Anyone have a wbc as low as 2.5? My haematologist wants me to do a blood marrow test. My wbc count has always been low but went from 2.9 to 2.5 within a month.
Anyone experience that?
Hi @Marsey! I do not have experience with this, but the test sounds invasive. I would look into a second opinion before having an invasive test.
Thanks, Stoney. I agree with you, and decided to just monitor it for a while. (I just discovered your message in my junk mail. Thanks for your input. Really appreciate.)
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Sounds a little scary…nice that you can monitor for a bit. Seems like the safer route.
Blood marrow? is that the same as bone marrow? If so… …been there, done that.
Sounds invasive? That’s Because it is. I’ve had one and its VERY PAINFUL.
They drilled into my hip to take the sample as they told me they needed to take the sample from a large bone mass. And OMG the agony.
Never again I can tell you that much.
Merl from the Moderator Support Team
The agony, yes, but was anything conclusive and/or useful determined after you had it done? And why, in your case, was it advised? What symptoms/complaints prompted the suggestion.
Merl, or anyone. I’m being pressured to do this bone marrow test. Did you determine anything when you had it done? I’m inclined to avoid jumping into it immediately.
Apologies Marsey. I didn’t see this until today. My bad.
Marsey, my situation is vastly different to your own. I do not have Sjogren’s but I have a brain tumour. When they operated they took a biopsy of the brain growth, it came back as a benign astrocytoma, but I was having some awful symptoms with my temp and temp regulation. The dr’s all said “we operated, we fixed” but it was FAR from fixed. They did all sorts of tests and nothing comeback as conclusive. The last test available to me was the bone marrow.
During the neurosurgical procedure to take the biopsy they ventured into the very centre of my brain, an area called the subarachnoid space, and in doing so they punctured a brain structure called the hypothalamus, this structure plays a large role in regulating body temp. But none of the dr’s would entertain the idea that the procedure may have caused any side effects. They pointed at everything else possible as being the cause.
I can be a bit pigheaded at times, if I want something, if I want an answer, I will push to obtain it. So I agreed to the marrow test. But still the results were inconclusive. So in my situation it wasn’t confirmed positive nor negative as a blood/marrow issue and the dr’s stood their ground, if it wasn’t negative then there was still a possibility it was a blood/marrow issue. But by the same accord (in my view) if it wasn’t positive then they could still have caused the problem. So it was a lose/lose for me.
As I state, my situation for having the test is vastly different to your own and it would be wrong of me to comment on professional medical advice you have been provided with. I would suggest that you may wish to get a 2nd opinion from another haematologist if that’s possible, but please be aware that in doing so you may still be told the same thing.
I hope you have better luck than I did in obtaining the answers you seek.
Merl from the Moderator Support Team
Hi. Thank you so much for such a clear account of what you’ve experienced. As you say, yours was quite a different set of circumstances. Always good to get another perspective, especially when it is somewhat related. I remain hopeful even as I remain skeptical.
Thanks again and all the best!