Needing some help

I don't know if I am posting this in the right place but I need some advice.

I have always had a health anxiety, mostly associated with cancer and heart disease. Recently I went for an annual physical and everything was good except that my Dr. called and said that my white count was slightly low (like 4). She said we should retest in 3 months and I asked questions like "should I be doing anything?" "What symptoms (if any) I should be looking for?" All they said was nothing just come in a retest. So there doesn't seem to be any sense of urgency except with me.

Now I have googled everything and am quite aware of all of the horrible things associated with a low white count. However, I am also aware that there are different degrees of normal, different standards, and your white count can fluctuate. For example, the Mayo Clinic says 3.5-10 is normal, while other places say that 4.5 - 11 is normal. My lab said that they like to see 5 or so. That, however, does not prevent this obsessive mind from jumping to the most horrible conclusion.

(I could also note that I had surgery in April with antibiotics after ward and had a virus from my daughter in June, both of which I know could be the culprit). Or I am told it could just be a fluctuation that means nothing.

I guess what I am doing is trying to find people with similar experiences and how much solace can I have with my numbers given that my Dr. does not seem to be concerned. I have also scheduled an appointment with her to have a one on one in person discussion about the results.

I just don't know if I can handle 3 months of what ifs?

Thanks to anyone that can help me.

Thank you so much. I have had a health anxiety for a long time and this is just the worst right now. However, I think that talking with my Dr. in person may help. My wife keeps telling me that I have to trust that she would not allow me to sit with some horrible disease for three months if my results reflected that. I, however, have a hard time with this type of trust. The irrational part of my brain just takes over and immediately jumps to the most horrible conclusion possible.

And you are so right about the fact that nothing we ever worry about actually happens. Hearing someone else say it makes me laugh.

I would love some links. Its tough to find people that understand just how paralyzing this can be.

Hi

Welcome to the forum I am pleased you have found us.

Sorry to hear you have health anxiety it is tough to live with I also suffer with it and it can really take over your life if you let it. The main thing is to not google your symptoms which is hard to avoid I know but this will only make your anxiety 100 x worse.

I had the exact same results as you and my white blood cell count is just out of range on the low side and yes this completely freaked me out and I used the dreaded google and before I new it I was diagnosing myself with all the serious illnesses that cause low white blood cells and actually made myself sick with worry.

My doctor said it was nothing to worry about and wanted me to re test in 4 weeks which I did and it came back with the exact same result so we did the test again with the same result and my doctor then told me that was just my normal level and although it was on the low side it was nothing to worry about. I found out that my Mum also has a low white blood cell count so it could be genetic.

Health anxiety gets grouped in under the OCD banner as you can become obsessed with checking your body for symptoms and continually search google.

The good news is lots can be done to help so do check out SC links for some useful information. The first thing I did was stop goggling my symptoms which was hard and I am still fighting that urge but it really does make a big difference in my anxiety levels. Every time I get a worry about my health I just tell myself it's just my health anxiety making me worry and I let the thought go which does take practice but worth the effort.

Keep us posted.

Hibee

 

Yeah!!  So glad to hear you are finding the Resource help beneficial!

It does take effort...but you are going for it...well done!!

...and as you can see it does help.

Keep up the great work and posting,

S.C.

Well, I had a one on one with my Dr. and she was very thorough in explaining my numbers and dealing with my anxiety. My white count was actually 3.9. The lab that I use has as normal 4.8-10.8 but she said she doesn't recommend repeating the test unless the number is below 4 so i was literally right on the threshold of 4. She assured me that my other numbers were fine (all important ones). She even led with "you have nothing to worry about."

As far as my history she pulled my lab work from 2011 and it turns out that my white count 4 yrs ago was 4.4 which is still below the 4.8 the lab uses and at that time I was with a different doc and never even heard about this number. Also, other numbers that were high were also high 4 yrs ago and numbers that were normal were normal 4 yrs go, so she said this is probably just the way that I am.

We went over tons of stuff but she said it was up to me to trust her. She even let me move the test up to 1 month instead of 3 (assuring me that she didn't think it was necessary) and said she wouldn't even be worried if my count was at 3.5. Basically she said the only time she worries is if it gets around 3 but any number below 4 by any degree she has you repeat the test because she is thorough.

So I guess I have to learn to place trust in the people that know more about this stuff than me but at least I have some real info to combat those irrational thoughts that creep back into my mind.

So that's the update as of now. Doing a lot better after today.

Am I allowed to post a website where someone can get relief in minutes from a cold press THCa oil with 65% THCa compound?
if not let me know, as I found it really helped me.



Hi medicineman, I had to remove your link. We aren't allowed to post websites to pages that are selling products.

Post Edited By Moderator (AngelLisa) : 7/22/2015 9:14:04 AM (GMT-6)

Great job on following up on your results...and believing that what your doctor says is true!

The combination of certain results on the CBC is what is crucial...if only ONE number is slightly low...it is not cause for concern...

...and your doctor looked at the whole picture, with the other numbers all being in range...so you are A-OKAY!! :)

Celebrate this feeling of relief, and feel good about your progress in accepting the result, rather than continuing to doubt or worry! This is a BIG step!

High fives!:)

S.C.