Hi, My mom is a white female, 98 lbs. 5'5" (used to be 5'8"), 78 yrs. old and has been constant caregiver for my father (82, 189 lbs.) who is bedridden with Parkinson's. She, as one might imagine, is stressed, anxious and very fatigued as of late. She's hard of hearing in the left ear and sometimes recently gets wobbly when changing directions while walking. She is a very high energy, positive person who never complains about anything, (she irons pillow cases and jeans!) and lately she has been feeling tired enough to take a nap or tell me she feels lethargic...mind you this never has happened before. She had a series of blood tests run and her results were as follows:
(I included the range although I'm sure you're familiar...just so you have it in front of you)

MCHC LOW 30.5 range 31-36
Lymphocyte LOW 20 range 26-46
CO2 (bicarbonate) HIGH 33 range 21-32
ESR HIGH 63 range 0-30
Vit D LOW 26 range 30-100
Folate HIGH 24 range 1.1-20

Her B12 levels were normal so I'm not sure what the high Folate level means...
According to tests she is NOT anemic.
I'm mostly concerned about the high ESR and can't figure out what 63 indicates. From what I've read 100+ is a cause for concern (i.e. cancer perhaps)
She has had a shortness of breath for many years and xrays indicate some "scarring" on the lower lungs and recently (5/7/2015) came down with double pneumonia.

I know you're coming into this cold and don't know much other than what I've shared with you but I really need to figure out how to help my mom. She is my best friend and deserves the best treatment available.

Any insight or suggestions as to next steps will considered and appreciated as it will help us to better understand what the physician will tell her tomorrow.

My feeling is that she should have gone ahead with the bronchoscopy that was suggested but she is very afraid to do it because a doctor at Stanford made cold and frightening remarks that "if it's not done by someone who knows their stuff you die." Is it such a dangerous test?

Thank you for doing the work you do and for reading my long description. Please share with me any thoughts you might have and how you would proceed if it were your loved one in this position.

All the best.

Erin Cross