7 replies to this topic

[geoppo]

For the last few weeks I have been suffering with terrible shoulder and neck pain. I cant do anything but lay down. I went to my heart dr for a yearly check up of my heart and he ran some tests. I would like to ad that I was put on prednisone 2 days before my blood work. 60 mg a day for 3 days then tapering off, total of 9 days. I also have a blood diesase called thalasemia I have had mos of my life (im 43, female). So my rbc, hemoglobin, hemacrit etc are always low. I compaired all of these I got yesterday to those over the last few years and they are the same as always. So here is my new blood work:

RBC-5.29

Hemo-10.6

Hema-34.1

Mcv-64

Mch-20

Mchc-31

Rdw-20

Segs-93

When they have ran segs in past always 50-60

Everything else is normal including Wbc 9.7 and my platelets are normal at 319.

Why would my segs be elevated? could this and the pain in my shoulder be a sign of leukemia? I did start my period yesterday and im on the prednisone. Any help would be great, thanks!

[jessw333]

Leukemia typically consists of very high white blood cells....pain in shoulder and neck is uncommon. But ask your doctor for certain

[geoppo]

Would like to ad thaty lymphocytes are low at 3 and my absolute segway are high at 9.02 and my lymphocytes absolute are low at .29

[Trey]

Regarding the neutrophil (segs) count, Prednisone is the likely culprit.  It does not actually increase the number of neutrophils (segs) in the body, but it does cause the neutrophils (segs) to migrate out of the marrow and into the blood stream before they otherwise would have.  So your absolute neutrophil (seg) count in the blood would show up as much higher than normal for a while.  It should be closer to normal after you stop the Prednisone.

http://en.wikipedia....ki/Neutrophilia

But have your doc keep checking.

[mikefromillinois]

For what it's worth...

Leading up to my CML diagnosis I was otherwise healthy (all my life) and had been suffering from left shoulder and neck pain for a couple weeks.  Convinced I was having some kind of heart related problem I went to the ER and was found to have a white count over 200,000.  My CML diagnosis followed.  My doctor told me the pain was due to a swollen spleen and said the pain would go away when my counts went down and my spleen shrunk closer to normal size.  It did.  His explanation was that a spleen has no nerves so the pain isn't coming from the spleen per se, but instead it is "referred" pain, manifesting in other areas.  He added that a swollen spleen can push up against other stuff causing other problems.

[geoppo]

Thank u all for sharing. I'm a wreck was up all night researching. Pointed to leukemia and now I'm sitting at urgent care waiting to see someone. My heart dr who ordered the blood tests called and said since I'm not ur primary I can't see you do go see ur dr. What does absolute and reg seg and absolute and reg lymphocytes?

[Susan61]

Hi Stacey:  Sounds like your thinking you have Leukemia, but were never diagnosed with Leukemia.  Unless, I am reading your post wrong.  Thalassemia I thought was a type of anemia that can be treated.  I might be wrong.  I had a friend who had something like what you are talking about that she said was inherited from her Italian Heritage.  She has lived with this Anemia for her whole life.  I cannot remember what she called it.  Sounds like you have other health problems too which could be causing some of this change in your lab work.  I wish you well on your exam and findings.

Please let us know how you are doing.  Try not to diagnose yourself or imagine things that might not be until you get your results back.

Susan

[Trey]

If you have not been diagnosed. you should actually be posting on another portion of the LLS website:

http://community.lls...ussions&start=0

But your WBC is too low to be diagnosed with CML.  As I said, the Prednisone is the likely culprit.