Post-tx blood work

[alice]

Hello Hygeia!

I relapsed around 6 wks post-tx. I'm now 6 months post-tx and got more blood work last week. My total protein is up, as are my monocytes--both above normal. GIven that monocytes produce antibodies and antibodies are protein... could this be due to a "vigorously renewed" HCV immune response? Or something else?

I'm concerned because after my first tx in 2003, I went from Stage 1 to Stage 4 in only 4 years and I've probably had this disease for 25 years or so. I've had episodes of ascites, edema, jaundice in the past but not now. I'm worried the Hep is tearing up my liver really fast again. I've never had elevated monocytes and I wasn't sick with anything at the time of the blood draw. 

thanks,
sharon

[hygieia]

i actually have completly different concerns. i think this should be repeated with a protein electrophoresis to be certain that you don't have any sort of problem in the bone marrow. things like leukemia and lymphoma can present in this way. i am not trying to be an alarmist, but i would want to rule those things out

[alice]

D'oh! I meant to say high protein, LOW monocytes. I made the same mistake when I asked my doctor, who replied "elevated gamma-globulins". I knew something was wrong with this... monocytes are immature macrophages and they don't make antibodies. Sorry for my confusion.

My WBCs are low (3.4), as are the monocytes (190, reference range 200-950). My WBCs are always a little low-- I have cirrhosis.

So, now that I have this straight: I have elevated total protein (8.7 g/dL, reference range 6.2 - 8.3). Albumin, globulin and A/G ratio are normal. (5.1, 3.6, and 1.4, respectively). I thought elevated protein in a cirrhotic patient was unusual. I did read that prolonged application of a tourniquet could cause this but I don't know.

Thank you for being so patient with my questions.

sharon