White Blood Cells & Platelets Going South Again - Stop treating?

This is a subject that has been discussed in the past, but I'm looking for thoughts for direction.

As mentioned before, my symptoms have jumped up in the last month, and they are the same ones I've gone through a few times. It is a definite pattern that intensifies sometimes. Same symptoms come back, and with them come low white blood counts and platelets.

White blood cells are always low or low normal, but they have dropped from 3.6 then to 3.1 and last one to 2.9. The one thing that I have started back that could contribute to that is Bicillin. But I use a lower dose than I used to because of kidneys and not as often.

I thought it might be EBV, but I read over and over that EBV raises whites. Feel very bad and getting canker sores and sores in throat. May be because immune system has faded more.

Any ideas are appreciated.

“ White blood cells are always low or low normal, but they have dropped from 3.6 then to 3.1 and last one to 2.9. “

If you continue taking the bicillin does it continue to drop?
When mine were in the 2’s - my regular doc (not Lyme Literate) wasn’t the least bit concerned -

If it maintains at 2.9 ish - maybe it would be okay to continue with the treatment - that is if your kidneys are holding up

astroman - I'm not sure about globulins. I know whatever the alpha 1 and 2, along with beta globulins are normal, and total globulins. is that different from what you mention? And the immunoglobulins are also normal (A,E,G,M). Albumin is always normal on comp panel, as is protein. But that may not be what you are referring to. Sorry for ignorance.

Girlie- When I think of low white blood count, I think of you and your concerns when you were experiencing that. It is definitely part of a total process as many other symptoms come at same time when whites are lower than usual.

dcd - I also remember seeing a good amount of your whites and thinking how our ranges are about the same. I have looked and looked for chronic causing low white blood cells. It is hard to find, which doesn't mean it isn't out there. I did found reference to it by Dr. Axxe who wrote " Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus is considered to be a rare progressive disease that begins as a primary Epstein-Barr virus infection. It causes the body to produce too many lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell that helps to fight off diseases) for more than six months."

That was all I could find as most refer to acute, as you mention. I am trying to get into the Emory Infectious Disease Clinic in Atlanta, and have faxed them past blood tests. I want to to know why all my antibodies for EBV have been high for at least 3 years but EBV DNA is negative. Hoping doctors there are better versed at true story on that than local ones I have seen. They just look at negative EBV DNA and blow it off.

This is a repeating pattern. While I really haven't had full energy since aortic valve replacement in 2016, there are times when energy is better and symptoms (itching eyes, fatigue, sore throat, mild constipation, etc... are better). It all happens at once.

Rheumotologist just ran a lot more tests and all came out negative. They range from Sjogren's tests to ANA, CRP, sed rate, RA factor many more. Those type tests have been performed at least 10 times in the last three years and all negative except C3 and C4, which have become low end of normal.

I don't know. Thanks for your thoughts, dcd, and responses from astroman and Girlie. We all have stuff to deal with, so you taking the time to offer thoughts and ideas is much appreciated.