Posts by bluepilot45

bluepilot45 said:Hi everyone,

Female, 44, generally healthy—no meds, normal weight, don't drink, but I am a smoker (half a pack a day).

On March 27th, my fever hit over 102, and by the next morning, I had these blood and urine results: https://ibb.co/WBnwsvy along with a CRP of 53.1.
Symptoms: mainly a nasty bacterial tonsillitis plus sinus issues, congestion, laryngitis, and this bizarre, non-productive cough—feels like I’m choking. My lymph nodes under my jaw and on my neck are swollen and painful too.
Everything screams bacterial infection, so my doctor put me on Fromilid 500 mg twice a day for seven days.
After three days, there was basically zero improvement. My doctor switched my antibiotic to Augmentin for another seven days. It trashed my stomach, but I felt a little better—though still nowhere near healthy. Two days after finishing the Augmentin, the swallowing issues came right back, all the symptoms returned (minus the fever), and it was a total disaster. Since it was a Saturday, I didn't know what to do. My mother-in-law, who happens to be a pharmacist, gave me some Azithromycin she had lying around (a 3-day course). I’ve never taken antibiotics without a prescription before, but I was desperate—I couldn't imagine waiting three days until my doctor's office opened while in this much pain. Plus, since the fever was gone, going to an urgent care clinic felt kind of pointless. I started feeling better after the second pill. After the third, though, my ear started hurting. And then there's that weird cough—mostly when I lie down, non-productive, just forcing me to cough, but I can't actually clear anything, which feels like I'm suffocating (terrible description, I know, but that's how it feels).

So, what now? If I go get blood work done, will it give me an accurate picture? Is there even any point in doing a throat or nasal swab at this stage? And is it actually possible that none of those three antibiotics hit the mark? Can I expect to feel better soon? I think Azithromycin has a long half-life... I'm assuming this is Strep. My primary care clinic handles everything over the phone—nobody even saw me in person—and I ended up talking to four different doctors over five calls, so I really need a second opinion. I'm terrified I'll end up needing a fourth antibiotic.

Also, can someone explain why my amylase levels are double the normal range in my urine and why my iron is so low? Could that be linked to the infection?

Thanks in advance!

This was my post from about ten days ago. In the meantime, I finally saw my doctor. On top of the tonsillitis, I developed bilateral ear infections; the doctor prescribed drops and that's been cleared up. But, thanks to the mountain of antibiotics, I've got a lovely case of yeast infections everywhere—that cough I mentioned and the white spots in my throat (which I thought was more pus, but turned out to be yeast) are being treated with Miconazole gel now. As for the blood work, repeated a week after my last dose of Azithromycin, everything looks fine. The thing bothering me is the urinalysis—is it okay, or could it be from the antibiotics/antiseptics? My doctor says it's fine, but I still feel like I have to pee constantly and feel pressure even after I'm done.

Blood and urine results: https://ibb.co/nwPktp9
(CRP is totally normal at 3.1).

Thanks!

Hey everyone,

Female, 44, generally healthy—no meds, decent weight, don't drink, but I do smoke about half a pack a day.

On March 27th, my fever spiked over 102. Next morning, I ran some blood and urine tests: https://ibb.co/WBnwsvy along with a CRP of 53.1.
Symptoms: basically a nasty bacterial throat infection mixed with sinus issues—stuffy nose, laryngitis, and this bizarre, non-productive cough that feels like I'm choking. Plus, the lymph nodes under my jaw and on my neck are swollen and super painful.
Everything screams bacterial infection, so my doctor put me on Fromilid, 500 mg twice daily for 7 days.
After three days, zero improvement. Doctor switched my antibiotic to a Klavo Phar brand for another week. My stomach hated it—barely tolerated it—and even though there was a tiny bit of relief, I still felt like garbage. Two days after finishing that last round, the swallowing pain came right back and all the symptoms returned (minus the fever). It’s Holy Saturday—what am I supposed to do? My mother-in-law is a pharmacist and she had some Azithromycin lying around, so she gave me a 3-day supply. I’ve never just taken antibiotics on my own before, but I was desperate—I couldn't imagine waiting three more days until my doctor is back in the office while in this much pain. And since the fever is gone, going to an urgent care clinic seems kind of ridiculous. I actually started feeling better after the second pill. But by the third, my ear started hurting. Then there's that weird cough again—mostly when I lie down—it's non-productive, like it's forcing me to cough, but nothing comes up, so I just end up gasping for air in bed (terrible way to describe it, but honestly, I don't know how else to put it).

Anyway, here's the deal: if I go get blood work done now, will it actually show what's happening? I'm guessing a throat/nasal swab is pointless at this stage, right? Is it even possible that none of these three antibiotics hit the mark? Should I expect to feel any better soon? I think Azithromycin has a long half-life... I'm assuming this is just strep. My family doctor's office handles everything over the phone—nobody actually examined me—and I've talked to four different doctors over five calls, so I could really use a second opinion. I'm terrified I'll end up needing a fourth antibiotic.

Also, can someone explain why my amylase levels in the urine are double the normal range and my iron is so low? Could that be linked to this infection?

Thanks in advance!

Maria Fisher46 said:The answer to your question is—YES. You could definitely be fighting some weird microorganism from that "atypical" category. I’d suggest getting more testing done—maybe a chest X-ray—and honestly, seeing an infectious disease specialist to screen for those atypical bugs would make sense. It might even be worth throwing a macrolide antibiotic into the mix.

Hey there,

Thanks for the input.

In the meantime, I went ahead and had my blood drawn twice more.

The first time was on day three of taking Rexocef, back on Nov 19th—results looked way better immediately, so we figured the antibiotic was doing its job (only the white cell count was off at 10.23 (3.40-9.70) and CRP was 11.1 (0.0-5.0)): https://ibb.co/s635Kz4

The second time was on Nov 30th—four days after finishing the 10-day course of Rexocef 200—and the numbers were a bit high again (MPV 10.7 (6.8-10.4), WBC 10.7 (3.4-9.7), neutrophils 6.91 (2.06-6.49), and CRP 5.3 (https://ibb.co/5xTvz3c

Based on this last set of labs, my primary care doctor thinks things are finally settling down—mostly because the CRP dropped—so she didn't send me for a chest X-ray or anything. She just gave me a referral to get blood work again in a few days; if the results look worse, she'll put me back on antibiotics.

But now I'm wondering—is she actually right here? Is she handling this correctly? Do you guys see the second set of results as an improvement over the first? Her whole logic is based on the fact that the CRP is lower, even if it's borderline, but it bugs me that both my white cell count and neutrophils ticked back up the second I stopped the meds...

As for symptoms, I'm still coughing—not as much, mostly in the morning—and the phlegm has gone from yellow-green to just green, though there's less of it now, if that even matters clinically. No other symptoms.

Thanks in advance and take care!

And one more thing—just for context—here’s my bloodwork from back when I was actually "healthy" (from that routine checkup): https://ibb.co/HdWN7pT

Following up on my last post—here’s those three reports in order:
Oct 15: https://ibb.co/26n8Vv9
Oct 21: https://ibb.co/F4jyyxS
Nov 16: https://ibb.co/NLK49LN

Hey,

About a month back (Oct 12), I hit a fever of 101. This was just for one night—nothing major besides maybe a little cough.
On Oct 14, my COVID test came back negative.
By Oct 15, my blood work (CBC and CRP) showed: MPV 10.8 (6.8-10.4), WBC 11.9 (3.4-9.7), neutrophils 8.01 (2.06-6.49), and CRP 55.2 ( My primary care doctor put me on Augmentin for 7 days.
By Oct 21, the labs were mostly okay except for: MPV 10.6 (6.8-10.4), WBC 10.8 (3.4-9.7), lymphocytes 3.73 (1.19-3.35), and CRP 5.8 ( The whole time, it was just a nagging light cough with some phlegm.
Then from Oct 29 to Nov 1, I was stuck in close contact with someone who turned out to be COVID-positive—they were vaccinated, so despite having nasty symptoms, we didn't suspect anything until the PCR confirmed it—so naturally, I ended up in quarantine. My symptoms during isolation: low-grade fevers (around 98.6 to 99.5), non-stop sneezing, a brutal sore throat, runny nose, and that lingering cough getting worse.
Nov 9, PCR was negative.
Nov 12, fever hit 100, cough intensified (yellowish-green phlegm), nose still running slightly, and my gastritis flared up again—something I thought I’d dealt with years ago.
Yesterday, Nov 16, blood work (CBC and CRP) showed: MPV 10.7 (6.8-10.4), WBC 15.3 (3.4-9.7), neutrophils 74.9 (44-72), lymphocytes 18.9 (20-46), neutrophils 11.45 (2.06-6.49), basophils 0.07 (0.00-0.06), and CRP 25.7 ( My doctor prescribed Cefdinir.

I'm 42, healthy, no meds, normal weight, walk about 4 miles a day—5.0 miles—and I'm a moderate smoker (about 6 cigarettes a day lately), though the cough hasn't been an issue until now.

My question: based on this, could I be fighting some bacterial infection in my bronchial tubes that the Augmentin didn't touch (which is what my GP thinks)? I'm worried I'm turning into a chronic bronchitis case because of the smoking. Plus, the timing with the COVID situation in my circle is weird—I haven't been vaccinated.

Any specific tests you'd recommend?

Sorry for the long post.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Maria Fisher46 said:Hey there,

A diagnosis of BPPV is clinical—meaning if the physical exam points to it, you don't need more tests to prove it.

Regarding the bloodwork, it’s better to just send over the whole panel. Also, you should probably get a CRP and ESR check along with the CBC.

Hi,

thanks for getting back to me.

Here is the full lab report:

First run, 02/09/2021.

RBC 4.67 (3.86-5.08)
hemoglobin 140 (119-157)
hematocrit 0.421 (0.356-0.470)
MCV 90.1 (83.0-97.2)
MCH 30.0 (27.4-33.9)
MCHC 333 (320-345)
RDW 12.6 (9.0-15.0)
platelets 271 (158-424)
MPV 11.1 (6.8-10.4)
WBC 11.3 (3.4-9.7)

Differential
neutrophils 52.0 (44-72)
lymphocytes 40.0 (20-46)
monocytes 6.5 (2-12)
eosinophils 1.1 (0-7)
basophils 0.4 (0-1)
neutrophil absolute 5.86 (2.06-6.49)
lymphocyte absolute 4.50 (1.19-3.35)
monocyte absolute 0.73 (0.12-0.84)
eosinophil absolute 0.12 (0.00-0.43)
basophil absolute 0.05 (0.00-0.06)

glucose 6.5 (4.4-6.4)
urea 7.1 (2.8-8.3)
creatinine 75 (49-90)
eGFR 86 (>60)
bilirubin 6 (3-20)

AST 13 ( ALT 17 ( GGT 22 (9-35)

potassium 5.0 (3.9-5.1)
sodium 143 (137-146)
iron 17 (8-30)
UIBC 35 (26-59)
TIBC 52 (49-75)

CRP 0.7 (
cholesterol 3.8 ( HDL 1.4 (>1.2)
LDL 2.1 ( triglycerides 0.7 (
TSH 2.15 (0.27-4.20)

ESR was not performed

Follow-up labs after 4 weeks, 03/08/2021.

WBC 11.1. (3.4-9.7)

Differential
neutrophils 61.8 (44-72)
lymphocytes 30.7 (20-46)
monocytes 6.2 (2-12)
eosinophils 0.8 (0-7)
basophils 0.5 (0-1)
neutrophil absolute 6.85 (2.06-6.49)
lymphocyte absolute 3.41 (1.19-3.35)
monocyte absolute 0.69 (0.12-0.84)
eosinophil absolute 0.09 (0.00-0.43)
basophil absolute 0.05 (0.00-0.06)

glucose 5.2 (4.4-6.4)

everything else wasn't repeated.

After those second results came in, my primary care doctor figured I had some mild, undefined inflammation and put me on antibiotics: Amoxicillin 1000 mg, twice a day, for 7 days.

She also gave me a referral to get blood drawn again 10 days after finishing the meds, but it hasn't been 10 days yet.

Thanks and best wishes!

bluepilot45 said:Hey there,

I'm 41, no chronic issues, no meds—just a moderate smoker (maybe 10 cigarettes a day).

My latest blood work has me a bit sketched out because both my white blood cell count and lymphocytes are high:

WBC 11.3 (3.4-9.7)
MPV 11.1 (6.8-10.4)
Lymphocytes 4.50 (1.19-3.35)
Glucose 6.5 (4.4-6.4)

Everything else looks fine—CBC, differential, urea, creatinine, eGFR, bilirubin, AST, ALT, GGT, potassium, sodium, iron, CRP, lipids, TSH.

My doctor asked if I'd been dealing with a nasty cold lately, but I haven't, so now I'm wondering if I should be worried about these numbers.

Thanks and cheers.

Maria Fisher46 said:Hi,

It’s a mild leukocytosis with lymphocytosis. You might see stuff like this in smokers, but you really need to compare it to your previous labs and have a clinical exam. I’d suggest re-running the tests in 3-4 weeks to see how things are trending.

Hi again,

thanks for the reply. I went back for more blood work 4 weeks after the first round, and those same parameters are still elevated, though they're trending down slightly:

WBC: 11.1 (3.4-9.7) — was 11.3 last time
Lymphocytes: 3.41 (1.19-3.35) — was 4.50 last time

but now my neutrophils are also high: 6.85 (2.06-6.49) — they were fine at 5.86 during the first test.

Didn't redo the MPV.

Also, I dug up a lab report from a year ago and everything was totally normal then.

One thing I forgot to mention earlier: I had the blood drawn because I started getting these sudden, intense dizzy spells. Anemia and thyroid issues were ruled out by the blood work, carotid arteries look great, eye exam was fine, and the cervical spine X-ray wasn't amazing—but an ENT finally told me it’s likely BPPV caused by calcium carbonate crystals shifting around in the inner ear. I was prescribed Betaserc (2 x 24 mg), and after taking it for about 10 days, it’s actually helping.

Now I'm mostly worried if the diagnosis is even right? Looking at the blood work, I'm not sure if it's truly BPPV or maybe some kind of inner ear inflammation or something else? Should I be looking into more tests? (Just playing doctor here, 😁)

Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone,

I'm 41—no chronic issues, no meds, just a moderate smoker (maybe 10 a day).

Got my latest bloodwork back and I'm a little sketched out because both my white cell count and lymphocytes are high:

WBC 11.3 (3.4-9.7)
MPV 11.1 (6.8-10.4)
Lymphocytes 4.50 (1.19-3.35)
Glucose 6.5 (4.4-6.4)

Everything else—CBC, differential, urea, creatinine, eGFR, bilirubin, AST, ALT, GGT, potassium, sodium, iron, CRP, lipids, TSH—is totally normal.

My doctor asked if I've been dealing with any nagging colds lately, but I haven't—so now I'm wondering, should I actually be worried about these numbers?

Thanks.