treatment

San Diego Family Takes Action for Awareness

My husband David’s journey with MDS began in April 2014, when it was discovered almost by chance while we were on vacation. David was bitten by a brown recluse spider and had a very severe reaction to it. He had to be hospitalized, which is when he got his first blood test in years. The doctor noted that his blood counts were low and, while he didn’t rule out that the spider bite might have affected the counts, there was a possibility of myelodysplasia.

Bart Scott, MD

Institution
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Physician Status
accepting new patients
Primary Disease Area of Focus
Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
Aplastic Anemia
Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS)
Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPN)
Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH)
About
Bart L. Scott, MD, MS, is Assistant Professor at the University of Washington Medical Center and Assistant Member at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington. He received his medical degree from the University of South Alabama and his masters of Science in Epidemiology from the University of Washington, Seattle. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD, where he also served as Assistant Chief of Services. His medical oncology fellowship was completed at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Dr. Scott is board

Fighting PNH While Helping PNH Patients

I’m 31-years-old, and I was diagnosed with PNH in 2009 when I was 24.

I am generally athletic, and in college I was a wrestler. I knew what I could expect when training, competing, and recovering from competition. I transitioned from wresting to mixed martial arts (MMA) in 2008. Naturally, when I started that, I wanted to be sure that my training and recovery were the best they could be.

Saved by Her Twin Sister

I was your typical 14 year old teenager who always enjoyed spending time with friends and playing sports. On and off for about two years, my parents would take me to see different doctors to figure out why I had aches and pains, stomach issues and fatigue.  

What is a complete blood count test (CBC)?

One important test your doctor will ask you to get is a complete blood count, or CBC for short. The CBC measures the number of each blood cell type in your blood sample. Below are the types of information the CBC measures.

  • Red blood cell count (RBC) measures the actual number of red blood cells in a given volume of blood. A low count is called .
  • White blood cell count (WBC) measures the actual number of white blood cells in a given volume of blood. A low count can mean you have an increased risk of getting an infection.
  • White blood cell differential (dif) looks at the types of white blood cells in your blood. There are many different types of white blood cells. Each of them protects you from different types of infections.
  • Hemoglobin (Hgb) measures the amount of this oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells. This level is low in people with anemia.
  • Hematocrit (Hct) measures how much of a given volume of whole blood is made up of red blood cells. In healthy men, 41 percent to 50 percent of blood is red blood cells. In healthy women, 35 percent to 46 percent is red blood cells. This number is about 3 times the .
  • Platelet count measures the number of platelets in a given volume of blood. A low count means you have an increased risk of bleeding if you get cut or injured.
  • Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) measures the average size of red blood cells. It is high when red blood cells are larger than normal. It is low when red blood cells are smaller than normal.

 

Test

Adult Normal Range*
(Varies in different clinics or hospitals, or in different part of the U.S.)

count (varies with how high up you are in the mountains)

Men 4.7 to 6.1 million cells per microliter (cells/mcL)
Women 4.2 to 5.4 million cells/mcL

count

4,500 to 10,000 (4.5 to 10) thousand cells/mcL

Hemoglobin

Male 13.8 to 17.2 grams/dL
Female 12.0 to 15.6 grams/dL 

Male 40.7% - 50.3%
Female 36.1% - 44.3%

Platelets

150 to 450 thousand/mcL

MCV (Mean corpuscular volume)

80 to 100 femtoliter

*Normal blood values involve a range rather than a single volume.

Note:

  • cells/mcL = cells per microliter
  • gm/dL = grams per deciliter
  • pg/cell = picograms per cell
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