What causes white blood count and fever to be normal with severe infection?

penybobeny

I have a lifelong battle with severe, sometimes life threatening infections with no rise in fever or white blood cell count.

Two examples:

Oct. 1996- Pelvic Inflamitory Disease with rupture and 3rd degree peritonitis. I went to the ER and after blood tests and a normal tempature they were ready to send me home calling it 'heartburn'. One single Dr pushed for an ultrasound and when something was noted insisted on being allowed to 'open' me up, even though every other test was completely normal. What he found was a falopein tube that had ruptured about 6 hours earlier and pus circulating through my abdominal cavity irritating all my organs.

March 2003- Sinus Surgery. CT immagery showed a severe sinus infection so surgery was scheduled. I have the pictures from the surgery... every sinus cavity was infiltrated with pus, shocking the Surgeon since my blood tests and tempature were normal.

I try to tell Dr's that I do not get fevers or elevated white blood counts with infections, but they just roll their eyes and say "Oh, you are one of those", so I do not get treatment when I need it if I have an infection.

My lymph nodes become infected about twice a year, swelling and painful until they burst... Dr's say that they are just swollen and not infected because (suprise) I am not running a fever and my blood tests are normal and because of that they will not prescribe antibiotics. When I return after they burst and have puss draingin actively they look at the charts and say that the tests must have been wrong.

Does anyone know what could cause my immune system to act this way? It is not HIV, that has been well ruled out but I would love a name to put to this.

I have many different conditions going on and am frankly thinking that it should be someone else's turn to have some fun for a change... I have had enough, and this is normally very low on my worry list, but I have yet another infected lymph node coming up behind my ear and since it is hurting and keeping me up it gets the attention at this moment.