments.  I know the worst thing to do is "google" symptoms, I am the first to tell someone else that, but it's so hard to follow your own advice.  My dr. is a new dr. and his nurse called to say he wanted me to have an ultrasound of my thyroid and see a hematologist, so I haven't had the chance to talk to him about why.  I am trying to stay off the internet sites.......  again thank you for your concern and I will let you know the outcome of all of this.

Elizabeth

[cj29]

Ok...I am going to echo what greenlydia has said here because I just want to emphasize not to Google your symptoms.  I have a headache right now and if I searched for those symptoms I would get everything from posture problems to a new undiscovered ameba from Mars that is slowly eating its way out of my skull.  I know it sounds crazy, but you can find ANYTHING on the internet and tailor it to what you want to believe.

As far as the tests go...let them take their respective courses.  I have had numerous initial false positives for a myriad of things that turned out to be less critical then I thought they were.  Qutie often, when we are anxious, we always assume the worst, when in the vast majority of cases it is not.  Please keep us posted!  I know how frustrating this can be!

[RubyWitch]

I wish there was someone here who could interpret what your test results MIGHT mean, but we are not doctors.
What I CAN tell you is that the very worst thing to do is Google these results. Why? Because now you fear you may have Leukemia!
The test results you typed in are only a small fraction of the complete metabolic panel your doctors have done, so Google, bless it's heart, is only going to search for results that match the information you gave it. And it apparently came up with Leukemia as a possibility. What it should ALSO have told you is that there are at least a hundred BENIGN reasons for an elevated WBC.
That your doc is sending you to see a Hemotologist means he is being thorough. Did you ask him why he wanted you to see a specialist? Did he not explain the many reasons why certain markers on your tests keep coming back abnormal? Did you ask? You have that right and your doctor has an obligation to discuss anything he may be considering. In this day and age when doctors are pressed to see more and more patients per hour, we must all be very pro-active in our own health care. And if that means stopping your doctor from flying out the door before he has adequately explained things to you, then that is what you must do!
I do wish I could ease your mind, since that is what you came here for, but I can't do that. I think it is highly unlikely you have Leukemia. In three years of receiving pretty much the same results, if your doctors had suspected Leukemia, you would know by now.
My humble advice? Stay the hell OFF all the symptom sites! Keep looking up your test results and you'll have every disease known to man. If you are really freaking out about this, call your doctors office and ask to speak with him or his nurse. Get the answers you should have had before you stepped out of his office!
My last bit of advice is going to be incredibly stupid. Try to relax. You can't do anything until ALL the tests are in, so do what you can to relieve the stress of waiting. And trust me, all of us here know and understand the hell of waiting!
Please let us know what comes of all of this. We do care! (And stay OFF Google!)
Peace
Greenlydia