Question:
On Thu, 29 Nov 2001 16:11:53 -0800, "J Rogow" <JRo…@ridgenet.net> wrote: >KCat <kcdoc…@ghg.net> wrote in message >news:6ddd0u4bb2o8467hus9k6r9uifum7elnmq@4ax.com… >> yes, I do so very gently. 
my platelets are unpredictable but are >> a tad low right now (not below norm, just below *my* norm). >You have a "norm"??? >Judith – Grinning in SoCal
<G>
Response:
ever since my first flare I have had wbc counts below norm. a few times they have dipped too low (my lab reports it as from 3.9-top number). 2.0 is considered bad, they’ve gotten as low as 2.4 but have bounced back up to 3.5. Prior to getting sick I had never had them below 4.0 and usually significantly higher. I’ve not had any problems with infection however, haven’t had a cold in several years – Knock on wood <kcat taps her head>. so while for most, leukopenia (which is just a fancy word for low wbcs as others have already said) put one at risk of infection, that hasn’t been the case with me. I guess what wbcs I do have, pump out lots of immune components to fight infections. by the way – just as a matter of definition: Leukocyte is the broad term for any white blood cell.. so leukopenia has to be broken down into what kind of cell is low. For me, when I got down to 2.4, my lymphocites (T-cells and B-cells) were low, but my neutrophils were excessively low – leading to a total wbc count of 2.4 so, if you have leukopenia then it can be further broken down into, neutropenia, lymphopenia (or lymphocytopenia), and so on. double-stranded DNA test…. this is a test to look for antibodies to ds-DNA, aka anti-dsDNA. dsDNA is the form of DNA that is found in the nucleus of the cell when the cell is not dividing. single-strandedDNA, or ssDNA is seen during cell division and is also present in nucleus as part of the process for coding RNA to create the proteins an individual cell must make. Those proteins range from the basic infrastructure used to keep the cell going (proteins that make up the cells "organelles" and do the housekeeping) to proteins the cell makes to perform some bodily function (as in B-Cells, this would be your antibodies and autoantibodies). anti-dsDNA is almost always seen in lupus patients and not in patients with other autoimmune diseases (unless they have overlap of lupus with another disease). Not all lupus patients will have a pos. anti-dsDNA however (some 30-60 percent depending on who you believe). you probably didn’t want to know all that but I’m stalling before getting to work on the house.. 
*********************************** KCat – I am not a medical professional. The contents of this post are based soley on my experiences and opinions http://www.ghg.net/schwerpt/mypage.htm http://www.ghg.net/schwerpt/aslfaq20.htm ("`-”-/").___..–”"`-._ (`6_ 6 ) `-. ( ).`-.__.’`) (_Y_.)’ ._ ) `._ `. “-..-” _..`–’_..-_/ /–’_.’ ,’ (()),-” (()),’ (((.-’
Response:
In article <885a0usogk46mit63jlf4t7mjak8jae…@4ax.com>, KCat <kcdoc…@ghg.net> wrote [] > Knock on >wood <kcat taps her head>.
<Woodie Woodpecker noises> >you probably didn’t want to know all that but I’m stalling before >getting to work on the house..
Don’t forget Whitehorn’s Law: if you have two shirts and one is dirtier than the other, you have a clean(er) shirt to wear so need not wash either! — Andy [Editor, Austrian Philatelic Society] For Austrian philately <URL:http://www.kitzbuhel.demon.co.uk/austamps> For Lupus <URL:http://www.kitzbuhel.demon.co.uk/lupus> For my other interests <URL:http://www.kitzbuhel.demon.co.uk>
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -><kcdoc…@ghg.net> wrote >[] >> Knock on >>wood <kcat taps her head>. ><Woodie Woodpecker noises> >>you probably didn’t want to know all that but I’m stalling before >>getting to work on the house.. >Don’t forget Whitehorn’s Law: if you have two shirts and one is dirtier >than the other, you have a clean(er) shirt to wear so need not wash >either! >– >Andy [Editor, Austrian Philatelic Society] >For Austrian philately <URL:http://www.kitzbuhel.demon.co.uk/austamps> >For Lupus <URL:http://www.kitzbuhel.demon.co.uk/lupus> >For my other interests <URL:http://www.kitzbuhel.demon.co.uk>
ok who has the paper towels to clean up my spewed coffee? Hugs, Tina (oh and you must remove my dirtysox to reply to me byE- mail)
Response:
>so, if you have leukopenia then it can be further broken down into, >neutropenia, lymphopenia (or lymphocytopenia), and so on.
Lymphopenia, that’s a word he mentioned. Something about my lymphocytes being low. And thanks to all for responding to my post. Nice to get a translation in plain English, and from folks who’ve "been there, done that." ~ It’s a lot like playing the violin You cannot start out and be Yehudi Menuhin…
Response:
KCat <kcdoc…@ghg.net> wrote in news:885a0usogk46mit63jlf4t7mjak8jaegcm@4ax.com: > Knock on wood <kcat taps her head>.
Oh, no. That what my DW does.:-) But not when she had her first known lupus symptoms: thrombocytopenia (low platelets). Bruise would have been immediate. T-bone.
Response:
Hi T-bone, How are things going for your wife? Are her platelets okay now? How low did they get? Regards, BJ "T-bone" <tluder…@netscape.net> wrote in message
news:Xns9167BECAA225Ctandelshomecom@65.12.86.98… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> KCat <kcdoc…@ghg.net> wrote in > news:885a0usogk46mit63jlf4t7mjak8jaegcm@4ax.com: > > Knock on wood <kcat taps her head>. > Oh, no. That what my DW does.:-) But not when she had her first known > lupus symptoms: thrombocytopenia (low platelets). Bruise would have > been immediate. > T-bone.
Response:
"BJ" <B…@sk.nojunk.ca> wrote in news:xNiN7.403$tlDf.5570728@tomcat.sk.sympatico.ca: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi T-bone, > How are things going for your wife? Are her platelets okay now? How > low did they get? > Regards, > BJ > "T-bone" <tluder…@netscape.net> wrote in message > news:Xns9167BECAA225Ctandelshomecom@65.12.86.98… >> KCat <kcdoc…@ghg.net> wrote in >> news:885a0usogk46mit63jlf4t7mjak8jaegcm@4ax.com: >> > Knock on wood <kcat taps her head>. >> Oh, no. That what my DW does.:-) But not when she had her first >> known lupus symptoms: thrombocytopenia (low platelets). Bruise >> would have been immediate. >> T-bone.
Hi, BJ. That was when we met 23 yrs ago. It took about a year and a half to get it under control. The count went very low but Don’t recall the numbers. A medium touch on an arm or a leg caused a large bruise. Linda’s legs still are discolored from that time. We had a reprieve for about three years till our second son was on the way. At that time the primary trouble was with kidneys. After summer of 2000’s bad flare kidney function is about 16%. But we’ve just arrived back home from an hour of ballroom dance lessons. One hour is about the max right now. — Most of the worlds great discoveries are made with a cry, not of "Eureka!" but "That’s funny".
Response:
Hi Tim, I hope you don’t mind my calling you that. It seems more personal. I think the fact that you are taking dance lessons could be reported in our " cheesy weekly good thing" area. It shows that in spite of all the problems lupus patients face; there are still good times to be had. You sound like a great couple. My husband is supportive too. It makes all the difference in the world. You might be interested to know that my last flare took my platelets down to 6. Just sitting on a soft chair caused bruising down the back of my legs. My best to You and your DW, BJ "Timothy Luders" <tluder…@netscape.net> wrote in message
news:Xns9167DF8BC5955tandelshomecom@65.12.86.98… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> "BJ" <B…@sk.nojunk.ca> wrote in > news:xNiN7.403$tlDf.5570728@tomcat.sk.sympatico.ca: > > Hi T-bone, > > How are things going for your wife? Are her platelets okay now? How > > low did they get? > > Regards, > > BJ > > "T-bone" <tluder…@netscape.net> wrote in message > > news:Xns9167BECAA225Ctandelshomecom@65.12.86.98… > >> KCat <kcdoc…@ghg.net> wrote in > >> news:885a0usogk46mit63jlf4t7mjak8jaegcm@4ax.com: > >> > Knock on wood <kcat taps her head>. > >> Oh, no. That what my DW does.:-) But not when she had her first > >> known lupus symptoms: thrombocytopenia (low platelets). Bruise > >> would have been immediate. > >> T-bone. > Hi, BJ. > That was when we met 23 yrs ago. It took about a year and a half to get > it under control. The count went very low but Don’t recall the numbers. > A medium touch on an arm or a leg caused a large bruise. Linda’s legs > still are discolored from that time. > We had a reprieve for about three years till our second son was on the > way. At that time the primary trouble was with kidneys. After summer of > 2000’s bad flare kidney function is about 16%. But we’ve just arrived > back home from an hour of ballroom dance lessons. One hour is about > the max right now. > — > Most of the worlds great discoveries are made with a cry, not of > "Eureka!" but "That’s funny".
Response:
yes, I do so very gently. my platelets are unpredictable but are a tad low right now (not below norm, just below *my* norm). On Thu, 29 Nov 2001 02:45:18 GMT, "T-bone" <tluder…@netscape.net> wrote: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->KCat <kcdoc…@ghg.net> wrote in >news:885a0usogk46mit63jlf4t7mjak8jaegcm@4ax.com: >> Knock on wood <kcat taps her head>. >Oh, no. That what my DW does.:-) But not when she had her first known >lupus symptoms: thrombocytopenia (low platelets). Bruise would have >been immediate. >T-bone.
Response:
KCat <kcdoc…@ghg.net> wrote in message
news:6ddd0u4bb2o8467hus9k6r9uifum7elnmq@4ax.com… > yes, I do so very gently. my platelets are unpredictable but are > a tad low right now (not below norm, just below *my* norm).
You have a "norm"??? Judith – Grinning in SoCal
Response:
"BJ" <B…@sk.nojunk.ca> wrote in news:rhtN7.475$tlDf.11206749@tomcat.sk.sympatico.ca: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi Tim, > I hope you don’t mind my calling you that. It seems more personal. > I think the fact that you are taking dance lessons could be > reported in our " cheesy weekly good thing" area. It shows that in > spite of all the problems lupus patients face; there are still good > times to be had. You sound like a great couple. My husband is > supportive too. It makes all the difference in the world. You might > be interested to know that my last flare took my platelets down to > 6. Just sitting on a soft chair caused bruising down the back of my > legs. > My best to You and your DW, > BJ > "Timothy Luders" <tluder…@netscape.net> wrote in message > news:Xns9167DF8BC5955tandelshomecom@65.12.86.98… >> "BJ" <B…@sk.nojunk.ca> wrote in >> news:xNiN7.403$tlDf.5570728@tomcat.sk.sympatico.ca: >> > Hi T-bone, >> > How are things going for your wife? Are her platelets okay now? >> > How low did they get? >> > Regards, >> > BJ >> > "T-bone" <tluder…@netscape.net> wrote in message >> > news:Xns9167BECAA225Ctandelshomecom@65.12.86.98… >> >> KCat <kcdoc…@ghg.net> wrote in >> >> news:885a0usogk46mit63jlf4t7mjak8jaegcm@4ax.com: >> >> > Knock on wood <kcat taps her head>. >> >> Oh, no. That what my DW does.:-) But not when she had her first >> >> known lupus symptoms: thrombocytopenia (low platelets). Bruise >> >> would have been immediate. >> >> T-bone. >> Hi, BJ. >> That was when we met 23 yrs ago. It took about a year and a half >> to get it under control. The count went very low but Don’t recall >> the numbers. A medium touch on an arm or a leg caused a large >> bruise. Linda’s legs still are discolored from that time. >> We had a reprieve for about three years till our second son was on >> the way. At that time the primary trouble was with kidneys. After >> summer of 2000’s bad flare kidney function is about 16%. But we’ve >> just arrived back home from an hour of ballroom dance lessons. >> One hour is about the max right now.
Hey, I tell everbody that the only sound I won’t respond to is "Sir". LOL. What else can a guy with multiple personalities do. Guess I’ll stick with this one here. T-bone was a nick given by my uncle when I was about 3 feet shorter than I am now. That 6 sounds about right except that here it was called 6,000. — Most of the worlds great discoveries are made with a cry, not of "Eureka!" but "That’s funny".
Response:
Went to the rheumy today…..went there a week ago first to get blood drawn for tests, hoping to have the results for today’s visit. Turns out, at the time he ordered the bloodwork, he didn’t know if I still had the same insurance, so he didn’t order the ANA because it’s very expensive. (I do still have the same ins, so they drew blood today for the ANA, and a double strand DNA, whatever that is). Anyway, I’ve got something new today, as confirmed by the blood tests they did run…..leukopenia (sp?). I was trying to jot everything down as he spoke, and my notes are pretty scrambled…..something about my lymphocytes – normal is 6000, mine are 2000. He said anything below 1000 is dangerous…..in fact, his quote was "2000 is nothing to write home about, but it’s better than 1000, and that’s why you haven’t died from an infection yet." I *think* he was making a joke. I hope. Anyone familiar with leukopenia? The doctor didn’t change any of my meds yet, he wants to wait until the other tests come back. He did mention that he was going to switch me from Celebrex soon to a new, bigger, better, anti-inflammatory….called Belexa? Or Benxa? Something like that. Anyone heard of it? It’s been approved by the FDA, but is not yet on the market. Oh well, that’s my two cents for now…..hope everyone else is hangin’ in this hectic Holiday Season! ~ It’s a lot like playing the violin You cannot start out and be Yehudi Menuhin…
Response:
Oriole, You cookie you..LOL Yes low white count means just that…leukopenia it is called and one of the diagnostic ways some rheumy use for lupus. If it is low in 4 runs they may say that you have some auto immune disease possible lupus. That is just what I was told. Mine is usually low too but not too bad. And indeed it means that you ARE prone to infections. When the count is too low like he said you have to take precautions to prevent infections. The DNA is another antibody that is usually positive in lupus but again not always. I do not have it but have a diagnosis of SLE so that is another iffy thing. Have you realized that alot of blood tests are iffy>LOL that is just the way lupus is, hard to diagnose. But you sound like you are on your way to decent care. If you want to know more about leukopenia..go to www.medscape.com and check it out of www.webmd.com that is another good one… You are in the states aren’t you? I never heard about this new belexa or benxa? I will have a look into that, cause I think vioxx is causing me some problems gut wise.. FDA approved? Well I will honestly check it out. You take it easy and if you need some sites for info..let me know email me and I will get them to you hugs janers
Response:
Hi Oriole, I have leukopenia as part of my lupus. I have lots of other blood problems too. My white count is about 2.3 now and sometimes gets a bit higher, but never as high as 3. I would be talking about 3000 here. They may return lab results differently here in Canada. Your 2000 reading would come back as 2 here. I hope I have explained that in a way that makes some sense. My counts were better when I was on prednisone and have dropped again since being weaned off it. I have been told by my rheumy to start taking 10mgs again. I haven’t done it yet. I am waiting to see my hematologist first. As Janers said, leukopenia is one of the presenting features of lupus. There are other causes too. I hope this helps. Regards, BJ "Oriole Adams" <oriolead…@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20011127185412.02455.00001798@mb-fi.aol.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Went to the rheumy today…..went there a week ago first to get blood drawn for > tests, hoping to have the results for today’s visit. Turns out, at the time he > ordered the bloodwork, he didn’t know if I still had the same insurance, so he > didn’t order the ANA because it’s very expensive. (I do still have the same > ins, so they drew blood today for the ANA, and a double strand DNA, whatever > that is). > Anyway, I’ve got something new today, as confirmed by the blood tests they did > run…..leukopenia (sp?). I was trying to jot everything down as he spoke, and > my notes are pretty scrambled…..something about my lymphocytes – normal is > 6000, mine are 2000. He said anything below 1000 is dangerous…..in fact, his > quote was "2000 is nothing to write home about, but it’s better than 1000, and > that’s why you haven’t died from an infection yet." I *think* he was making a > joke. I hope. > Anyone familiar with leukopenia? The doctor didn’t change any of my meds yet, > he wants to wait until the other tests come back. He did mention that he was > going to switch me from Celebrex soon to a new, bigger, better, > anti-inflammatory….called Belexa? Or Benxa? Something like that. Anyone > heard of it? It’s been approved by the FDA, but is not yet on the market. > Oh well, that’s my two cents for now…..hope everyone else is hangin’ in this > hectic Holiday Season! > ~ > It’s a lot like playing the violin > You cannot start out and be Yehudi Menuhin…
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