Hi Dr.Bob, I recently read a post pertaining to CVID. I've never been tested for it nor have ever suspected it however, how can I tell if I have it or not. I've suffered from sub chronic loose stools, red light lesions on my chin and under and around my lower exterior under my bottom lip. I suffer from a slight case of folliculitus on my thighs and don't know where to turn!! Can you please evaluate my CBC and tell me if it sounds anything like CVID? BTW, it was done at 10AM and I was fasting. Also, I have had 2 negative HIV anti-body tests 4 - 7 years post exposure.

CBC: 4.9 RBC:5.22 Hemoglobin: 15.3 Hematocrit: 44.5 MCV: 85 MCH: 29.3 RED CELL DIST: 12.5% NEUT: 45% LYMPH: 46% MONOCYTES: 7% EOSI: 2% BASO: 0 NEUT ABS: 2205 LYMPH ABS: 2254 MONO ABS: 343 EOSI ABS: 98 BASO ABS: 0 PLATELET COUNT: 187

Dr.Bob, does this at all suggest CVID? I'm donating 100 bucks tonight. Please put my mind to rest =*(.

Hello,

So just because you read one of my posts that mentioned common variable immunodeficiency disease (CVID), you are now worried you might have it!?!?! You've never been tested for it, nor have you ever suspected it; however, you now want to know how you can tell if you have it or not!?! Oh my . . . well, how about pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconioses or maybe hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia??? Aren't you also worried about those illnesses? Yes, they really are legitimate illnesses.

Sweetie, just because I or anyone else mentions a disease you've never heard of doesn't mean you need to freak out and get tested for it! CVID is not your problem! If you had CVID, you would already know, because you would be having difficulty controlling certain types of infections. CVID is a disease characterized by low gammaglobulin levels that lead to severe recurrent bacterial infections, such as pneumonia, bronchitis, sinusitis, ear infections, etc. Treatment involves antibiotics and periodic intravenous infusions of gammaglobulin. It is not diagnosed by obtaining a CBC. Your negative HIV-antibody tests at four-seven years post-exposure are definitive and conclusive. If you can't accept that wonderful news, you should seek psychological counseling to help you cope with your irrational fears of being HIV infected.

And for the record, pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconioses is a lung disease caused by inhaling fine particles of silica. Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is a persistent abnormal and unwarranted fear of long words. Really, it is. I'm not making this shit up. Go ahead and Google it!

Thanks for your generous donation to The Robert James Frascino AIDS Foundation (www.concertedeffort.org). Your one gift will touch many lives and is warmly appreciated.

Be well. Stop worrying!

Dr. Bob