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

Gary Diaz75 said:Yeah, so after going a full year without any seizures, I ended up having a grand-mal, which prompted my doctor to bump up my dosage and order this specific test. Honestly, things have been pretty solid for the last three months since that episode—no more seizures so far. I've got an EEG scheduled in about two weeks, so we'll just have to wait and see how that goes...

Man, hitting that one-year mark is honestly such a massive win 🙂
Do you think you and your doctor managed to pin down what might have triggered that grand-mal?
Keep us posted on what those EEG results look like once you get them 😉

velvetmoose9 said:Honestly, hitting the one-year mark is a massive win... 🙂
I’m assuming you and your doctor managed to pin down what triggered that grand-mal seizure?
Let me know what the EEG results showed... 😉

Yeah, I had an EEG about a week after the grand-mal, and it wasn't looking great. We’re thinking I probably overdid it too much during the New Year's celebrations—basically just way too little sleep for a few days straight combined with pure exhaustion. Then the seizure hit on January 3rd... No more partying for me. It just isn't worth it... 🤣

I can't believe I'm even typing this out, but honestly, if anyone else starts asking me the same mindless questions about my labs, I might actually lose it... I've already explained the whole situation with my aspartate-aminotransferase and alanine-aminotransferase levels more times than I care to count, and frankly, I'm tired of feeling like I have to defend my medical history to a bunch of strangers on the internet... It’s not like you guys are specialists or anything, so maybe just sit tight and let me vent for a second... Asks:
...Should I be genuinely worried about this, or is there a chance this could just pass as a perfectly normal set of results?...

At any rate, they’re looking good enough to go under the knife...

Angela Nelson3 Asks:
I’m looking for some insight here, or at least a decent explanation of these results... I really need to know what we're looking at and what could be going on. An immunologist actually referred me after they started suspecting some kind of autoimmune disorder...

If all those values are sitting squarely within the reference ranges, then obviously these tests didn't pick up a thing, which is frustrating as hell... To get a real, honest-to-God assessment of what's actually going on, you're really going to need to sit down with an immunologist, but if I'm being blunt, it looks like we're still going to have to dig much deeper to find the actual cause of everything you've been dealing with...

Kimberly Thompson56 said:Can someone explain this immunoassay result for Helicobacter: IgA negative, IgG 142 U/ml positive?

Hello,

Interpreting this isn't straightforward. To put it simply, a positive IgG can indicate an infection with this bacterium, but that doesn't distinguish between an active infection—meaning you have it right now—and a past one where you were infected previously but it's gone. Occasionally, you might even see a false positive.

Because of this, it’s vital to know if the person tested has ever undergone "triple therapy" to treat this bacterium. IgG antibodies tend to linger and stay positive long after the treatment is finished.

In modern practice, this specific test is used less frequently; it's largely being replaced by urea breath tests or checking for H. pylori antigens in stool samples. It's actually somewhat unusual that you were referred specifically for this test.

Best regards. 🙂

Dear neonheron32,

neonheron32 said:MPV 10.6 (6.8 - 10.4)

Don't let this parameter worry you. It refers to the average volume or size of your platelets. This result falls within the normal range.

Lymphocytes 0.92 (1.19 - 3.35)
With the lymphocyte percentage now at a normal level (25%).

As your Hematology specialist already mentioned, it's entirely possible for lymphocytes to drop temporarily due to certain infections, while neutrophils increase.

Once the infection clears, the blood count should stabilize. This usually happens within a two to three-week window.

Looking at the numbers, the results are nearly back to normal already.

PT - INR 1.16 (2.0 - 3.5)

Healthy individuals—those not taking blood thinners or dealing with clotting issues—typically have an INR around 1.0. Normal ranges vary slightly depending on the lab, but some data suggests a range of roughly 0.9 to 1.2.

Your result is perfectly fine.

I've heard these enzymes don't matter much if they are low, but everywhere I look, low lymphocytes are linked to some scary disease. Should I be concerned, or can this be treated as a normal finding?

You’ve heard plenty about enzyme levels, but lymphocytes are a different story. A slight dip there happens quite frequently, usually just a byproduct of a recent infection or other transient factors like stress or certain medications.

Since your numbers are trending upward and you aren't experiencing any other symptoms that would suggest an underlying issue, I’d say trust the Hematology specialist who gave you the explanation. They seem to have a handle on it.

If you need some peace of mind, you could always ask your primary care physician to run a follow-up test in about two to four weeks. That should give you a clearer picture of how things are settling.

Best regards. 🙂

Nicholas Myers, sorry for being so informal here, but 🙂

Yeah, those lymphocyte counts were what really had me spiraling. Even though my primary doctor, my hematologist, and my anesthesiologist all told me the results weren't actually cause for concern. But, obviously, things get messy when you start digging through the internet looking for answers and stumble upon stuff like HIV being a possibility.
As far as my immune system goes, I’d say I’m pretty much just your average person, sitting right in the middle of the bell curve.

I was under an insane amount of stress during that stretch. It wasn't even so much the endometriosis—that's a manageable condition you deal with routinely—but more about this "hematoma" that wouldn't go away, an enlarged lymph node in my groin (which they later attributed to lymphedema; the node cleared up once the lymphedema did), and a weird ECG reading. All these bad, strange results hit me within a single month, and I've always been someone prone to panicking.

Thanks for the info. I might head back in for another blood panel, but I'll probably sleep on it. The numbers aren't actually bad, and honestly, I don't have any symptoms suggesting anything is actually wrong with my health.

Gary Diaz75 said:Yeah, about a week after my last grand mal, I had an EEG done and things looked pretty rough. We’re assuming I probably went a little too hard celebrating New Year's—you know, not getting nearly enough sleep over those few days and just being totally burnt out. Then on January 3rd, I had a seizure... No more late nights for me, it’s just not worth the trouble. 🤣

I'm honestly glad you managed to pull such a useful lesson out of such a crappy situation. 😉
Less partying, more sleep, fewer grand mals... if you actually manage to balance all that with a regular workout routine, you'll be unstoppable at this rate. 😉
Just take it one step at a time and stay steady; you're going to be just fine. 😉

Female, age 75. Diagnoses include myeloproliferative syndrome (currently on lithium), had a bone marrow biopsy back in 2008 which came back fine, Stage III kidney insufficiency, and I’ve had two thyroid surgeries a long time ago—taking Euthyrox 50 now. I also have a 12 mm cyst. My blood sugar is fine. There’s more to my history, but it’s irrelevant to what I’m asking here. My nephrologist wants me to get serum free light chains and serum protein immunofixation tested because there's a peak in the gamma globulin fraction. Naturally, I have an appointment with my hematologist coming up, but I’m wondering: what actually is this "peak," and what could it potentially indicate?
Thanks in advance.

rapidranger79 said:Female, age 75. Diagnoses: myeloproliferative syndrome (currently on lithium), had a bone marrow biopsy back in 2008—everything checked out fine at the Hematology department then. Also dealing with Stage III renal insufficiency and I've had two thyroid surgeries way back when. Currently taking Euthyrox 50, though I've got a 12 mm cyst showing up now. No issues with blood sugar. There’s more to my history, but it shouldn't matter for this specific question: my nephrologist wants me to get serum free light chains and serum protein immunofixation done because there's a spike in the gamma globulin fraction. Naturally, she also wants me to see my hematologist, which I have an appointment for soon. But what I'm actually curious about is what that "spike" actually means... and what it might potentially indicate.
Thanks in advance.

It’s always a bit of a guessing game when you don't have the full clinical picture or the actual medical files right in front of you.
That said, I’ll try to walk you through it. It sounds like the nephrologist is suspicious of some potential overgrowth of a single plasma cell clone. That spike in the gamma fraction usually points toward hyperproliferation—basically, one specific group of cells is cranking out way too much of something. Now, before you panic, this doesn't automatically mean it's malignant; there are a whole bunch of factors that play into how we interpret these results.
Keep in mind, this is all just speculation on my part, probably about as solid as anything VidovitomMilan would say given how little info we have here.
I wonder if they also ordered any X-rays of the skeletal system? Sometimes doctors look for that if there are new aches or pains that can't be explained by existing conditions. Have the kidneys been acting up for a while, or is this a recent development? Any anemia, electrolyte imbalances, or maybe catching more infections than usual lately?

velvetmoose9 said:It’s incredibly easy to play doctor when you don't actually have access to the full clinical picture or the official medical records.
Fine, I'll take a shot at guessing since the nephrologist is suspicious of possible plasma cell monoclonal proliferation. A spike in the gamma fraction could point directly toward that kind of hyperproliferation—basically, one clone of cells going into overdrive. Does that mean it's malignant? Not necessarily; there are a dozen different factors that decide that.
Keep in mind, this is all just speculation, probably on par with what VidovitomMilan would say given how little information we actually have here.
Was there an X-ray ordered for the bones because of some new pain that doesn't fit the existing diagnosis? And what about the kidneys—have they been failing for a while, or is this a sudden development? What about anemia, electrolyte levels, or more frequent infections lately?

Thanks... at least now I have a rough idea. There is anemia, yes, but regarding the kidneys, the cytostatic is being used for a myeloproliferative syndrome. As for the kidneys themselves—there's increased protein in the 24-hour urine. No new pains, and the kidney issues were established back in 2010, though they likely go back to 2008 when doctors were chasing a diagnosis of bullous trigonitis—which does exist, but clearly wasn't the root cause of the positive blood work for the last five years or so. No infections either (knock on wood). It's just insufficiency where the labs fluctuate wildly, sometimes looking better, sometimes worse... and then there are those crazy platelets hovering around 700, give or take.

Following an exam of my stool sample due to anal itching, the results for Candida came back as follows:

Native preparation positive, stained preparation positive

Candida lusitaniae

5-fluorocytosine I (MIC=8.000)
Amphotericin B S (MIC=0.500)
Fluconazole S (MIC=1.000)
Itraconazole S (MIC=0.125)
Voriconazole S (MIC=0.060)

I need an explanation of these results. If anyone knows anything about this specific fungus or how it’s treated, let me know. Thanks.

I just got my lab results back and honestly, I’m pretty confused. Since I went through a connection to get these done—because my doctor keeps telling me it's nothing and that I don't even need blood work—I'm hitting up this group for some help and a reality check:

Everything looks totally fine except for a few things:
MPV 11.6 (limit is 10.4)
Cholesterol 6.84 (limit is 5)
Triglycerides 2.26 (limit is 1.7)
UIBC 69.2 (limit is 59)
TIBC 87.7 (limit is 75)
Alkaline phosphatase 37 (minimum is 54)
Sodium 133 (minimum is 137)
Total calcium 2.63 (limit is 2.53)
My T4 is right on the edge of being too high.

This might be out of place, but does anyone know if there's a way to test vitamins or hormones using just a finger prick?
To put it mildly, I have a massive phobia of needles. The last time I had blood drawn was about 18 years ago back in elementary school.
I really want to get some baseline numbers, but everything requires bloodwork. There is absolutely no way I am doing a traditional blood draw from a vein.
If there is already a thread for this, my apologies—please move my post.

So, I just got some parts of my lab results back from about five days ago (I've put the reference ranges in parentheses for you here):

Iron 25 (8 - 30) — it's been hovering around 28 or 29 lately, I think.

TIBC 52 (49 - 75)

UIBC 27 (26 - 59)

Ferritin 50 (13 - 150)

Transferrin saturation (which I guess you get by dividing the iron value by the TIBC) comes out to about 48%.

I was wondering if these kinds of numbers might point toward HFE?

I've been dealing with this awful fatigue for about a year and a half now, along with ringing in my ears, aching ligaments, really light periods with super thick blood, a dull ache under my right ribs where it feels like my liver might be enlarged, and I often have green stools. All my specialist tests have come back normal so far. Honestly, my period days are probably the only time during the month when I actually feel okay. I'm 38 years old.

coppermoose42 said:Everything looks pretty much within the normal range, except for this:
My MPV came back at 11.6, which is sitting just above the 10.4 cutoff.
My cholesterol hit 6.84. The limit is 5. Just great.
Triglycerides at 2.26 (limit 1.7). Just great.
UIBC is sitting at 69.2, which is well above the threshold of 59.
TIBC 87.7 (the limit is 75).
Alkaline phosphatase at 37... when the minimum is supposed to be 54. This is just great.
Sodium levels are sitting at 133—well below the minimum threshold of 137.
Total calcium came in at 2.63—just barely crossing that 2.53 threshold.
My T4 levels are sitting right on that razor's edge—just barely low enough to stay under the limit without crossing over into high territory.

Guidelines for posting questions regarding Lab Results & Interpretations:

If you want us to give you actually useful, precise answers regarding your lab results, please do me a favor: when you're typing everything out, make sure to include the following details. Don't just skip them!

Look, I need the complete set of lab results. It’s impossible to make any sense of these numbers if you just throw them at me one by one without the rest of the context. You can't properly interpret individual values when they're isolated like this—you need the full picture to see what's actually going on.
Listen, if you're going to post your lab results here, for heaven's sake, include the reference ranges! If there are reference values listed on your report, write them down. Every single lab uses different standards—they don't all play by the same rules. A number by itself is absolutely meaningless without knowing what that specific lab considers "normal." Don't just drop a raw digit and expect us to guess the context!
Age—look, you don't have to give me your exact birth date or anything, but providing a general ballpark like "early twenties" or "late forties" would be incredibly helpful. We need this because reference ranges aren't one-size-fits-all; what's considered normal for one age group can look completely different for another.
Listen, here is the bottom line: you absolutely have to share the reason why you’re even running these tests in the first place—your actual symptoms. This is the most critical part. Without knowing what's actually going on with you or why your doctor sent you in for these specific screenings, it is nearly impossible for anyone here to give you an accurate interpretation of your results. Context is everything.
Give me a brief rundown of any other health issues you might be dealing with. Seriously, if you have anything else going on, please write it down—it’s the only way to get the full picture.
Also, we really need to make sure people mention if they’re pregnant or dealing with anything related to that. It’s not just a side note—it actually changes how you interpret the lab results. It matters!

neonfalcon99 As specified by:
Maybe this isn't exactly the right thread for this, but does anyone here actually know how to go about getting vitamins or hormones measured?Can you actually get away with just doing a finger prick for blood work?
To put it mildly, I have a massive phobia of getting blood drawn. Honestly, the last time I actually sat through a blood draw was about 18 years ago back in elementary school.

No.

Kenneth Parker10 As requested by:
I've been dealing with this constant itching around my anus, and after having my stool samples tested for Candida, here is exactly what came back:

The native stain came back positive, and the stained preparation? Positive too.

I’ve been looking into *Candida lusitaniae*, and honestly, it’s enough to make anyone lose their mind. It isn't just some run-of-the-mill yeast infection you can handle with over-the-counter stuff from CVS; this is a different beast entirely. We're talking about an opportunistic pathogen that doesn't play around, especially when someone's immune system is already struggling. It’s one of those things that doctors might gloss over, but if you're dealing with it, you know it's anything but minor. It’s aggressive, it’s stubborn, and it really tests your patience when you're trying to figure out why you feel like absolute garbage. Just stay vigilant—this isn't something to take lightly.

5 flucytosine I (MIC = 8.000)
Amphotericin B S (MIC=0.500)
Fluconazole S (MIC = 1.000)
Itrakonazol S (MIC=0.125)
Voriconazole S (MIC=0.060)

Can someone please walk me through these results? I'm trying to make sense of everything here. Also, does anyone actually know anything about this specific fungus? What's the deal with it, and more importantly, how do you even treat it? Thanks.

I’m assuming you don’t have an immunodeficiency issue.
You absolutely need to get a full immunological workup—CBC, CRP, glucose, an HIV test, and immunoglobulin levels including IgA, IgG, and IgM, plus potentially testing T-lymphocyte function.
And don't forget liver and kidney function tests.
Based on this incomplete data regarding your immune status, one might consider Itrac 100-200mg once daily.

Grace Castillo13 said:Here are some of my lab results from five days ago (reference ranges are in parentheses):

Iron 25 (8 - 30)—it’s been closer to 28 or 29 lately.

TIBC 52 (49 - 75)

UIBC 27 (26 - 59)

Ferritin 50 (13 - 150)

Transferrin saturation (calculated by dividing iron by TIBC) comes out to 48%.

Could these numbers point toward hemochromatosis?

I’ve been struggling for a year and a half with crushing fatigue, tinnitus, ligament pain, scanty periods with really thick blood, a dull ache under my right ribs, a feeling like my liver is enlarged, and frequent green stools. Every specialist I've seen says everything looks fine. My period days are actually the best days of the month because that's when I finally feel okay. I'm 38.

First of all, I have no idea where you're getting "hemochromatosis" from; your other labs are perfectly normal, so there is absolutely no mention of hemochromatosis here.

vividsailor7 said:First off, I'm not sure why you're thinking it's hemochromatosis, because the other results look totally normal and don't mention anything about it.

Well, looking at the symptoms, I guess it could be a possibility. What's really weighing on my mind, though, is this transferrin saturation level. About three years ago it was sitting at 31%, then a year ago it hit 44%, and now it's climbed up to 48%.
I think I read somewhere that for women who still have their periods, it probably shouldn't go above 45%, and that anything higher than that might point toward hemochromatosis.

Grace Castillo13 said:Based on the symptoms, it could be. But honestly, this transferrin saturation is what's really keeping me up at night. Three years ago, it was sitting at 31%. A year ago, it hit 44%. Now? It’s jumped to 48%.
I've been reading that for women who still have their periods, it should never exceed 45%. Anything over that threshold can be a red flag for hemochromatosis.

To me, this is pointing toward a completely different issue in Hematology.

vividsailor7 said:This kind of makes me think about a different condition on the HFE panel.

🙂 I really hope you guys are right...

Anyway, I wanted to share this snippet from a post Nicholas Myers shared back on December 3rd, 2012, in this thread (post #3116):

In heterozygotes, you often see elevated transferrin saturation even though ferritin levels usually stay within the normal range. Even for homozygotes, who are at a much higher risk for iron buildup, some studies suggest that up to 50% of women and 20% of men don't actually show elevated ferritin levels.

It seems like there might be other genes involved that affect how ferritin levels turn out, just like the conclusion mentions.

Because of that, a lot of experts believe transferrin saturation is actually a more sensitive screening tool, since you need a much larger amount of iron accumulation to bump up the ferritin compared to what it takes to raise the saturation.

Still, it raises a fair question—what’s the actual point of a hemochromatosis diagnosis if the ferritin isn't high (based, say, on saturation levels and a confirmed mutation), especially when treatment is mostly aimed at lowering ferritin in the first place?

I guess I don't really have an answer for that. I'll leave it to Dr. Hrvoj, since hemochromatosis is really more of a gastroenterologist's specialty anyway.

I just wanted to mention that, based on what's written, it looks like a diagnosis is possible even without high ferritin.

I don't really want to mess around with this and end up with something like liver cirrhosis, so I think I'll probably just go ahead and get that HFE gene test done. Thanks for the input, though!

Hello,

Here’s the situation: a family member, born in '71, had a stroke 2.5 years ago. Mobility is limited, appetite is non-existent, and vomiting is frequent. They have diabetes and take meds for blood pressure, heart issues, blood sugar, and sleep—Glucophage, Norvasc, etc. Also takes vitamins like Plivit total.

The main issue is they won't eat. Swallowing is hard, and meat is out of the question. It's mostly fruit and sweets like pudding or pancakes. Cooked food, like veggies or soup, just triggers immediate vomiting. Since they're incredibly stubborn about going to a hospital, could this be psychological? Are there any anti-emetic pills available? I've linked the three most recent important test results below. I really need your take on whether an endoscopy is necessary...

Best regards,

http://upload.slike.com/slike/L98ec.jpg

http://upload.slike.com/slike/BTRZ9.jpg

http://upload.slike.com/slike/ybJ6.jpg (by the way, in the previous blood work, MCH and MCHC were elevated)

vividsailor7 said:I'm assuming you aren't immunocompromised.
To be sure, we need a full immunological workup—CBC, CRP, glucose, an HIV test, immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG, IgM), and potentially a T-lymphocyte function test.
We also need to check liver and kidney function.
Based on these incomplete data points regarding your immune status, the standard approach would be Itrac 100-200mg once daily.

They haven't sent me for those tests yet. So far, I've only had a stool sample checked for Candida, which came back positive for some kind of Candida lusitaniae.
Thanks a lot for the response.