NWR.. not sure if i'm worrying for nothing...

shoegal68 Posted: Sep 26, 2007 06:51 PM

NWR.. not sure if i'm worrying for nothing...

about 2 weeks ago i went for my yearly physical. My doctor called me this morning to give me the results of my blood work. He said i have a high white blood cell count. the normal count is 10,000 my count was 13,000. He said to come back within a week to re-take the test. I did quick search online & freaked cos i heard it maybe leukemia. well i called my boss so fast & got on the next train. i took the test again & had a quick chat with my doctor. he said its possible the lab messed up. Also, he noticed how worried i looked & said not to worry. If he thought it was something serious he would send me to the ER or tell me to go to the blood specialist AND he told me to stay off the internet.

anybody ever hear of this?? i just am natural worrier by nature & its so scary. hard for me to think of anything else

just wanted to vent. can't wait for those results to come back.

davenjess Posted: Sep 26, 2007 06:53 PM

Re: NWR.. not sure if i'm worrying for nothing...

Okay - there are tons of nurses on here - so one of them will comment...

You CANNOT GOOGLE things like that!!! All the worst possible things will come up!!!!!!!!

If you ate before the test - that's a HUGE reason things could be skewed... Please don't start worrying and losing your mind. Your doc was concerned but like your boss said - he didn't send you to the ER for IMMEDIATE tests...which believe me - he would've if he was paniced!! It's happened to me and it's not fun - but they don't hesitate to do that!!!!

Please let us know what happens with the second test - but stop googling - nothing good can come of it!!

dream426 Posted: Sep 26, 2007 06:56 PM

Re: NWR.. not sure if i'm worrying for nothing...

Your counts can go up for any reason. Something you ate, stress or if you are sick like a cold. It can mean anything. Don't worry. I am sure your fine but I am the same way. I would look it up also.

Espo22 Posted: Sep 26, 2007 06:59 PM

Re: NWR.. not sure if i'm worrying for nothing...

dont do this to yourself, trust me they mess up in the labs and not only that but they retest for every little thing. Ive done that where i worried myself sick and for it to be nothing...Dont start thinking about every scenario it wont help...Just think that for now theres nothing to worry about, just wait until you get the 2nd results back.

shoegal68 Posted: Sep 26, 2007 07:01 PM

Re: NWR.. not sure if i'm worrying for nothing...

thanks girls... sometimes i wish the internet wasn't so accesible .. situations like this.

thanks again

jenlen Posted: Sep 26, 2007 07:43 PM

Re: NWR.. not sure if i'm worrying for nothing...

Don't freak yourself out!!!! your count will go up any time you're sick, or not feeling well. Even with the minor cold or flu....

MrsHtobe Posted: Sep 26, 2007 07:45 PM

Re: NWR.. not sure if i'm worrying for nothing...

I wouldn't worry about it at all! your white blood cell count can go up for ANYTHING. It just means that the cells are working a little harder to fight off infection (which could be anything!)

It will probably be back to normal next time you go the doctor.

yelley77 Posted: Sep 26, 2007 07:47 PM

Re: NWR.. not sure if i'm worrying for nothing...

The most important thing is to stay calm!!! And DON'T look on the internet. I'm sure you will be fine!

kkss1419 Posted: Sep 26, 2007 07:54 PM

Re: NWR.. not sure if i'm worrying for nothing...

DO NOT look on the internet!! You will only make yourself nuts. A high white blood count could be anything. It is most likely something as minor as a cold. Do not make yourself crazy. If it was something serious it would most likely be alot higher than that!

Rayjenn317 Posted: Sep 26, 2007 07:59 PM

Re: NWR.. not sure if i'm worrying for nothing...

i wouldnt worry.... it couldnt be a number of things. They should compare them to prior labs and see what your 'normal' is. Everyones normal range is different. One can be above 'normal' and some people can have below.
So dont worry, you might have had a bug and not have known it too

shoegal68 Posted: Sep 26, 2007 08:07 PM

Re: NWR.. not sure if i'm worrying for nothing...

i know... everything online has it being leukemia.. heart disease.. then says studies show women with higher white blood counts have a shorter life span.. UGH.

i may need to stay off the computer for awhile.. at least until i get the results.

thanks for the reponses... you girls did make me feel better !!

SeaMaiden Posted: Sep 26, 2007 08:31 PM

Re: NWR.. not sure if i'm worrying for nothing...

dont worry, an elevated white count is usually nothing-it could be from the sniffles, virus, stress, minor infections...everyone will show up with a white count eventually if you do tests on their blood everyday, it will probably be normal on the next test. and btw, please dont look at the internet for this stuff, it is soooooooooooo out of context and will not change anything.

Mrs. V 2008 Posted: Sep 26, 2007 08:33 PM

Re: NWR.. not sure if i'm worrying for nothing...

don't stress yourself until you have the results..counts can fluctuate all the time if your sick, have an infection, etc

kellybean Posted: Sep 26, 2007 08:42 PM

Re: NWR.. not sure if i'm worrying for nothing...

hi white blood cell counts for leukemia are normally closer to 100,000 not 13,000 though I understand you are worried its very normal for white blood cells to be abnormal ....viruses cause them to lower and bacteria to cause them to be higher ( in most cases ) in some people in can be the opposite !!!!

shoegal68 Posted: Sep 26, 2007 08:45 PM

Re: NWR.. not sure if i'm worrying for nothing...

Posted by kellybean

hi white blood cell counts for leukemia are normally closer to 100,000 not 13,000 though I understand you are worried its very normal for white blood cells to be abnormal ....viruses cause them to lower and bacteria to cause them to be higher ( in most cases ) in some people in can be the opposite !!!!

made me feel a WHOLE lot better .. thanks !

the scary thing is that for the most part i was feeling pretty good that day. just got back from vacation & very relaxed. the only thing i can think of is that i was fasting for the blood test & I was getting a really bad migraine.. maybe also a little dehydated.