Fatigue? GWV says - small red blood cells

[Margaret Diann]

BraveRifles - Anemia with small red blood cells?
From healthboard

Has anyone been told they are anemic not as in low number of red blood cells but the size of them? I am a Gulf War vet and have always been suspicious of any symptoms I have had. After a long bout with excessive fatigue I had blood work done, everything was normal but this.

Reply: Are small red blood cells, baby red blood cells?

One exposure gulf war vets had was to these solvents: 2-butoxyethanol and diethylene glycol monobutyl ether. These are also pesticides and they are poisons.

This chemical can cause all the symptoms of 'gulf war syndrome' and in particular the literature on the chemical says that it causes hemolytic anemia. This is a mystery, because unless you are a blood specialist, it isn't easily findable by the group of workers KNOWN to be exposed to this chemical: 1000 bioremediation workers of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill cleanup in Inipol EAP 22.

Some information suggests you could first have compensating hemolytic anemia in which the bone marrow compensates for the premature destruction of red blood cells, but these immature red blood cells are low functioning and thus your fatigue. Retic ratio may be the first step towards seeing if the ratio between mature and immature red blood cells is normal, or if something indicates otherwise.

One doctor shared that new red blood cells are large-sized. Hmm, but how is your iron? Maybe if they don't contain enough iron (needed to make red blood cells, by the way) they could be smaller sized. Doctors don't think that exposure to a chemical long years ago would have any of that chemical in your system. That is likely true; however, the harm done should be measurable. The blood is said to be damaged first and to underlie all the other harm it causes. I am so hopeful that doctors who understand these things will help you and the many others even in the general population who are harmed by this chemical.

It is in many, many products and the public is not suspecting the serious harm it can cause. People don't take the warnings on home cleaning products seriously. What Should the Hazard warnings be on products? Why not say instead that they will have damaged: blood, liver, kidneys, skin, eyes, central nervous system including depression and short term memory loss, and suicidal tendencies; endocrine system (high blood pressure/high blood sugar/reproductive damage) and tell them, too, it doesn't take much exposure to cause this! The more exposure the sooner you die; and the more horrible the death. Cancers very probable. Children at risk for birth defects and leukemia and tumor of the brain. Multiple existing health studies 'skewed' because the primary cause is not mentioned or known:

2-butoxyethanol poisoning

Do you also have any of these symptoms of hemolytic anemia:
Other symptoms you might notice:

• Chills
• Fatigue
• Pale color
• Shortness of breath
• Rapid heart rate
• Yellow skin color (jaundice)
• Dark urine (indicative of blood in urine - never dismiss this! Stop exposure immediately!)
• Enlarged spleen

You say your eyes are burning and hurting now?This is an indication you could be re-exposing yourself still today to this same chemical!

For others to see whether the red blood cells are damaged, ask for the 'Retic' ratio and ask for a lab tech to comment on the red blood cells.

Realize 2-butoxyethanol causes:

Narcosis
Damage to the kidneys
Damage to the liver
Presents an abnormal blood picture showing: Erythropenia
Presents an abnormal blood picture showing: Reticulocytosis
Presents an abnormal blood picture showing: Granulocytosis
Presents an abnormal blood picture showing: Leukocytosis
Likely to Cause Fragility of Erythrocytes
Likely to Cause Hematuria and MORE

Why compensating hemolytic anemia?

If red blood cells are very small sized in children, it can be an overlooked sign of leukemia in children. Good news is that, per one who did his own study on this, that the younger the child is, the higher the survival rate: 80% in children ages 1-8.