Posts by Peter Rogers

Man, every single time I stumble onto Reddit, it’s just the same old crap over and over again...
Even the search function for today's posts in the Fast Link section isn't even working properly...
It honestly drives me insane when you can literally click on something, only for it to be a total dud.

Hey there.
So, my 5.5-year-old just came back with an eosinophil count sitting at 37%. I don't have the rest of the lab results handy because I was just squinting at this one specific part on my phone, but we’ve already got a follow-up scheduled with the pediatrician first thing Monday morning. We're going to jump straight into stool samples for parasites, a repeat CBC, and an abdominal ultrasound to see what's going on. Aside from the obvious stuff like parasitic infections or typical allergies, what kind of "specific conditions" could actually cause such a massive spike away from the normal range?

Thanks a ton for such a thorough breakdown. I’m pretty sure we’re going to touch base with our pediatrician and follow your lead on heading over to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to get this checked out properly.
To answer what you were asking, the little one has already been diagnosed with asthma and non-allergic atopic dermatitis—we've been managing it with Ventolin via nebulizer and three rounds of Medrol injections so far.

Emily Ortiz27 said:I’m seriously grateful for the help. We just did a whole battery of allergy tests—specifically checking for dust mites, dog dander, cat dander, birch, and grass—but we’re stuck waiting months for those results (they were all negative about six months ago). In the meantime, the little guy went through an endocrine workup because of some growth delays. His medical history didn't show any previous eosinophilia, though they’ll probably stumble upon it themselves if it's still there, given how much blood they pulled.
We’re also playing the waiting game for the specialist's opinion on these results; we were told it could be 2-3 months, so I’ll likely be back here bugging you all again if things don't make sense.
I can't tell you exactly what that workup entailed; it wasn't like a deep dive where I could sit and chat since I was glued to my kid the whole time. It was mostly a marathon of blood draws—I don't even know which specific ones, the doctor just mapped out a plan and handed it to the nurse, who spent several days coming in and pulling rows of vials. They did hormone levels, insulin tests, and an X-ray of his hand.
Today, he had an eye exam where they noted megalocornea, and he’ll have to undergo some more tests related to that under anesthesia soon.
Is this all connected, or is it just a series of unfortunate coincidences? It feels like nobody is looking at the kid as a whole person; everyone just sticks to their own tiny niche of expertise, which leaves us in this constant state of anxiety, while the kid himself seems like a perfectly healthy—albeit tiny with massive eyes 😍—energetic, curious, and happy one-year-old. 😕

Respect to everyone, the saga continues.
While we wait for the ophthalmology follow-up, the endocrine results finally landed:

Hand X-ray: Bone age matches the chronological age of a six-month-old boy (this was done when he was 12.5 months old).
E 4.18 [x0012/L], Hbg 106 [g/L], Hct 0.326 [L/L], MCV 78.0 [fL], MCH 25.4 [pg], MCHC 325 [g/L], RDW 15.7 [%], Trc 327 [x109/L], MPV 10.2 [f/L], leukocyte 15.9 [x109/L], NEUaps 6.48 [x109/L], LIMFOaps 7.66 [x109/L], MONOaps 0.75 [x109/L], EOaps 0.93 [x109/L], BAZOaps 0.08 [x109/L], NEUTRO% 40.8 [rel%], LIMFO% 48.2 [rel%], MONO% 4.7 [rel%], EO% 5.8 [rel%], BAZO% 0.5 [rel%], GLU (s) 4.5 [mmol/L], UREJA 4.9 [mmol/L], Na137 [mmol/L], K (s) 4.7 [mmol/L], Cl 103 [mmol/L], Ca 2.45 [mmol/L], P 1.85 [mmol/L], TBIL 4 [umol/L], AST 63 [U/L], ALT 27 [U/L], ALP 267 [U/L], GGT 9 [U/L], ACTH 5.32 [pmol/L], pH-kk 7.376, pCO2 - kk 4.41 [kPa], pO2 - kk 8.6 [kPa], Akt. HCO3 -k 18.9 [mmol/L], tCO2 kk 20.0 [mmol/L], SBE - kk 5.2 [mmol/L], SO2 92 [%], FT4 15.40 [pmol/L], TSH 3.33 [mIU/L], LHL], FSH 0.683 [IU/L], PRL 638.3 [mIU/L], CORT 596.2 [nmol/L], IgE 22.7 [kIU/L]
HGH 1 6.48 [mIU/L], HGH 2 5.19 [mIU/L], HGH 3 3.75 [mUI/L], HGH 4 16.70 [mIU/L], HGH 5 16.60 [mIU/L], HGH 6 17.6 [mUI/L], d1L], e1L], e5L], fx5 negative, t3L], antitTGmL], IGF-1 2.0 [nmol/L], IGFBP-3 55 [nmol/L]

The diagnosis is growth retardation, categorized as "other," and they said to come back for a check-up in a year. They’ve ruled out growth hormone deficiency, celiac disease, hypothyroidism, or chronic illnesses as the cause.

Honestly, that bone age thing really jumps out at me. How much of a deviation is actually acceptable for an kid this age? I don't have the reference ranges for the rest of these values, so I can't even tell if anything else is off.

Thanks in advance for helping me make sense of this.

Hey Nicholas Myers, sorry for drifting off-topic here, but you can't receive any PMs because your inbox is completely maxed out! 😉

Maria Fisher46 said:Look, here’s my take: I’d start by running a CBC again just to be absolutely sure. If that eosinophilia is still showing up, you really need to get a manual differential—like, a microscopic peripheral blood smear—done. And if that confirms the high eosinophil count, then you have to go down the rabbit hole and start a much wider diagnostic workup.

You seriously need to check if the kid is on any meds, if there are digestive issues, respiratory stuff, the whole nine yards. You need a full physical exam to see if anything else is off besides just height and weight for their age.

Then comes the heavy lifting: Sed rate, CRP, liver and kidney function tests, urinalysis, serum protein electrophoresis, checking IgG, IgE, IgM, IgA levels, testing for tissue parasites, and depending on what the initial findings and clinical exams show, you might need an X-ray, Abdominal Ultrasound, EKG, and whatever else pops up.

Seriously, thank you from the bottom of my heart. We already did the bloodwork for allergy testing (just Dust mite, dog dander, cat dander, birch, and dactylis), but we won't see those results for months—though everything was negative about six months ago. In the meantime, the little guy went through an endocrine workup because he's lagging behind in growth. Looking back at his medical history, they didn't note any previous eosinophilia, though I'm sure they'll stumble upon it if it's still there, given how much blood they drew.
We're stuck waiting on those results and the specialist's opinion for the next 2-3 months, as they told us, so once that's over, I'll probably be back here begging for more help if things still don't make sense.
I honestly have no clue which of those specific tests were part of that workup; it wasn't a "detailed exam" because I was basically glued to my child's side the whole time. It was just a massive string of blood tests—I don't even know exactly which ones, since the doctor just set up a panel and handed it to the nurse, who spent several days drawing row after row of test tubes. They also did hormone levels, an insulin test, and an X-ray of his hand.
Today, he had an eye exam where they noted suspected megalocornea, so he'll be undergoing some tests for that under anesthesia soon.
Is all of this actually connected, or am I just looking at a pile of unlucky, random coincidences? It feels like nobody is actually looking at the kid as a whole person; instead, everyone just sticks strictly to their own tiny specialty and leaves us spinning in circles with anxiety. Meanwhile, the kid himself seems like a totally healthy—albeit tiny, big-eyed😍—lively, curious, and sweet one-year-old.😕

Maria Fisher46 said:Besides checking the stool for parasites, did the allergist or immunologist suggest any other tests to figure out what's causing this eosinophilia?
.

Nope.

Emily Ortiz27 said:Hey there.
Can someone help me make sense of this? How bad is it really when an 11-month-old comes back with an eosinophil granulocyte count at 23%?
Could those results alone be responsible for that downward shift in my growth curve?
So, here's the deal: we're looking at a kid who deals with atopy, right? But get this—just six months ago, everything looked totally fine on the lab work. We had a clean total IgE reading, and the only thing that even remotely showed up was a tiny, negligible spike in one specific IgE tied to dog dander. How does something go from basically nothing to this? It makes you wonder what actually changed in those six months.

Emily Ortiz27 said:So, I just got my latest labs back, and looking at the numbers, my total white blood cell count came in at 15.41. Now, if you look at the standard reference range, they usually want to see anything between 6 and 16, so technically, everything is sitting right inside those normal limits. As for the rest of my CBC Panel? Everything else looks totally fine and within the expected range. Honestly, does anyone else feel like these numbers always keep you guessing even when they're "normal"?
So, we just got the orders to go get an IV drip for electrolytes, and honestly, we’re all just sitting here holding our breath and waiting for the hammer to drop.

Maria Fisher46 said:So, I was looking over the numbers, and the math isn't exactly great news—the kid's eosinophil count is sitting at 3544/µL. That’s basically a textbook case of moderate to moderately severe eosinophilia. You ever wonder why these things just pop up out of nowhere? It's frustrating, honestly.

When you're dealing with chronic allergic conditions—and looking at the history you've laid out here that points exactly in that direction—your eosinophil count usually stays sitting below 2000/µL. It’s just how it typically plays out, right?

So, let me get this straight—they sent the kid in for a sweat chloride test? Look, that specific test is used to diagnose Cystic Fibrosis, which isn't even directly linked to eosinophilia. I mean, seriously, why the detour? You still need to figure out what's actually going on with the eosinophilia itself, completely independent of whatever those chloride levels turn out to be. It’s like trying to fix a flat tire by checking the oil level; it just doesn't track, right? You have to address the actual issue at hand instead of chasing side quests.

So, we finally dragged the kid to the allergist, and after all that back and forth, they sent us off to get stool samples tested for parasites—for the little guy and his brothers too. We went through the whole routine, waited on the results, and honestly? Everything came back totally negative. Everyone's clean.

So, what do you guys think? I’m looking for some real input here—where should we be pointing our focus next? What direction do you think we actually need to pay attention to if we want to get anywhere with this?
My kid is still lagging behind on the growth charts—both height and weight are sitting well below the curves for their age.
We've finally got that appointment scheduled with the endocrinologist coming up soon.

So, I just got those results back from the sweat chloride test we did recently, and honestly? Everything is looking totally normal—it's right within the reference range.

Maria Fisher46 said:What’s the white blood cell count?

High eosinophils on their own don't mess with growth, but having elevated levels can be a side effect of various underlying issues that might impact how someone grows.

Something like atopy could show up as an increase in eosinophils, and you definitely have to consider things like parasitic infections or other medical conditions too.

The total white blood cell count came back at 15.41 (with the normal range being 6-16), so everything else in the CBC Panel looks totally fine.
We finally got the referral for a sweat chloride test, so now we're just sitting here crossing our fingers and hoping for the best.

Hey there.
Can someone help me make sense of this: how bad is it when an 11-month-old's eosinophil granulocyte count comes back at 23%?
And could that specific finding alone be linked to a negative shift in their growth curve?
(The baby is atopic, and about six months ago, their total IgE was normal, with only a tiny elevation in one specific IgE for dog hair)

On sale???? Are you kidding me? On sale?
😲 😲
I am actually disgusted. There isn’t a single thing on sale worth looking at! If it isn't top-tier, elite, absolute first-rate stuff, I don't want it. It’s gotta be the cream of the crop, period.

If they think putting this junk 😛on sale is going to work, they
clearly have no clue what they're doing:

Steven Reed, you really should've just gone ahead and plastered a life-sized poster over that wall. Honestly, I’m thinking about ordering three of them myself—maybe it won't be too late to catch the trend 👍

Richard Morris43 said:and honestly, what am I supposed to do if you guys are all just walking around with some massive inferiority complex regarding Motherhood 🥳

I guess having an actual, logical debate is just a great way to kill some time while the kid is finally asleep in their own room.

So, wait, are we saying that women-only groups are basically just going up against those exclusionary moms, or am I totally losing the plot here?

Some people think they’re living the dream, snuggling up with a baby in the same bed all night, while others are basically running a marathon every time the kid wakes up—getting out two, three, five, maybe even seventeen times a night. And why is having some actual comfort considered such a crime? If everyone’s every little whim and desire is being catered to, then fine, but it’s pretty obvious that (at least through this method) we aren't going to see the benefits of trying a different approach.
(And don't even get me started on intimacy... honestly, my partner is way more available when we share a bed during those windows where intimacy is actually possible, rather than us both stumbling around in the dark searching for each other 😵 Or I guess spontaneous dirty movies are just "unacceptable" in a parent's life now too?)

Jesse Johnson15, how on earth do you deal with being able to let one rip without worrying about waking up some light-sleeping kid?
Or just the fact that you can kill an alarm clock three seconds after it starts blaring in the morning?
Or even just getting up to pee without having to pull some crazy gymnastics routine like a cat that’s been practicing yoga and martial arts for fourteen years straight?
Honestly, my whole life feels like it reaches a whole new level when, say, after being sick or going through a rough patch with sleep—you know, when those insomnia demons start creeping into bed with you—everything finally settles down and they just... drift away on their own, leaving you back in your own little kingdom of peace and pure bliss.

Just dropping into this thread like a total wrecking ball. Look, my THREE kids have been sleeping in their own rooms in their own cribs from day one, and honestly, I don't see how that could have possibly messed them up. Where did I even go wrong here? 🤔 🍿 Am I seriously supposed to just go back and bring them all back into my bed?

👋
I finally went in to get some blood work done because I’ve been dealing with a total mess of symptoms. We're talking redness, rashes, itching all over my face and arms, even the soles of my feet, plus frequent bowel movements and a bunch of other annoying stuff.
The one thing that jumped out was my tsh, which came back low at 0.04, though on a follow-up check it was b>.
Because they were short on reagents, they couldn't even run my T3, T4, or antibodies. So now I'm just sitting here waiting to see an endocrinologist—maybe then I'll get some actual answers once I have their blessing.
They did run a CBC, a differential, and a serum biochemistry panel.
Most of it looks totally fine, but a few things are slightly off-kilter 😉 and outside the normal range: MPV is 11.8 (6.8-10.4); Eosinophilic granulocytes are 7.5 (0-7), and Neutrophilic granulocytes are 41.5 (44-72).
Also, my Glucose is 4.0 (4.4-6.4), Urate is 341 (134-337), and ALT is 39 (10-36).

Can anyone make sense of this?

Nicole Long28 said:Once those three years pass, your bonus just vanishes, and then your insurance provider starts absolutely skinning you alive.

😢
Thanks.

Quick question about my tax credit: does that EV incentive expire if I don't use it right away?
So, I sold my old car about four years ago, and honestly, I just haven't gotten around to picking up a new one yet...
Is there any chance I’ll be stuck starting from scratch with the whole bonus process when I finally decide to pull the trigger on a new ride?