Wow Daisy! I can relate to your lab numbers! I was told in 11/2000 to take a daily baby aspirin, but I declined. In 1/2003, I did the baby aspirin routine for 6 weeks, but during that time, my menstrual cycles shortened to 17 days (from clockwork 28 days). I stopped taking the aspirin for 2 weeks, then took them for 2 weeks more before stopping them for good. I don't know if it was a coincidence or not, but that's when all the trouble started! I had numerous labs run in 2003 and 2004, most with low HGB, HCT, RBC, WBC, and platelets.

At my worst, in June 2003, my readings were:
HGB 11.80 (12-16)
HCT 33.90 (39-49)
RBC 3.70 (4.2-5.4)
WBC 2.40 (4-11)
platelets 103.00 (130-400)

I had another CBC run last month (9/2006) and all my counts squeaked into the normal range - my numbers were up even though some of the ranges were lowered.

Why the improvement?

• I have been gf for nearly 20 months (although I ate oats for a few months in the middle of that 20 months).
• I began taking B12 in Feb. 2006 and iron shortly after that.
• I began a B-complex in June 2006.

My biggest complaint all along has been fatigue (and those crazy menstrual cycles which overall are longer now, but not perfect), and as hard as fatigue is to measure, I feel it has improved considerably. I do wonder if I have any other food sensitivities that may be inhibiting my recovery, or maybe it is just a slow process.

All of my help came from the people on this forum and none of it from the doctor (who diagnosed me with Lupus). I'm grateful that my health is returning, even if I can't obtain private health or life insurance because of the <hopefully> misdiagnosis!