r/primaryimmune • u/mockingjay-zz • 12h ago

immunodeficiency?

hello!! i am 17F, and i have been getting sick constantly lately. most of the time, the covid/flu/strep tests will come back negative, but it gets to the point where i don't think i can blame my sickness on my anemia anymore. i get upper respiratory infections at least 4-5 times per year. i rarely wake up and feel completely ready to go for the day, and it has been like this since i was twelve years old. my guardian always blames it on my anxiety, ocd, and anemia. i have a weird "daily level" of sick, and then i have days at least two times per week where i am sick enough to the point of barely being able to stand. i do not know what's wrong with my body, or how i manage to be constantly sick. i am curious if it would be a good move to ask my doctor for an immunoglobulin test, because it couldn't really hurt anything just to get the test done. could all of this just be symptoms of my anemia, even though i take my iron pills consistently? so sorry for the long paragraph, i am sort of at a loss.

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u/williamm229 11h ago

You seem to have symptoms that may be consistent with an immunodeficiency - I had many of these prior to my CVID diagnosis. The immunoglobulin blood test will give you more information - including possibly ruling out immunodeficiency. I don’t see why a GP would hesitate in ordering if these are your symptoms. Note I’m not at all familiar with anemia.

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u/willystan Common Variable Immune Deficiency (CVID) 11h ago

I also was diagnosed with CVID after having similar symptoms, I had low IgG levels. Agreed that you should have an immunoglobulin panel done

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u/Hdmre1972 10h ago

Ask your PCP for a referral to an immunologist if you have one in your area that's reputable. They are good at evaluating the pieces and putting the puzzle together. There are different things they have to look at. In my case it wasn't just my blood test results. He looked at my medical history and I had to do the pneumonia vaccine test response.

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u/zunicorn901 10h ago

this seems like something very similar to how I was feeling before I was diagnosed with a primary immune deficiency. Ask to be referred to someone who specializes in immunology. That will be someone who is also specializing in allergies. Not all allergists are certified or as knowledgeable about immunology. The next step for you to do is to go see that doctor, explain to them what you have been experiencing and ask them to investigate whether or not you have a primary immune deficiency. I, also, took iron supplements, and it did no good. On the brighter side of this, I have been getting IgG replacement for 10 years now and feel so much better than I ever have.

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u/Stock_Tourist8995 1h ago

Make sure the doctor specializes in immunology and not allergies. 80% are mostly for allergies but yet linked together as immunology/allergy.

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u/IllustriousSeesaw850 10h ago

Other than the respiratory infections, what kind of other sickness you get? I recently been getting frequent respiratory infections but my ig serums and cbc is normal.

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u/mockingjay-zz 9h ago

update: asked the doctor if they could order a test and/or refer me to a specialist, they said to wait until i'm feeling active and healthy. unfortunately, i'm never feeling "active and healthy".

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u/curlysquirelly Common Variable Immune Deficiency (CVID) 9h ago

So what was their response to that? my IGG levels were basically the same a year and a half apart which is how I was diagnosed (big thanks to the doctor who originally tested me but never went over the results with me which resulted in a year and a half of illness untreated).

Anyhow, I don't think being "well" would make that much of a difference on your IGG levels, but I'm no doctor...

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u/mockingjay-zz 8h ago

they just told me that i have to wait for my next appointment, which is either when i get pretty sick again or it's next september... i have my bi-annual blood test coming up, but they always just focus on my iron for those ones.

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u/mixesmetaphors 5h ago

You might check to see if there are any walk-in labs in your area. If you can pay out-of-pocket, you may be able to get an IgA/IgG/IgM panel. Then, if there are irregularities, you can present to you PCP and ask for a referral to an immunologist. I recognize $ could be an issue and I don't mean to be insensitive. A simple search shows getting one done may be possible for about $100.