Lab results - looking for opinions [PLEASE READ 1ST POST]

Maria Fisher46 said:Based on what you're saying—which is pretty confusing—it isn't clear how these symptoms are actually progressing. You mentioned 2018, but then you said January 2023. If this started back in 2018, you can't get an urgent referral, especially if she's already being treated for these exact issues. In that case, you just request a second opinion.

A lot of this is unclear. Also, a 33-year-old isn't a child; they're an adult.

The fever and pain have been going on since 2018.
She had a swollen lymph node in her neck last summer, and it hasn't budged since—that was the first time anything like this happened.
In January 2023, she also had lymph nodes swell up in her groin.
And for the last three weeks (since the start of March), that swollen node in her neck that's been there for months has started changing color. A brown spot is appearing on the skin right above the node.
With everything else getting worse, are you telling me this isn't considered an emergency, given that her condition puts her at high risk for all sorts of nasty complications?

To me, she'll always be my kid. No matter how old she gets.

Jerry Ruiz5 said:The fever and pain have been persistent since 2018.
Last summer, she developed a swollen lymph node in her neck that hasn't budged—never seen anything like it before.
By January 2023, she also had lymph nodes swelling in her groin area.
Now, over the last three weeks, that same neck node, which has been swollen for months, is changing color. A brown patch is appearing on the skin right above it.
Given how much her other symptoms are worsening, can we really say this isn't an emergency, considering how high-risk her situation is?

To me, she’ll always be a child. No matter how old she gets.

Given how long these symptoms have lasted and how complicated everything is, I think the best move is for her to be seen through an outpatient clinic or during a hospital stay. Trying to handle this via standard doctor appointments takes too much time. Plus, even after a neck ultrasound, you still can't be certain if it's just a reactive lymph node or if there's suspicion of an evil malignant process. More testing is inevitable.

Testosterone at 17 (reference range 10.4 - 36.7)—I'm 35 years old—is this considered low, or is it perfectly fine?

Jerry Taylor said:Testosterone at 17 (ref range 10.4 - 36.7), age 35—is this low or fine?

As long as you're within the reference range, you're fine. Age doesn't change the math here.

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Hey everyone,

Female, 44, generally healthy—no meds, decent weight, don't drink, but I do smoke about half a pack a day.

On March 27th, my fever spiked over 102. Next morning, I ran some blood and urine tests: https://ibb.co/WBnwsvy along with a CRP of 53.1.
Symptoms: basically a nasty bacterial throat infection mixed with sinus issues—stuffy nose, laryngitis, and this bizarre, non-productive cough that feels like I'm choking. Plus, the lymph nodes under my jaw and on my neck are swollen and super painful.
Everything screams bacterial infection, so my doctor put me on Fromilid, 500 mg twice daily for 7 days.
After three days, zero improvement. Doctor switched my antibiotic to a Klavo Phar brand for another week. My stomach hated it—barely tolerated it—and even though there was a tiny bit of relief, I still felt like garbage. Two days after finishing that last round, the swallowing pain came right back and all the symptoms returned (minus the fever). It’s Holy Saturday—what am I supposed to do? My mother-in-law is a pharmacist and she had some Azithromycin lying around, so she gave me a 3-day supply. I’ve never just taken antibiotics on my own before, but I was desperate—I couldn't imagine waiting three more days until my doctor is back in the office while in this much pain. And since the fever is gone, going to an urgent care clinic seems kind of ridiculous. I actually started feeling better after the second pill. But by the third, my ear started hurting. Then there's that weird cough again—mostly when I lie down—it's non-productive, like it's forcing me to cough, but nothing comes up, so I just end up gasping for air in bed (terrible way to describe it, but honestly, I don't know how else to put it).

Anyway, here's the deal: if I go get blood work done now, will it actually show what's happening? I'm guessing a throat/nasal swab is pointless at this stage, right? Is it even possible that none of these three antibiotics hit the mark? Should I expect to feel any better soon? I think Azithromycin has a long half-life... I'm assuming this is just strep. My family doctor's office handles everything over the phone—nobody actually examined me—and I've talked to four different doctors over five calls, so I could really use a second opinion. I'm terrified I'll end up needing a fourth antibiotic.

Also, can someone explain why my amylase levels in the urine are double the normal range and my iron is so low? Could that be linked to this infection?

Thanks in advance!

Hello,

I’d appreciate some perspective on these blood and urine lab results. Specifically, do these urinalysis findings suggest a urinary tract infection?

I’m 33 years old. For the past week, I've been dealing with persistent pain in my lower abdomen and lower back. I already went in for a gynecological exam, and everything there came back normal.

E=4.65[x1012/L]Hb=132[g/L]Hct=0.405 [L/LJCV=87.1 [fL]MCH=28.4[pg]MCHC=326[g/L]RDW=12.7[%]
L=6.1[x109/L]EO%=1[%]BA%=1[%] NEUT%=77[%]LY%=14[%] MO%=7[%] EO=0.10[x109/L]BA=0.00
[x109/L]NEUT=4.70[x109/L]LY=0.85[x109/L]MO=0.40 [x109/L]Trc=231 [x109/L]MPV=8.0[FL]CRP=< 1.0
[mg/L]SP.TEŽ. 1.010 PH=6.0 LEUKO=pos[1] NITRITI=neg PROT=neg GLC=norm KETONI=neg UBG=norm
BIL=neg KRV=neg Eritrociti=0-1 Leukociti 5-10 Stanice pločastog epitela-2-5 Bakterije malo

Hey there,
Could someone please help me make sense of these EMG results? I just copied the conclusion here:
The EMG findings align with the clinical presentation, indicating multiple radiculopathies:
- moderate-to-severe, chronic radicular lesion at L4 on the right side;
- moderate chronic radicular lesions at L5S1 on both sides;
- mild chronic radicular lesions at C5 on the right, C8-T1 on both sides, and L2-L3 on the right
Thanks so much!

Hey everyone! About three weeks ago, I was pulling night shifts and barely saw a lick of sunlight before I flew back home to the States. Unfortunately, my job means eating pretty terrible food, but honestly, since I’m working 10-hour days doing heavy physical labor, I don't really mind the greasy stuff.
I went to the doctor today and all I have is

MCHC MAX: 345 - Mine came back at 350

Since I was on those night shifts, insomnia hit me hard and followed me home for almost a week. I ended up grabbing some lemon balm tea and Vitamin B6, which actually helped me sleep again! That said, I'm wondering if this elevated number is anything to worry about? To be honest, I can't say much regarding symptoms—maybe my libido is a bit low, but since I don't have a girlfriend right now, we can't 🤦 say for sure. I even paid for a private testosterone test and everything was totally normal.
Now that I've managed to get my blood pressure steady—it was 113/75 this morning and stayed there all day—I'm curious: is it okay to keep drinking tea with lemon balm and B6?

Just to follow up, I worked nights for nearly a month and a half. I didn't see any sun at all because I was working from 6 PM to 6 AM, plus we had that biting wind and rain in Eastern Germany almost every single day. I don't have many choices when it comes to food because I'm a construction worker; by the time I get home, everything is closed, and while I'm out on the job site for a month or three at a time, I end up eating junk. Other than being a bit of a worrier and feeling slightly anxious, I feel fine health-wise.

Greetings.
I am seeking some clarity regarding my recent medical findings and whether they warrant genuine concern. A few days ago, I underwent a routine physical, including an abdominal ultrasound, a complete blood count, and a urinalysis. Everything appears to be within the standard parameters, with one exception: my creatinine came back at 104—which sits right on the edge—and my eGFR was 78, whereas the lab report suggests anything below 90 is outside the norm. Should I be losing sleep over this? Additionally, the ultrasound detected a small stone in my right kidney. For context, I am 39 years old.

You were probably just dehydrated (internally) when they drew your blood, which would explain why your creatinine and GFR levels look the way they do. This kind of thing happens all the time, and honestly, there’s absolutely no reason to panic about it.

brightgull95 said:You were probably dehydrated—internally speaking—when they drew your blood, which would explain why those creatinine and GFR numbers look the way they do. It happens quite frequently; honestly, there isn't much to worry about here.

I appreciate the response. I find myself preoccupied with another matter regarding my ECG. During a routine physical back when I was five years ago, the ECG indicated an RBBB, yet my internist didn't give it much thought since I wasn't experiencing any symptoms. Even two years ago, I went in for a full cardiac workup just to be safe—ultrasound, ECG, Holter monitor, the whole bit—and everything came back clinically insignificant. However, what is weighing on me now is that while reviewing my recent ECG from a few days ago, I noticed the QRS complex value is higher than it was during that checkup two years ago. I wonder if this shift holds any actual clinical significance, or if I should simply attempt to dismiss it.

“The value of the QRS complex,” what an interesting way to put it. Even if—by some miracle—the QRS complex width was sitting at a whopping 200 ms, it wouldn’t mean a damn thing. Sure, a complete Right Bundle Branch Block (RBBB) is something you have to note down, but honestly? It carries virtually zero clinical significance. Not even when heart function is completely compromised.

brightgull95 said:“The QRS value,” an intriguing way to put it. Even if—by some strange miracle—the QRS complex width was sitting at a whopping 200 ms, it wouldn't change much. A complete Right Bundle Branch Block (RBBB) is something that requires documentation, sure, but it carries almost zero clinical weight. Not even when heart function is clearly compromised.

Much appreciated for the responses.

👋
So, I had my blood drawn six days into my third round of chemo, which was happening just thirteen days after I tested positive for COVID. I wasn't even getting tested for routine stuff—I did it because I was feeling off due to the illness—but honestly, right up until the infusion, I felt totally fine, no symptoms or anything. After the treatment, though, the side effects dragged on for a while. It was pretty uncomfortable, but I guess I wasn't exactly shocked by that.
But then, about four days after the chemo session, these cold-like symptoms started creeping back in. I’ve got this super mild fever (peaked at 99.3°F), a bit of a cough, some nasal congestion, and a slightly scratchy throat... and then my blood test results came back looking like this:

Does this automatically mean there's an infection that needs antibiotics, or could it be something else entirely?

Unfortunately, I can't give you a definitive answer, but I know that frequent viral infections are pretty common for people undergoing chemo—it’s likely just because their immune system takes a hit. If that offers any comfort... definitely check in with your doctors about what to expect, though. This will probably happen again, especially if you run a fever that sticks around for more than a day or two.

On a different note, I have a quick technical question: I had some blood work done this morning at a lab in Chicago, and they mentioned the results would be available on my MyChart portal. So far, there's absolutely nothing there. Does anyone know how many days it usually takes for those results to pop up, assuming they actually upload them?

Thanks for giving it a shot, but I usually only end up posting here after I've already sat through doctor consultations and we're still left with a bunch of unanswered questions.
Right now, everyone involved is basically stuck in this massive limbo trying to decide if we should actually go ahead with the antibiotics or not.
I’m going to try to get the CRP and ESR levels checked tomorrow just to see if they’re trending down or spiking again—though honestly, I'm wondering if there's even any point in rushing to repeat them that fast.

As far as the lab results go, the odds of everything hitting my inbox on the exact same day are pretty much zero.
Sometimes my results pop up in the middle of the night, and other times it takes a couple of days depending on how fast the admin decides to release them.
Also, you should probably check both the lab section and the specialist section, because sometimes the system bundles the lab work under specialist reports. Actually, most of the time, it does.

Hey, thanks so much for the help!

I actually had someone in my own family going through chemo, and they usually wouldn't touch antibiotics unless a fever stuck around for several days. It was more about waiting to see if things cleared up naturally—if it didn't pass in two or three days, then they'd step in. So, it would be silly of me to say I know exactly what you're going through, because I don't. But I truly do hear you, and I’m sending you all the strength in the world to get through this. Just stay tough—I really believe the brave ones come out on top. Hang in there!

Thanks 🙂

Looking for some input here:
View on imgur

My creatine kinase levels are significantly elevated. I’ve read that athletes often see spikes in this marker—and while I wouldn't call myself a pro athlete, I hit the gym regularly. I had bloodwork done Monday at 7 AM, following an intense leg day on Saturday that left me with serious inflammation through Sunday. The soreness didn't finally subside until yesterday evening.

Is it plausible that this is just a result of physical exertion? Or should I be looking into something else?

Exactly.