Blood Test Results

[sissyjane]

Hi Everyone-
I haven't posted in a long time, but I have a few questions.

1. My blood test results showed that normal Eosinophils are .0 to .3, and mine are .7. So, they are more than double normal. I don't have an infection or allergies. any ideas on what is going on?

2.I'm having severe back pain. My thoracic spine, lumbar spine, sacroliliac area as well as my tailbone. My orthopedic surgeon is recommending a one level fusion in my lumbar region. I don't think it's going to fix what ever is going on. could I have ankylosing spondylitis? My MRI results don't mention it.

3. I had to go off of Methotrexate, because I had a melanoma. Is there another medication that any of you can recommend?

[eye2dry]

Hi sissyjane.

I can only answer about the methotrexate as I too had skin cancer issues while on it.
I had squamous and basal skin cancers to temple and upper lip which required Moss surgery.
My rheumatologist and my drug handbook both said that mtx treatment can cause skin cancers



I got off it and am doing well enough on Plaquenil and Cymbalta.

What else do you take besides the Mtx? I always took plaquenil with the mtx  my rheumatologist
Believes in a 2 drug treatment plan.


Shelly

[irish]

As far as I know the elevation as you noted is not a problem. I have had eosinophils and went up and down since I was very young. Mine would o higher than that with no issues being questioned by the doctors. I think it is just the body doing its normal up and down thingy.

If you do a search on high eosinophils you will see that there are some conditions that are noted but the numbers are usually way, way elevated. Of course the thing to do is to ask your doctor. Irish

Regarding the proposed back surgery, I am flabbergasted. Ank. Spondo., is an autoimmune disease and I can't imagine anyone even mentioning surgery in the same breath.

[Puzzled]

Try everything and I do mean everything first before surgery and get more than one opinion.   I had that surgery and should not have.

An MRI can show whether you have the beginning of of ankylosing spondylitis.   I can not remember if you need the contrast or not but my doc said the MIR was the best way to catch it early (if you have it) and get treatment.  I take it you want to find it before it would show on an x-ray.  (I did not have anklosing spondylitis.)  Just remember, surgeons want to cut.

I hope you find a good non surgical cure.

[SjoDry]

SissyJane,

I have suffered for a very long time with the type of pain you describe in the same areas. I have been on opiates/pain patches for a very long time. There is a drug that folks are starting to have much success with as far as pain (fibro, etc.). The drug is Naltrexone. It works for many and not for others. I decided I did not want to spend the rest of my life on opiates. I have been weaning off of my pain meds for several weeks. The opiates must be out of one's system for 10 days before starting the Naltrexone. They prescribe this drug at a low dose. It is necessary to get the prescription filled at a compounding pharmacy (or one can dilute the med at home, if comfortable with that process).

Check into this and see if your doc might let you try it. It is not an opiate.

Good Luck.
SjoDry

[bluegardenia]

i had abnormal eosinophils when i had a tapeworm, thy told me that the go up  in that case( or also in that case)

[irish]

Also, the above post is right....ortho surgeons do want to do back surgery quite often when waiting is best. Most back problems can be helped with exercise and other physical interventions. Once a person has a bad back surgery they are often worse off than they were in the first place. Wait and then wait some more before making any decision. Get as many opinions as possible. The longer one waits the more is learned about the back treatments and surgical interventions. Irish

[sissyjane]

Thank you everyone for the responses.  My Rheumatologist xrayed  my back and no evidence of AS. Thank goodness. She has added Cymbalta to my prescription list. Hopefully that and the NSAIDS I take and lidocaine patches will allow me to get off of the pain killers that I take.

I had my second epidural injection today. Hopefully it works this time.

I don't want surgery, and I don't want to take pain killers, but I can't deal with this back pain 24/7.