Slightly elevated WBC count

[Jordann]

Hey guys! I’m new here, found this website as I scoured the internet for answers. I’ll get straight to the point. Back in September I went in for blood work at my endo, and everything was within normal limits except for my white blood cell count. My WBC count was 10.3 (normal being 5-10), and the rest of the values of my CBC we’re fine. My granulocytes were on the higher end, but still within normal limits (7.7 when the highest is 8). As per my trend, my WBC have never been high. The only thing I did differently the morning of my test was that I went running right before. Being a nursing major, naturally I’ve already gone to the worst case scenario and am terrified I have leukemia, regardless of the fact that I have no symptoms and my doctor wasn’t overly concerned. She said she would check them again next time she checks my thyroid levels. I’ve read online that stress can cause elevation, and I am in nursing school so I feel stress all the time. Is it possible that there was an error somewhere? Or that maybe running or stress caused an elevation? Or should I start preparing for the worst? Thank you!

[Careful1]

As being someone in nursing school you already know that stress among other things that are completely benign can cause a higher then normal white count.. Your white count is barley elevated and so I wouldnt jump straight to leukemia. Leukemia is actually pretty rare when compared to other cancers affecting fewer then 200,000 per year here in the US.

I often have an elevated white count, sometimes 12, sometimes 14 and to be honest its elevated almost every single time they run a CBC.... Labs fluctuate and if you dont have them tested all the time, your really wouldn't know what your normal is. A person with leukemia can have an abnormally low white count or a high one and there would likely be something off in the other counts as well. My Husbands cousin had leukemia and her white count was 485,000...

I am no doctor but I really think you have nothing to worry about.

---------- Post added at 14:00 ---------- Previous post was at 13:56 ----------

Oh and I forgot to mention that exercise can most deff cause a temporary increase in ones white count