# Elevated Blood Platelet and White Blood Cell Count? Is it IBS related?



## TracyinCalifornia (Jun 28, 2007)

Hi all,I have lurked around this board for quite awhile now, but have never posted. I am like many of you, and have suffered from ALTERNATING IBS for approximately 7 years. I am young, at 33 and suffer the same symptoms that many of you do. Like many others, I have been from doctor to doctor without much help or sympathy over the years. To make a long story short, about 1 1/2 years ago I switched doctors and my new doctor ordered blood work and did a referral for me to see a gastro specialist. My blood work came back with some errors, namely my blood platelet count was very high and my white blood cell count was very high. This concerned me at the time, as my bloodwork had ALWAYS been perfect. The doctor didn't seem too concerned, and wrote it off as probably a lab error and that we would test it again in 6-9 months. This frustrated me, so I quit going to that doctor. At this point in time, I (like many of you) had totally given up with going to the doctors for any help...I always got the same speech about stress and the same antidepressants to take as always. I do not take them, as they do not help. Same questran powder for my D symptoms, etc. I simply quit looking for a new doctor and quit going to all of them. It was a waste of my time and NO ONE cared. This IBS issue is the ONLY thing in my life that causes me ANY stress. I used to be a professinoal, as a finance credit analyst for a massive commercial mortgage firm. I used to handle literally millions of dollars a day, and had a very stressful job. Now, my hubby works and I get to stay home with our children. We do well making ends meet, have money in the bank, own our own home, and he is great to me. I have no stress in my life....other than never knowing when I will have an IBS attack and constantly feeling the dull pain, the achy legs, and the general toll that my IBS takes on my body.So I skipped ahead







Anyways, I finally ended up going back to the doctor because I started having menstrual issues.....they found ovarian cysts...I told them big deal, it's nothing in comparison to my IBS. While there, I basically broke down in front of my NEW doctor, told him I was not really a "wreck", that this IBS issue has me seriously stressed and feeling like a totally worthless mom (we've all been there, haven't we). I cried, which I do not do. He was very sympathetic, PROMISED me he would not be like the other doctors, that he would help me deal with this. He was extremely shocked that my gastro doctor had never ordered bloodwork, he discussed with me some type of bacteria that can cause my issues....but also told me that I sounded like a classic IBS patient. He also told me that although I "sound" like a classic IBS patient, that many times symptoms are mislabeled in haste. He ordered a complete upper GI series, and a complete set of bloodwork. I told him about my last bloodwork coming back very elevated, so he wanted to check it again. He just called me on the phone and told me that he just received the results of my blood work and my blood platelets are very very high, and my white blood cells are very very high as well. He wants me to come into his office this afternoon to pick up the paperwork for further tests, as he believes if 1 1/2 years ago these levels were elevated and now they are (still) that they probably have been like this the entire time in between blood samples. So my colon test was okay, my upper GI was okay, other than the "stuff" traveled through my stomach AND small intestines in only 30 minutes. The tech told me it usually takes people 2-3 hours, so I was very very fast.Has ANYONE had any issues with this platelet and white blood cell levels being so elevated that was concerning IBS?I am getting concerned, as he informed me that just to be safe...although he didn't think it was true...that he was going to test me for leukemia (sp?) just to be sure. I am so tired all the time, my body aches all the time, and here lately when I wash my hair and/or brush it, I am really losing it. I used to have a very full thick head of hair, and now it's very thin. I am praying this new doctor can find something out for me. I am praying that this blood stuff will point him in some type of direction for the cause of this.Anyone else with similiar experiences?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Typically in IBS the blood counts are all normal so the blood abnormalities need to be followed up on to see what could be causing them.K.


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## flux (Dec 13, 1998)

What you described is not in any way related to IBS.


> my upper GI was okay, other than the "stuff" traveled through my stomach AND small intestines in only 30 minutes. The tech told me it usually takes people 2-3 hours, so I was very very fast.


This test has no known clinical value, so you shouldn't assume it means anything significant.It sounds like a you need a referral to a hematologist who would best able to determine the cause of these findings.


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## megflyin (Jun 16, 2007)

Mayo Clinic offers a lot of info on leukemia:http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/leukemia/DS00351/DSECTION=1Meagan


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