Posts by crimsonorca12

Lisa Moore7 said:What about monocytes? Aren't they usually one of the first signs of potential mononucleosis? (I ask because I dealt with some health issues before, and my monocyte levels were acting up, which led to suspicion of mono)

It’s not the monocytes, but rather the lymphocytes—specifically altered ones. On a differential blood count, they show up as reactive lymphocytes. When you have mononucleosis, those are always present in the blood smear.

I’m not sure if this applies to the original poster, but here’s how things played out for me.

Back when I was a student and my life was basically a mess—pulling all-nighters studying or just staying out way too late—my circadian rhythm was completely trashed. I couldn't fall asleep until sunrise. Then I'd catch a nap in the afternoon, which meant I was wide awake at night... just a constant, exhausting loop.

Once I entered the workforce and started facing that brutal 6:00 AM alarm every morning, everything changed. Now, if I hit the sack around midnight or 1:00 AM, I’m out in five minutes flat. I sleep like a baby.😁

On the weekends, I might catch up on a little extra rest, getting about seven hours, and honestly... I don't have any sleep issues anymore.

Just a quick side note since we're discussing diabetes—both Type 1 and Type 2...

I agree, diet is obviously huge, but there’s another equally critical factor being overlooked here: genetics.

In people living with diabetes, researchers have identified more frequent mutations in various genes responsible for glucose metabolism and insulin response. This is exactly why having family members with the condition puts you in a high-risk group; you share a significant portion of that genetic blueprint.

And this applies to Type 2 diabetes as well—even though it's often dismissed as just a byproduct of poor diet and obesity...

jadesailor14 said:all jokes aside
I’m actually drinking about 3 liters a day—sometimes even more—but that’s just what it takes...
constant thirst, always been like this

But seriously though

Drinking 3 liters of water a day just because you're thirsty isn't exactly standard...

Have you had your glucose levels or hormones checked lately?

That whole eight-hour sleep thing sounds almost tempting...

I mean, props to anyone who actually pulls that off, but for me to get eight hours, I’d have to be out by 10 PM. That means hitting the sheets by 9:30 at the latest. Given that I don't even walk through my front door until 5 PM—assuming I bolt straight home from work—how exactly am I supposed to fit everything else in my life into a four-and-a-half-hour window?

Jessica Wright said:Results: UIBC 34 (26-59), TIBC 69 (49-75)

Could you also let me know if you had a standard CBC done? Specifically looking at red blood cell count and hemoglobin...

If those numbers fall within the normal range alongside the parameters you listed above, it’s probably nothing to worry about. It might just be an uptick from eating iron-rich foods right before the lab work...

That said, if your hemoglobin is low while iron levels are high, it could point toward issues with how red cells are being produced or perhaps how they're breaking down...

Low transferrin—which, in your case, appears normal—combined with high iron can sometimes suggest iron is being stored excessively, often in the liver, because there isn't enough transferrin available to transport it through the system...

I'm sure none of that applies to you specifically, but I figured it might be useful info for someone else reading this...

Jessica Wright said:I'll keep an eye on it, thanks 🙂 It’s just impossible to get it centered... it's always either too high or way too low 😁

Aside from iron, did you check any other metabolic markers like UIBC, TIBC, iron saturation, or ferritin?

We use it at the hospital, so I assume it does the job well enough

But for home use, it feels like a bit much... I get enough of it at work, washing my hands with it a dozen times a day

Melissa Cruz2 said:It feels like everyone’s cholesterol is through the roof lately. I wonder if those target ranges are just rigged to push more prescriptions on us.

Bingo.😁

Every time they update the guidelines, the "healthy" threshold drops lower. It's like they want everyone on statins before they even hit middle age.

We actually did blood work for all our staff at the clinic recently, trying to assemble a control group of healthy subjects for a study... and honestly, it was a disaster. More than half were flagged as overweight.😁

And then there's the genetic component. There are plenty of identified gene mutations that drive up cholesterol even in people who stay lean and eat perfectly clean.

I'm not suggesting we all go on a fast food binge and become walking heart attacks, but an elevation above 220 mg/dL doesn't necessarily mean you need to start popping pills immediately.

As for the fatty liver stuff... how was that even diagnosed? If a doctor is just assuming you have a fatty liver solely because your cholesterol is high, then I think... 🙄

My advice? You really need to grab a referral for an OGTT and get your blood sugar checked after the glucose load.

Unfortunately, a fasting glucose of 7.1 could definitely point toward diabetes...

In any case, one single test doesn't tell the whole story. Just head back to the lab as soon as you can for a retest, then you'll know for sure.

Fingers crossed...🙂

Sarah Long said:So, basically, Vitamin C messes with the test itself and triggers a false positive? Is that how it works?

Exactly.

It would take too long to break down the whole science behind it right now, but if you're curious, I can write it all out tomorrow...

That’s why there are dietary instructions provided before bloodwork or urine tests that people really should follow. Unfortunately, most primary care doctors in the US don't bother mentioning them before sending patients off to the lab...

Sarah Long said:What exactly is that...?

In this case, let's say "to bother"...

Kraft doesn't cause bacteria in urine

Taking excessive amounts of vitamin C can interfere with the test strips used during urinalysis, which might lead to FALSE positive results

The thing is, those testing strips just aren't specific enough...

nimblesurfer20 said:run some liver function tests... could be itching if jaundice is involved...

good grief

jaundice involves yellowing skin... I doubt itchy hands would be the very first sign... 🙄

probably just a reaction to soap, a shirt, the sun, whatever

likely nothing to worry about...

Rachel Walker56 said:Since I don't know anything about this stuff—does that mean they can still take antibiotics that aren't penicillin-based? Or... I'm honestly just really worried!😢

Yes.

For instance, Sumamed and Celexa aren't penicillins.

In any case, you absolutely have to let your primary care doctor know there's a penicillin allergy... then they'll just prescribe different antibiotics instead (assuming that's what's needed).

Don't worry too much. Almost everything can be treated with other antibiotics, even if penicillin is still the go-to for certain infections...

Here is a decent website for drug info. I'm not sure how much it'll actually help since it's pretty technical, but you can read up on antibiotics there...

http://pharmacology.com

Best,
👋

Rachel Walker56 said:My little one developed a sudden allergy to Augmentin out of nowhere. He took just one pill and immediately started feeling off... his eyelids looked swollen and strange, he just wasn't himself. He took another dose eight hours later and then the itching started everywhere. He lifted his shirt and there were these awful, raised red patches all over his body, spreading to his arms and legs... I rushed him straight to the ER. They fast-tracked him once they saw what was happening, gave him some injections, I can't even remember the names... basically, the doctor told me he could have been in serious trouble from that... scary stuff... and it didn't even look that bad at first. But once we got there... 😲 he had never been allergic to anything before. He’d taken antibiotics without any issues, and then suddenly...

It was likely anaphylactic shock triggered by the penicillin component in the Augmentin.

Not all antibiotics contain penicillin, which explains why people don't react to the others.

A little research on how long we've actually known about diabetes... 😁

The earliest mentions date all the way back to the ancient Egyptians

And I won't even get started on the Romans, who apparently figured out how to diagnose it after noticing bees swarming around the sweet urine of certain patients

It’s almost certainly because they didn't have access to whole grain bread back then 😁

dreamer~of~dreams said:I can't shake this feeling that I read somewhere that the actual recipe for Coca-Cola is still a mystery to this day—you know, the specific details... even if the main ingredients are public knowledge.😁

The secret isn't just for Coke; nobody actually knows the recipe for Spam either. If they did, anyone could make it at home 😁.

Honestly, I'd rather not know what they're actually putting in there... 🙄

Kimberly Davis52 said:how do you extract cocaine from Coke? just trying to make a quick buck...

you have no idea what you're talking about—it's like trying to get cheese out of milk... 😁>

Kimberly Davis52 said:I’m thinking we should just turn the health section into a dedicated joke subforum...

We definitely need to put together a "best of" list 😁

Right now, there are three main contenders...

My ranking would be:

#1: That endless, unanswerable thread about milk

#2: The citric acid debate

#3: Diet Coke