Posted 10/28/2013 9:01 PM (GMT 0)
To piggy back onto Traveler’s comments: because everyone is different and reacts differently to the infection as well as the treatment, I think that blood work is a very important tool in the fight against the infection. If you have insurance and can afford it, you should request from your doctor regular blood work.
I have mine dating back to 2008, which is years before the infection. I can see the numbers change up or down as I became infected, as I started treatment, and now while I am being treated.
Although the numbers are within “normal range” it helps to see the fluctuation and to see what in the blood is being impacted. Imagine having this information as you begin to tackle Lyme, then Bartonella, the Babesiosis and also as you start to feel better. For example, as the vitamin D below goes up, my fatigue and depression has been going down. Good to know right?
By the way...it would be a good idea to get this bloodwork done on your loved ones for reference. Hopefully they will never get infected, but if they do, at least you have it for reference.
An example of my blood work:
WBC count 6.4 before infection, 5.0 before treatment, 6.4 while in treatment
RBC count: 5.27 before infection, 5.11 before treatment, 4.96 while in treatment
Neutrophils: 55 before infection, 59 before treatment, 68 while in treatment
Neutrophils (absolute): 3.5 before infection, 2.9 before treatment, 4.5 while in treatment
Lymphs: 35 before infection, 31 before treatment, 24 while in treatment
EOS: 0 before infection, 1.0 before treatment, 0 while in treatment
RDW: 13.2 before infection, 14.3 before treatment, 14.5 while in treatment
Glucose, Serum: 85 before infection, 95 before treatment, 85 while in treatment
BUN: 14 before infection, 15 before treatment, 17 while in treatment
Alkaline Phosphatase, Serum: 113 before infection, 100 before treatment, 86 while in treatment
Creatinine: 1.1 before infection, 1.01 before treatment, 0.96 while in treatment
EGFR: 85 before infection, 88 before treatment, 92 while in treatment
Prolactin: ?? before infection, 8.5 before treatment, 7.2 while in treatment
Vitamin D: ?? before infection, 14.6 before treatment, 18.6 while in treatment