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

KKS

MCHC 357.0 H g/L 320 345
MPV 6.6 L fL 6.8 10.4

ELECTROLYTES

(S) Potassium 3.9 mmol/L 3.9 5.1
(S) Sodium 136 L mmol/L 137 146

HORMONES

(S) T3 0.983 L nmol/L 1.30 3.10

Joshua Morris8 said:KKS

MCHC 357.0 H g/L 320 345
MPV 6.6 L fL 6.8 10.4

ELECTROLYTES

(S) Potassium 3.9 mmol/L 3.9 5.1
(S) Sodium 136 L mmol/L 137 146

HORMONES

(S) T3 0.983 L nmol/L 1.30 3.10

Looking at these numbers in a vacuum is honestly pretty tough, since I don't have the full picture of what's actually going on with you clinically or your medical history.
So, it’s way easier to make sense of this if I know a few things:
-What kind of symptoms actually prompted these tests? (And the timing of when they started matters just as much)
-Any past or current health issues you're dealing with.
-Anything you might be taking for medication right now.
-How these compare to your old results (for instance, if your CBC/CMP numbers have been hovering around these same levels for years without any big shifts, then there's really no reason to panic).

Just playing it by ear here, but you should probably get your T3 rechecked in about 6 to 8 weeks—and obviously grab T4 and TSH while you're at it.
As for the rest, everything else looks mostly fine; it's just slightly outside the standard range, which isn't super specific on its own.

Lisa Johnson85 said:Hey everyone!!
Can someone please make sense of these results? I'm honestly freaking out...
I'm 23. I've been dealing with PCOS for about 6 years now, and I recently went in to get my reproductive hormones and thyroid levels checked—mostly because my mood swings have been all over the place lately. My weight and build are totally normal. I had my blood drawn on day 4 of my cycle. Here’s what came back:

Prolactin - 443.25 mIU/L (108.78 - 557.13)
Progesterone - 1.40 nmol/L (0.32 - 0.95)
Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) - 3.43 IU/L (3.03 - 8.08)
Luteinizing Hormone (LH) - 6.78 IU/L (1.80 - 11.78)
Estradiol - 93 pmol/L (77 - 922)
Testosterone - 1.36 nmol/L (0.45 - 3.75)
TSH - 5.37 mIU/L (0.35 - 4.94)
FT4 - 13.03 pmol/L (9.01 - 19.05)
FT3 - 5.22 pmol/L (2.63 - 5.70)

Could someone please explain what these numbers actually mean? What should I be looking out for, or what steps should I take next? Thanks so much!

I would really appreciate it if someone could walk me through these labs... 🙂

Hi everyone,

Because I deal with PCOS, my doctor sent me for an OGTT. On top of that, I have Hashimoto and have been diagnosed with infertility (I'm 34).
Could someone please help me interpret these results:
Fasting glucose 5.5 mmol/l (normal range 6.1-7.0 mmol/L)
Glucose at 120 min. 3.7 mmol/l (l)

Thanks in advance.

velveteagle772 said:Hey everyone,

Since I've been dealing with PCOS, my doctor sent me in for an OGTT. On top of that, I have Hashimoto and an infertility diagnosis (I'm 34).
Could someone help me make sense of these results?
Fasting glucose 5.5 mmol/l (6.1-7.0 mmol/L)
glucose at 120 min. 3.7 mmol/l (l)

Thanks in advance

From what I can see, everything falls within the normal range, though that reference interval they listed—6.1-7.0 mmol/L—seems a bit weirdly narrow to me. 🤔

That said, you really have to look at these numbers in the context of your whole medical history and how things have shifted from your previous labs, rather than just looking at them in a vacuum.

velvetmoose9, thanks. I've actually visited several different clinics that perform OGTT testing, and I noticed they all seem to use different reference values. I had my test done at a local community health center.

Look, I know every single lab out there pretty much sets its own baseline, but honestly, seeing 6.1 mmol/L sitting right there on the edge of the lower limit feels a little high to me.

Can someone help me make sense of this? I'm 25, and an abdominal ultrasound showed my liver is at 180mm (right lobe)—which is about 3 cm larger than it should be. I went in today for some tests:

Oral glucose tolerance test

S-Glucose - 0 min 4.9 mmol/L (ref: 4.4 to 6.4)

S-Glucose - 120 min 5.2 mmol/L (ref: 4.4 to 7.8)

Insulin - 120' 14.4 mU/L

Insulin 3.9 mU/L (ref: 2.6 to 24.9)

Pancreatic beta-cell function (HOMA calculator) 68.8%

Peripheral insulin sensitivity (HOMA calculator) 171.8%

Insulin resistance index (HOMA calculator) 0.6

What exactly causes bilirubin levels to swing around like this? Two months ago, I was sitting at 93, and now I’m back down to a totally normal 25—assuming the standard range is roughly 10 to 30.
Does that mean I can pretty much rule out Gilbert's syndrome?

On top of all that, my liver is actually enlarged.

Hi there,

I’d love some input on my recent lab results and current meds...

So, I'm currently on corticosteroids (Gilbert's 2 x 16mg) for an autoimmune issue—suspected vasculitis or Cogan's syndrome. My urine test showed high calcium levels (11.7 mmol/dU; ref. 2.5-7.5), though my blood calcium is totally normal. Since my immunologist wants to taper down the Gilbert's dose, she added a few other things, including 1g of Calcium. However, the instructions for Calcium Carbonate say you shouldn't take it if you have high calcium excretion in your urine.
I'm wondering if this might be a mistake or how risky this actually is? I assume it increases the risk of kidney stones, and honestly, I really want to avoid those at all costs...

Thanks in advance.
🙂

Paul Baker16 said:Is it possible to contract an STI like HIV without sexual intercourse? Specifically, if there was only finger penetration, and the person didn't wash their hands immediately afterward—meaning vaginal fluids dried on the fingers—and then touched or ate food a few minutes later? There were no cuts or open wounds on the fingers. Also, is there a risk of transmission if you're handling a condom with fingers that still have vaginal secretions on them? One more thing: is it possible to be training at full capacity—say, two workouts a day—while also pulling night shifts and not feeling any symptoms of an infection? I know this isn't exactly the right forum for these kinds of questions, but I didn't know who else to ask. Thanks.🙂

To whom it may concern,

The scenarios you’ve laid out are genuinely bizarre. In my view, the actual risk in the situations you described is minimal. It’s a fact that HIV can be present in vaginal secretions, so there is a theoretical possibility of transmission through ingestion, but I have no idea what that percentage actually looks like. Furthermore, if those secretions had already dried up...

I think you’re stressing over something that isn't even supported by your lab results. If it’s truly keeping you up at night, though, just go get tested and put it to rest.

Greetings. 🙂

Laura Price77 said:Greetings.

I’d appreciate some insight regarding these lab results and the prescribed treatment plan.

I'm currently on a steroid regimen (Medrol, 16mg twice daily) to manage an autoimmune issue—my immunologist suspects vasculitis or Cogan syndrome. A recent urinalysis flagged high calcium levels at 11.7 mmol/dL (the reference range is 2.5–7.5), though my blood calcium levels remain perfectly normal. As my doctor works on tapering the Medrol dose, she’s introduced some new medications, including 1g of Calcium. However, looking at the instructions for Calcium Carbonate, it explicitly warns against use if there is increased calcium excretion in the urine. I'm feeling a bit stuck on how to proceed here.
I’d appreciate your take on this. Could this be some kind of error? How much damage are we actually talking about here? My gut feeling is that this spikes the risk of developing kidney stones, and frankly, that’s one thing I’d really like to avoid.

Thanks in advance.
🙂

To whom it may concern,

Hypercalciuria—basically, when your body starts dumping too much calcium through your urine—can actually be a side effect of taking corticosteroids.

If you're on corticosteroids, staying ahead of the game means prioritizing prevention. You really need to be taking Calcium supplements—usually around 1000 mg daily—just like your immunologist recommended. It’s standard practice to pair that with Vitamin D, typically something like Puritan's Pride D3.

Did she see that lab result? And if she did, what was her take on it?

If you're dealing with hypercalciuria and the looming threat of kidney stones, there are ways to manage it. For instance, certain diuretics can help lower calcium excretion in the urine. There is also evidence suggesting that switching to Calcium citrate instead of carbonate might help mitigate that risk.

You'll need to calculate the 24-hour urinary calcium excretion adjusted for body mass, along with a few other diagnostic tests.

Get in touch with your doctor.

Best regards. 🙂

Peter Allen58 said:Insulin resistance index (HOMA calculator): 0.6

To whom it may concern,

These results suggest you aren't dealing with insulin resistance. Think of insulin resistance as a breakdown in how the body processes fuel; it’s an impaired response to insulin that often tracks alongside obesity and can serve as a precursor to Type 2 diabetes.

So, you'd expect the insulin resistance index to sit below 2.

I can't speak to the specific reasons for an enlarged liver, but looking at the labs you shared, an enlarged liver is often tied to fatty liver disease. That, in turn, frequently stems from obesity—which can be driven by insulin resistance—or diabetes, which explains why that specific test was ordered. Of course, there are plenty of other potential causes for liver enlargement as well.

Robert Adams88 said:What causes bilirubin fluctuations? Two months ago, my levels hit 93, and now they’ve settled at 25. Both are technically above the standard range of 10–30.
Can I rule out Gilbert's syndrome then?

I've been dealing with an enlarged liver.

A single "normal" bilirubin reading—even one sitting right at the upper limit—doesn't rule out a diagnosis of Sy. It’s well-documented that bilirubin levels can fluctuate wildly in these cases. In fact, most people with this condition actually maintain a total bilirubin concentration below 50 mcmol/l. There are plenty of external factors that can cause a temporary spike, making a one-off measurement pretty unreliable.

Furthermore, I would be extremely cautious regarding an enlarged liver and a diagnosis of Sy. Gilbert—assuming that diagnosis was even actually made.

Greetings. 🙂

Nicholas Myers - So, if my total bilirubin levels are all over the place and my liver is actually enlarged, what kind of illnesses or disorders am I looking at here? My doctor was leaning towards Gilbert's syndrome—though, I guess she didn't realize my liver was enlarged at the time—but nothing has been officially diagnosed yet.

My Gastroenterologist told me to stay away from any physical activity for about a month and suggested I take some Silymarin, then we’ll re-run the labs. He even brought up the possibility of a liver biopsy as a potential next step.

I just had some neurotropic virus testing done at a local clinic, and I’m staring at these results feeling completely lost:

HSV IgM Positive
HSV1 IgG Negative
HSV IgG WB Negative
HSV2 IgG Negative
HSV2 IgG WB Negative

From what I gather—and please correct me if I'm wrong—if the IgM is positive, it implies an active infection, whereas a positive IgG would mean we've developed antibodies or have encountered the virus at some point in the past. Usually, HSV1 is associated with oral herpes and HSV2 with genital, right?

But here’s the thing that's tripping me up: this positive HSV IgM result doesn't specify whether it's HSV1, HSV2, or if there's some other variation of herpes out there. Why isn't it more specific? (Mind you, I don't have any symptoms for either type!)
Could this also potentially indicate a current infection with varicella zoster, cytomegalovirus, or Epstein-Barr? Or am I totally off base there regarding how those fit into the HSV category?

Also, the reference range for this HSV IgM is listed as positive if it's above 1.1 and negative if it's under 0.9. However, my report doesn't list actual numerical values—it just says "INDEX." What on earth is that supposed to mean?

And then there's this note: "interpretation of results is based on paired samples." What does that even imply in this context?

To top it all off, someone actually scribbled "Hsv?" at the bottom of the report in ballpoint pen.

Can anyone help me make sense of this mess?

In the meantime, I managed to dig up just this much:

Latent
– herpesviruses
• HSV latency within sensory ganglia
• HSV-1 eye and facial infections
– latent in the trigeminal nerve
• HSV-2 genital infections
– latent in the lumbar and sacral ganglia

whatever that actually implies...

So, back in August, I had my ALT and AST checked—barely any deviation there. But after my GP nudged me, I went back today and now the numbers are jumping: AST at 88 and ALT at 96. 😲Plus, I’ve been feeling some pain in my liver area lately. Could this be from eating way too much chocolate, or is it definitely a sign of some kind of inflammation going on? Also, my cholesterol was 2 in August, but now it's hit 7. Triglycerides are 0.39, HDL is 2.64, and LDL is 4.4. Basically, my total cholesterol and LDL are a complete mess. 😲 Honestly, WTF. I do eat a ton of chocolate—but I also bike a lot. What do you guys think? Is it actually possible for those two things to cause such a massive spike in liver enzymes?

Could someone please help me make sense of these urinalysis results? I'll list everything written in the report here:

appearance: cloudy
color: yellow
pH: acidic
specific gravity: (I can't quite make this out—maybe something like "m. vrim"?)
proteins: again, I'm struggling to read this due to some pretty bad handwriting—it looks like it starts with "lo.."
blood, glucose, acetone, and bilirubin are all negative, while urobilinogen is within the normal range
sediment: RBC 1-2, WBC 3-5, presence of mucus, epithelial cells 123um (I think that's what it says), bacteria: something is listed, no casts, salts, or fungi present

Hello. This concerns my son, who is nearly 9 years old. At the end of the summer, he was hospitalized due to left-sided bronchopneumonia. They ran tests for tuberculosis, specifically: PPD 2 units—negative. QuantiFERON-TB Gold test—positive. Sputum AFB smear x3—microscopically negative, culture negative. A chest X-ray was also performed: an inhomogeneous shadow is visible in the middle and lower lung fields on the left, suggesting recent infiltrative changes. The costophrenic angles are well-differentiated and clear. The hilar vascular pattern and heart shadow appear normal.
Follow-up X-ray: the inhomogeneous infiltrative shadow in the left middle and lower lung fields remains, though it shows signs of regression.

The final follow-up diagnosis is as follows: Latent tuberculosis infection, acute rhinitis, and status post left-sided bronchopneumonia.
Treatment plan: ISOZID 1x150 mg for 2 months.
Monitoring: Check AST and ALT levels twice monthly.

1st check: AST 58 (ref range 14-39), ALT 36 (ref range 11-37).
2nd check: AST 96, ALT 94.

That last result is horrifying. I called the doctor after the first check, and they said everything was fine and to just keep taking the medication.🙄

I am planning to call again tomorrow regarding this second set because, in my view, 96 is far beyond the reference limits. Isn't it?

If anyone knows anything, please respond.😕

Is an iron level of 109 low enough to justify bumping up the dosage for a 4-month-old baby (born prematurely at 35 weeks) currently on prophylaxis? She’s a healthy, chubby little thing, breastfeeding and supplemented with Similac as needed, but her pediatrician isn't happy with that 109 reading. Iron seems to be dropping quite sharply for her, and she’s dealing with constipation and the occasional bout of vomiting.
With my first child, who was also a preemie, the iron levels dipped just under 100, and my hematologist over at Mayo Clinic advised me against supplemental iron since we were already starting solids with veggies. With this one, I’ll likely be starting solids in a month or so. Should I stick to the standard prophylaxis, or is it time to increase the dose?