Formula or VBA or Combination to count Number of Cells in a merged range! PLEASE HELP!

If you're interested in a VBA solution:
This User Defined Function returns the count of matching cells in a range.
- Unmerged cells count as 1
- Cells in merged areas each count as 1

• ALT+F11...to open the Visual Basic Editor
• Select the workbook name that will contain the function
(in the Project - VBAProject window)
• Insert.Module
• Copy the below code and paste in into that module:

Function CountMatchedCells(FindText As String, rRange As Range) As Integer
Dim cCell As Range
Dim iCtr As Integer
Application.Volatile

For Each cCell In rRange.Cells
    If cCell.Value = FindText Then
        If cCell.MergeCells = True Then
            iCtr = iCtr + cCell.MergeArea.Cells.Count
        Else
            iCtr = iCtr + 1
        End If
    End If
Next cCell
CountMatchedCells = iCtr
End Function

Sample usage of that function to count the cell blocks in your sample workbook
B21: =CountMatchedCells("LFB",B1:B20)

In that example, the formula returns: 8
There are 3 areas containing "LFB"
-B1:B4
-B7
-B18:B20

Is that something you can work with?

Here you go...try this:

Function CountMatchedCells(FindText As String, rRange As Range) As Integer
Dim cCell As Range
Dim iCtr As Integer
Application.Volatile

For Each cCell In rRange.Cells
    If cCell.Value Like FindText Then
        If cCell.MergeCells = True Then
            iCtr = iCtr + cCell.MergeArea.Cells.Count
        Else
            iCtr = iCtr + 1
        End If
    End If
Next cCell
CountMatchedCells = iCtr
End Function

Then you can use wildcards in the FindText

Examples:
This formula counts areas that begin with "LFB" (notice the asterisk after LFR)

B21: =CountMatchedCells("LFB*",B1:B20)

and this one counts areas that contain "LFB"

B21: =CountMatchedCells("*LFB*",B1:B20)

Does that help?