I finally got a phone consult with my doc today. The bad news is that low white blood cells can mean lymphoma, specifically Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, which is highly correlated with longterm celiac disease. The good news is that several medications can increase my white blood cell count. One drug is low dose Naltrexone, which is often used for patients withdrawing from opium addiction. No, I've never taken opiates and can't tolerate any narcotic drugs. I get very ill and vomit immediately, unless I take antiemetics to prevent throwing up. (I took antiemetics when I took Demerol for 8 weeks after hemorrhoid surgery.) However, Naltrexone suppresses Endorphins temporarily. Then, after that drug wears off within 2 hours, the body releases a flood of endorphins which stimulate the immune system to make more white blood cells. Similarly aerobic exercise stimulates endorphins and improves immunity. No wonder I feel good after walking or doing any aerobic exercise.
More bad news ... I do have swollen submandibular (below the jaw bone) lymph glands. Those were quite swollen before I was diagnosed with celiac disease and went off gluten. However they shrank over the past 6 years. Then more recently they became swollen again. Swollen lymph nodes can also mean lymphoma. So I may need to see an endocrinologist about my decreased immunity.
More good news ... my doc agreed that I also need a T3 supplement. My low Free T3 and Total T3 results (on my last blood test) were low enough to suggest that my body doesn't easily convert T4 to T3, which explains my lack of improvement on a T4 supplement. The most appropriate T3 drug (Cytomel) contains sucrose (which could be from cane sugar, one of my allergens) as inactive ingredient. However my HMO pharmacy advised me to consider the generic T3 liothyronine sodium. I checked that drug's ingredients and found none of my allergens. I told my doc about that generic choice. So she can prescribe generic T3 and save me lotsa $$$.
Hopefully I can pick up prescriptions for T3 and LDN on Friday. I'm seeing another flicker of light at the end of my illness tunnel ...
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2 comments:
Sue, I am praying about all of this that you will get some clear answers. It sounds like you are calm and methodical, and that's good.
Yeah, my posts always sound calm and methodical. That's cause I'm freakin' out here now with my husband at home. No sense freakin' out when nobody's around to give you hugs and reassurance (or sympathy?) LOL Like the little kid throwing tantrums ... if the parents walk out of the room, he stops, finds the parents and throws another tantrum. (I saw that on Funniest Home Videos.)
Seriously, it took awhile for that 'lymphoma' idea to sink in. After the phone consult, I was busy calling pharmacies and checking online for inactive ingredients for T3 supplements and the LDN (low dose naltrexone).
That LDN is kinda scarey, just because it's so experimental. I really don't want to be a guinea pig (penguin? LOL). So I wrote my doc this afternoon and expressed my confusion and concern. She's supposed to send me a treatment plan tomorrow. I'm all for adding a T3 supplement, but I'm hesitant about the LDN.
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