Your results look normal, so there is absolutely no reason to worry.
I just wanted to take a second to say thank you—really. I truly appreciate all the effort you put into such a detailed (and honestly, incredibly soothing) response. Thank you so much. 🙂
Here's one for you. Pregnant. So, I’m currently waiting on my very first child. I'm 40 years old, and I'm about 10 weeks along now. Everything seems to be progressing normally so far, which is a relief. As for any chronic issues—if that even matters in this context—I do deal with mild asthma. Also, just so it's noted, I've been taking Progynon twice a day during this pregnancy.
So, I finally got my lab results back today. I’ve gone ahead and bolded the ones that are outside the normal range, because honestly, those are the ones that have me spiraling—I really need some insight on what these actually mean.
LABORATORY COAGULATION RESULTS:
Prothrombin time ratio—INR—came back at 0.95. The reference range is anything above 0.70, so I guess everything is technically where it needs to be. Just one of those numbers sitting there on the page. My Prothrombin time and INR came back at 1.0... whereas the reference range is supposed to be between 2.0 and 3.5. Just sitting here staring at the numbers. It’s low. Definitely on the lower end of what they expect to see. INR—it came back at 1.0. The reference range goes up to 1.12. Still within the lines, I suppose.
BLOOD WORK RESULTS:
White Blood Cell Count is sitting at 7.08. Looking at the lab's reference range, they want it between 3.4 and 9.7. Not quite where I wanted it, but within the lines, I guess. Just one of those things you have to keep an eye on. My Red Blood Cell count came back at 4.16... which is sitting right there in the middle of that 3.86 to 5.08 reference range. Just a number on a page, I suppose. Still, makes you wonder what else is shifting around in there. Hemoglobin came back at 124. The reference range is 119 to 157. It’s within the lines, I suppose. Just barely sitting there. Still thinking about those numbers. Hematocrit: 0.36 (Reference range: 0.356 - 0.470) CV: 86 (Reference range: 83.0 - 97.2) Cholesterol levels came back at 29.7. The reference range is listed between 25 and 33.9. So, strictly speaking, I'm right in the middle of the pack. Not exactly breaking any records, but nothing to write home about either. Just another number on the page. CHC: 346 (Reference range: 320 - 360) DW 162 (reference range: 158 - 424) My PV came back at 9.7... the reference range listed was 6.8 to 10.4. Just sitting here staring at the numbers. It's within the lines, I guess, but you know how these things go. One minute everything looks fine on paper, and the next you're wondering if that little fluctuation actually means something more. Still waiting on the rest of it.
Granulocytes: 5.4 (Reference range: 2.06 - 6.49). Looks like everything is sitting right where it should be. Lymphocytes: 1.3 (Reference range: 1.19 - 3.35) Monocytes: 0.4 (Reference range: 0.12 - 0.84) Granulocytes: 76 (Reference range: 32 - 68). High. Again. Just sitting there looking at the numbers and they aren't where they should be. Always one thing or another, isn't it? Lymphocytes: 18 (Reference range: 20 - 46) Monocytes: 6 (Reference range: 2 - 12)
BLOOD BIOCHEMISTRY TEST RESULTS:
Glucose: 4.9 (Reference range: 4.4 - 6.4). Everything seems to be right where it should be. Urea: 3.8 (Reference range: 2.8 - 8.3) Creatinine: 62 (Reference range: 63 - 107). Just a hair under the mark. Bilirubin, total: 9.7 (Reference range: 3 - 20) Potassium levels came back at 3.9. The reference range is listed as 3.9 to 5.1. Right on the edge. Just barely making the cut. Sodium level came back at 137. The reference range is listed as 137 to 146. It's right on the edge. Just barely holding steady. Iron levels: 25.9 (Reference range: 8 - 30). Aspartate aminotransferase: 13 (Reference range: 8 - 30). Just checking in on these numbers... everything seems to be sitting right where it should be. No cause for alarm here. Alanine aminotransferase: 12 (Reference range: 10 - 36) Alkaline phosphatase: 60 (reference range: 54 - 119) Gamma-glutamyltransferase: 9 (Reference range: 9 - 35) CRP: 3.49 (Reference range: 0.0 - 5.0)
URINE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS:
Appearance: hazy Color: Yellow Specific gravity: 1.005 (Reference range: 1.002 - 1.030) The pH came back at 7.0, which falls right in the middle of that 5.0 to 9.0 reference range. Totally normal. Urine Leukocyte Esterase: Negative. Everything looks clear there. Urine Nitrite: Negative. Ref: Negative. Protein levels: negative. Reference range: negative. Urine Glucose: Negative. Everything looks normal on that front. Ketones: negative. Reference range: negative. Urine Urobilinogen: normal range is 0 - normal. Bilirubin came back negative. Just like it should be. The RBC/hemoglobin came back negative. Ref range says negative. So, yeah. Everything looks normal there.
Urine sediment: B.O.
About two weeks ago, I went in to get my thyroid hormone levels checked, and honestly, everything came back perfectly normal. All within the standard range.
If it’s even possible... Can someone please walk me through these values that are falling outside the reference range? I need an explanation. Should I be worried, or am I just spinning my wheels here?
So, my next OBGYN appointment is on the books for next week.
So, listen, my partner and I finally tied the knot this past Saturday. We decided to go with a cake from Amelia, and let me tell you—it was an absolute knockout. Everyone was raving about it. (The rest of the dessert spread was handled by the pub where we held the reception.)
For a crowd of 70 people, $0.47.
It was a hazelnut creation, featuring nuts ground down to three different textures—coarse, medium, and fine—which made the flavor just divine. Plus, the owner and I managed to hammer out all the details incredibly quickly; she’s a lovely woman.
I am dead certain I'll be heading back there just for another slice of that cake. Look, I'm not exactly someone who goes overboard on sweets, but this one? It hit the spot perfectly. Even my guests were completely blown away.
quietfox384 said:You can actually pick up some Vitex tea; personally, it helps me cut down on the flow and how long everything lasts. Hopefully, it gives you at least a little relief.
Hmm, why not? It’s hard to see how it could hurt. Honestly, it might be good to have on hand regardless. Thanks. 🙂
mellowcobra82 said:Well, let's just cross our fingers and hope for the best! 😉 Honestly, my advice? Stop overthinking it. Just focus on the actual wedding essentials and try to stay sane—maybe everything will just fall into place perfectly! And hey, just in case things go sideways, maybe have a backup dress ready to go? I’m rooting for you. I really hope you get the wedding you've been dreaming of! 🙂
mellowcobra82 said:Yeah, well, unfortunately, a baby doesn't just "take" whenever you decide it’s time... I get that you meant well, really, I do, but you honestly should have checked in with your OB-GYN before jumping into all of this. I deal with heavy bleeding myself, so believe me, I know exactly what you're talking about. 😢 Look, personally? Taking painkillers seems to mask things for me. It’s like the bleeding slows down while the meds are kicking in, but then the second they wear off, everything just... pours out. It’s like an absolute flood of everything that was being held back before. Honestly, I have no clue what I’d suggest you do. You really ought to just pick up the phone and ask your doctor. Better safe than sorry, right? 🤷
Good luck!
So, I finally made it in today. Saw the doctor, and she handed over the Duphaston. She was telling me that starting a day or two before my period is supposed to kick in should do the trick, though apparently, if I get that gut feeling that it’s coming early, I can just dive right in. Her exact words? "Take two tablets a day." Now, look, she isn't promising me the moon here—it's not like a hundred percent guaranteed—but it'll likely do the job. We'll see.
At this point, all I can really do is sit here and cross my fingers. Or maybe I should just plan on changing out of my wedding dress into some "normal" outfit right after the first dance... honestly, what else is there? 🤷
By the way, wearybear422, thanks for those links. 🙂
mellowcobra82 said:I don't mean to lecture anyone here, but honestly, isn't it a bit late in the game to be thinking about pushing back your period? If you had started on birth control a few months ago, this would have been a breeze, but now...?
Well, I didn't start anything a few months ago because my partner and I have actually been "trying" for a baby for quite some time now. It’s just... things aren't exactly going according to the master plan. 😢
The whole idea was to maybe get pregnant in the next few days, just so my period doesn't absolutely ruin the wedding. That would be the dream scenario, really—getting pregnant and skipping the cycle entirely—but I can't exactly bank on a miracle happening right on schedule. 😉
wearybear422 said:For painful periods, people usually drink marjoram tea😉. If you're trying to bring it on earlier, I reckon marjoram or maybe some chamomile tea might help.
Look, I don't want to get it early, I actually want it later. It drags on for six whole days—which is total garbage regardless—so even if it hits me in the middle of next week, I'm still miserable. And under no circumstances can I be dealing with this next Saturday.
I really hope I picked the right thread for this, because honestly, I’m kind of spiraling here.
The wedding is happening in exactly 8 days (May 3rd). And just to set the scene: I’ll be wearing a massive, voluminous, absolutely huge gown.
Here’s the nightmare: my period is due right around that date. Normally, my cycles are brutal—incredibly heavy and painfully bad. When I say "heavy," I mean I’m basically sprinting to the restroom every 45 minutes to an hour, and even then, I’m relying on the largest overnight pads Libresse makes. 😕
With a dress like that, I have no idea how I’m supposed to function, let alone use the bathroom normally, much less try to change products discreetly. Tampons are completely out of the question for the first few days because the flow is so intense I’d be swapping them out every 20 minutes. Believe me, I’ve tried; it’s a disaster.
I don't usually take birth control, but I am genuinely willing to pop some pills for a few days just to push this damn thing back.
Does anyone have any actual advice? And please, spare me the "try a cold shower" or whatever old wives' tale nonsense. It doesn't work.
I’m assuming you aren’t exactly planning on crushing a high-intensity workout just fifteen minutes after feeling completely "wrecked." ☕
Look, we all know alcohol dehydrates you, and trying to push through a session while you're dried out is a recipe for disaster. Just make sure you’re slamming water all day today to try and get those fluids back where they belong.
And for heaven's sake, actually eat something before you hit the gym. Get some protein and carbs in your system—maybe an hour before you start training.
Then just take it easy and see how your body responds...
Does anyone know if it’s actually possible to request a one-time credit limit increase on a Mastercard?
It looks like I’m going to have a bit of an unexpected charge hit my Mastercard from $100, and I’ll need to clear it before the 20th when my limit resets. The problem is, I’ve got pretty little cash to play with between now and then.
It’s for a medical expense—something I just can't put off, no matter how much I might want to. So, how does the whole process work? Do I just walk into a Chase branch and ask for a temporary bump in my limit?
Is that even a thing people do? And honestly, how much is Chase going to fleece me for the privilege?
Also, if they do it, will they just slash my limit by that same amount next month, or what exactly happens?
Steven Reed said:Look, if your limit clears on the 20th and you pay off the Mastercard on that same day, $500 you won't even hit an overdraft situation. Even if they process the Mastercard payment first and leave you momentarily in the red before your deposit hits, it's a non-issue. They only care about interest if you're sitting in the red—say, you're down $1,500 on the 20th and don't fix it until the 21st—and even then, it's just pennies. They generally only flag the overdraft if you stay in the negative for more than eight days.
So what you're saying is it doesn't matter if I'm technically in the red for a few hours? Like, if they hit my Mastercard at 12:01 AM on August 20th, but I withdraw the cash and get it back into my checking account by 8:30 AM that same morning, I'm fine?
Steven Reed said:If your credit limit is actually available on that same day—honestly, I haven’t checked my Chase Mastercard lately to see when my limit resets—then you won't be hit with any overdraft fees, because technically, you won't even be overdrawn.
Yeah, but listen. If my limit clears that day and I manage to pull some cash out, I’d have to head straight to a teller to deposit it back into my checking account.
Will that actually process fast enough to beat the bank before they start pulling funds from my checking to cover the Mastercard debt?
Steven Reed said:Not likely. They generally just slap you with late interest for any delay up to about 6 or 7 days—it’s more of a nuisance than a penalty. I suspect once you hit day 8, they send out a formal notice, which essentially means they'll adjust your overdraft limit for the next cycle. Honestly, if I were you, I'd move that money from the Chase Mastercard to your checking account first thing tomorrow morning—just keep in mind that the cash withdrawal fees on a Mastercard can be pretty steep.
That’s the catch—I can't move it from the Mastercard. That's the whole damn issue.
See, my entire credit limit is already tapped out. Right now, my available limit on the card is zero.
The bank clears that limit on September 20th. That's the same day they're supposed to pull the Mastercard fees from my checking account, plus those two other automatic transfers scheduled for my main account.
When they adjust the overdraft, will it reflect that specific amount of $0.50 that I'll be underwater by...? Like, roughly how much are we talking about here?
ruggedhound0 said:If I’m reading this right—even if she’s sitting in the red—if there's an available limit on her Chase Mastercard, she could just pull the cash she needs from the card and deposit it straight into her account? Is that how it works? It feels a little weird that they'd free up credit on a card when the balance hasn't even been covered yet.
Right. Yeah. And look, I’ve got another question here because I’m still feeling a bit uncertain about how this all works.
From what I’ve gathered, they always clear my limit early in the morning on the 20th of every month. Once that happens, I’m good to go with the Mastercard.
In theory, that means on the morning of the 20th, I could grab the extra cash I'm missing using the Mastercard and then just deposit it into my checking account to cover the deficit.
At the same time, they pull the Mastercard payment from my checking account on the 20th. But the actual change in my account balance doesn't show up until the morning of the 21st.
So, the big question is: could I go down to a Chase branch early on the morning of September 20th, withdraw the funds from the Mastercard, and immediately deposit them into my account? Basically, will that money actually hit my account fast enough to make this work?
If it does, honestly, that would solve everything.
Steven Reed said:It’ll push you into an overdraft—and simultaneously free up your Mastercard limit. Being overdrawn for just one day isn't the end of the world—they'll just charge you a day's worth of penalty interest. However, if you think you're going to struggle with these Mastercard payments long-term, you should probably head down to the bank and ask about a consolidation loan to get everything squared away.🤷
Hmm. Here's the catch—we're talking about an unauthorized amount of roughly $0.50, so it's not exactly pocket change. Is the bank going to freeze my account because of it?
I don't usually have any trouble covering the Mastercard, really. It's just that this past month, I got hit with this massive, urgent expense that I absolutely couldn't dodge...
The way it works is my statement closes on the 10th of every month, and then on the 20th, they pull whatever balance I racked up on the Mastercard straight from my checking account.
And get this—on that exact same day, they also pull two separate installments for my Maestra payments (which were charged directly to my debit card).
I just checked my checking account balance and realized I am absolutely not going to have enough cash to cover all of this by September 20th.
My first thought was to just transfer some funds from the Mastercard over to my checking to bridge the gap, but I can't even do that because my available credit is sitting at exactly zero right now.
I don't have anyone to borrow money from, period. That option is totally off the table.
So, here is my question. If I can't scrape the money together, what actually happens?
Are they going to throw me into the red? Will they freeze my account entirely? And what happens to those two installment payments on my checking? (Both are set up as automatic transfers).
How does Bank of America actually handle things when you don't have enough in your account to cover the Mastercard bill?
Yeah, my blood work comes back spotless every single time. I stay on top of the checkups religiously, and honestly, they haven't found a damn thing out of the ordinary yet.
Jacob Sullivan91 said:Sorry, but your post was pretty disgusting toward smokers. And if that thread kept going, it probably would've just turned into a nonstop barrage of insults aimed at smokers (which doesn't belong here).
Just so we're clear, users who were insulting non-smokers got warned too, so there's no confusion there.
And just a quick reminder, you wrote that post after a moderator asked you to stay on topic, since smokers in general aren't what this thread is about.
So yeah. That's that.
And let’s be real—Nerini’s views are just as insulting to non-smokers. She basically treats everyone else like second-class citizens who exist solely to cater to her addiction. By her logic, you should probably even let her smoke in your own damn house just so Her Majesty doesn't feel slighted. That isn't "health consciousness," it's pure selfishness.
But hey, her takes are considered totally kosher because she doesn't use any bad words, right?
With all due respect, I think you guys have fallen straight into the political correctness trap.
rustydrifter10 said:Sometimes things get pulled immediately, sure. But the real idea here is that moderators aren't just robots programmed to delete every single little bit of off-topic chatter; they actually use their judgment to decide if something can stay. Plus, you really shouldn't let off-topic stuff slide if it's clearly just meant to be provocative.
Well, my post wasn't trying to provoke anyone. Especially since it was a direct response to someone who had already set themselves up with this incredibly rigid, "us vs. them" attitude toward non-smokers.
On another note, there's one thing that strikes me as... well... a bit ridiculous. On one hand, you guys are busy deleting benign little comments just because they might be perceived as a provocation. But then, on the other hand, when someone starts a thread about a personal struggle, you often let these absolutely brutal comments fly at the author. Look, I'm fine with the latter—honestly, I hate it when people are treated like they're made of glass, and let's be clear, this forum isn't some therapy support group—but then it makes no sense why there's such intense fear regarding the first part. Let's emphasize those words: "perceived" and "potential." I'm telling you, people aren't made of paper.
A troll—now that's a provocation, clearly. That's a different story altogether.