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

I get what you mean. I think I actually know exactly what the doctor is getting at here—why she’s ordering all these tests—so I was just curious if you’ve been dealing with any other symptoms besides this.

Also, quick question: were you taking any medications right before this happened, especially anything that might make you more sensitive to the sun?

melloworca6 said:I totally get what you mean—I think I actually know what your doctor is aiming for by running these tests... so I was just wondering if you've been dealing with any other symptoms besides this one.

Also, just curious, were you taking any medications right before this happened and being out in the sun?

I started taking Tegretol about 3 or 4 days before my beach volleyball match.
I did mention that to her, but she kind of brushed it off—she said that even though it's smart to bring up, she still doubts the medication is the culprit.
If these tests don't turn up anything, they told me I'll need a biopsy. She didn't want to jump straight to that since we're talking about the face, after all... so we have to run these first.

Do you happen to know what this positive result means? P. oval

Yeah, some meds can actually trigger a lupus-like syndrome when you combine them with sun exposure, which is why I was asking about your prescriptions.

Honestly, I have no clue what that is. I only know this stuff because I've had to draw my own blood a few times, so I had to learn the hard way. 🙂 By the way, did you end up getting a biopsy done?

I'm really crossing my fingers that it’s just a reaction to the medication and the sun, and nothing autoimmune. 😘 Let us know once those lab results come in. 🙂

I just really hope this isn't because of the medication—it’s pretty much the only thing that’s actually helped my headaches for almost a year now... 😢 I honestly don't know what I'd do without it.
We'll see, though. I'm not stressing out about it; at this point, waiting is just my "normal," so I'm mostly just trying to get a general idea of what's going on while I wait for the full lab results to come back so I can head to the doctor...

Thanks so much for all the info, 😘 we'll figure things out as they come and hopefully be a bit smarter about it next time 😬

restlessangler said:P
Test 1.
P. oval (positive/few) and Demodex folliculorum (negative). - I'm wondering what this positive result means, and if they found the actual cause here or what?

Hello,

P. oval is a yeast—some call it a fungus. It’s believed to play a role in certain skin conditions, specifically seborrheic dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, and some types of psoriasis. If one of those diagnoses is confirmed (though a P. oval test alone isn't always enough), an antifungal is typically added to the primary treatment plan.

That said, pursuing a full workup is the right move, just as you were advised. The mere presence of P. oval doesn't rule out other underlying causes for skin changes.

The tests you sent are designed to see if there's an immunological reason behind these symptoms—specifically looking for lupus, since similar presentations can occur with discoid lupus or systemic lupus erythematosus.

Best regards. 🙂

Maria Fisher46 said:Hi there,

P. oval is a yeast—though some people refer to it as a fungus—that's thought to play a role in certain skin conditions, specifically things like seborrheic dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, or even some types of psoriasis. If one of those diagnoses is confirmed (since just testing for P. oval isn't always enough on its own), then an antifungal is usually added to the standard treatment plan...

That being said, it makes total sense to go through with the full workup you were advised to do. Even if P. oval shows up, it doesn't automatically rule out other underlying causes for what's happening with your skin.

The tests you sent over are designed to see if there's an immunological reason behind these changes—specifically looking for Lupus, since similar skin issues can pop up with discoid or systemic lupus erythematosus.

Best regards. 🙂

Thank you so much for the response 🙂
I had a feeling that might be the case, but I didn't want to just jump to conclusions without being sure... 🙂

stormyfalcon6 said:The AM hormone report mentions the serum sample was hemolytic. Could this lead to an inaccurate reading? Thanks!

Hello,

It likely depends on the specific assay method used. I came across information suggesting that hemolysis does indeed impact results when using the methodology mentioned in the manual title:

Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) ELISA Kit

Sample Collection

Note:

Sample hemolysis will influence the result, so hemolytic specimen can not be detected.

To be honest, your best bet is to call the lab directly. They are the ones actually running the tests; they hold the expertise here.

I could be wrong, though—I’m not intimately familiar with the technical nuances of how they measure anti-Müllerian hormone.

Best regards. 🙂

Kate Collins67 said:Petechiae—those tiny little red spots—can definitely show up as part of Hepatitis C. Honestly, this CBC doesn't tell us much about the actual status of the Hepatitis C itself. At most, it just provides some indirect evidence that we aren't looking at severe, chronic liver damage yet.

Regardless of the Hepatitis C status, if you’re seeing petechiae, get them to run a platelet aggregation test.

Thanks. 🙂

My primary care physician checked my results. He thinks my liver should be fine, but he’s referring me to a hematologist just to be safe. We'll see what happens next. 🙂

Thanks again. 😉

My 57-year-old aunt just got her TCD results back.
Referral diagnosis: G45 Transient ischemic attacks and related syndromes.
The report says:
Vertebrobasilar TCD:
AVR: -43 cm/s
AVL: -46 cm/s
AB: -45 cm/s

Willis's Circle TCD:
Left side:
ACM: +95 cm/s
CS: +84 cm/s
ACA: -73 cm/s
ACP: +62 cm/s
Right side:
ACM: +98 cm/s
CS: +86 cm/s
ACA: -75 cm/s
ACP: +64 cm/s

Findings: Vertebrobasilar circulation appears normal. Willis's Circle circulation shows increased SBV.

I was wondering if someone could explain this result, specifically what SBV means and what might be causing it to increase...

Last month I was dealing with some pretty consistent loose stools every single day—not quite full-blown diarrhea since I could still manage them, but definitely noticeable—and because I've always been on the much smaller and thinner side, my doctor suggested we run some tests to rule out celiac disease. I just got my results back today and they show an IgA level of 1 and an IgG 20, which is right at the absolute upper limit of what's considered normal, so I was wondering if anyone here might be able to help me make sense of what this actually means for me? Thanks nalaziti! 😉

amberorca37 said:Last month, I was dealing with some pretty annoying issues—just a few loose stools every day. It wasn't full-blown diarrhea, mind you; I could still control it, but it was definitely off. Since I’ve always been on the much smaller, slight side, my doctors decided it was best to run some tests for celiac disease. Well, I finally got the results back today. They show an IgA of 1 and an IgG 20, which apparently is right at the upper limit. Can anyone help me make sense of this? Thanks in advance! 😉

Guidelines for posting questions regarding Laboratory Results – Seeking Opinions:

Look, if you actually want any kind of useful or accurate feedback regarding your lab results, you need to do more than just dump a bunch of numbers here. To get anything remotely helpful from us, please make sure you include the following details when you're typing out your results:

Look, I need the complete lab results. It’s impossible to make sense of any of these numbers if you just throw them at me one by one without the rest of the data. You can't read the full picture if the values are isolated—context is everything!
- Listen, if you’re going to post your lab results here, don't just dump the numbers and walk away. If there are reference ranges listed on your report, for heaven's sake, write them down! Every single lab out there uses different scales and benchmarks. A number sitting there by itself is absolutely meaningless without its corresponding reference range. Context matters!
Age—look, you don't need to give me your exact birthdate or anything, but please provide some kind of ballpark. Are we talking early twenties? Late forties? Something like that? It actually matters. Not all these lab values are universal; what's "normal" changes depending on how old you are. Give us a baseline so we aren't just guessing.
- So, let’s get down to brass tacks: why on earth were you all even looking into this? What exactly was going on with your bodies that forced you to go running to the lab for these tests? Lay it out for me—what kind of symptoms or issues were you dealing with?Look, this is the most critical point, and frankly, it’s something people tend to overlook: unless someone actually knows the underlying reason you were sent in for testing in the first place, they aren't going to be able to interpret your results accurately. It’s nearly impossible to make sense of the data without that context.
- A quick rundown of other medical issues— If you actually have them, please just post them. It would be incredibly helpful to see everything, because having those details gives us the full picture we need to make sense of this.
Also, it wouldn't hurt to emphasize when we're talking about pregnancy or anything along those lines, because that absolutely changes the context of the lab results.
Once we have those facts on the table, then we can actually have a conversation. Anything else is just pure guesswork.

Hey everyone...
I just went in for my follow-up thyroid hormone check after getting that ablation therapy done, and my results finally hit my inbox. I was hoping someone here could help me make sense of this mess 🙂 basically by telling me what the normal ranges are

Here’s the breakdown:

FT4 21.54 pmol/L
FT3 5.92 pmol/L
TSH 0.023 mU/L
Tg mL
TgA 10.88 IU/mL

thanks 🙂

Olivia Scott86 said:hey everyone...
I just went in for my follow-up thyroid hormone check after getting ablation therapy, and my results just came back. Could someone help me make sense of this? 🙂 specifically, what are the normal ranges?

Here are the numbers:

FT4 21.54 pmol/L
FT3 5.92 pmol/L
TSH 0.023 mU/L
Tg mL
TgA 10.88 IU/mL

thanks 🙂

Doesn't the report list them? It depends on which lab you use; reference ranges aren't universal everywhere.

nope...

nothing at all is showing up here -.-

Olivia Scott86 said:Hey everyone...
I just went in for my follow-up thyroid hormone check after getting that ablation therapy, and I finally got my results back. Could someone please help me make sense of this? 🙂 Basically, if you could just list out what the standard reference ranges are

Here’s the data:

FT4 21.54 pmol/L
FT3 5.92 pmol/L
TSH 0.023 mU/L
Tg mL
TgA 10.88 IU/mL

thanks 🙂

Roughly speaking, these numbers look fine—except for that suppressed TSH (meaning it's low). Honestly, it’s pretty common for the TSH to stay bottomed out like that for a while after hyperthyroidism treatment, even if your peripheral hormones (you know, FT3 and FT4) have already stabilized back to normal.

Could someone explain this for me?

So, I just had my thyroid levels checked—T3, T4, and TSH.

Here are the results:

T3 1.73 nmol/L (ref. range 1.34 - 2.73)
T4 100.94 nmol/L (ref. range 78.38 - 157.4)
TSH 5.60 mIU/L (ref. range 0.34 - 5.60)

Method: ECLIA.

Can anyone clarify what's going on with this TSH level? Since it's right on the edge...
Thanks so much in advance!
(Not sure if it matters, but I'm 22. My OBGYN sent me for these tests because my periods have been irregular)

Hello,

I had some blood work done because I've been in menopause for five years now (I am 37), and honestly, I feel terrible lately.

Could someone please explain what it means when the report states the SERUM IS LIPEMIC?

Cholesterol 7.1 (limit 5.0)
HDL 1.09 (limit 1.20)
Triglycerides 4.05 (limit 1.70)

After my primary care physician reviewed the results, he recommended that I cut out all dairy products for one month before coming back for a follow-up.

here I am 🙂

So, I had my CBC redone

RBC: 4.0 (3.86-5.08)
Hgb: 127
Hematocrit: 0.366 (0.356-0.47)
MCV: 91.2
MCHC: 347 (320-345)
RDW: 12.9 (9-13.8)

WBC

L: 4.4 (3.4-9.7)
Neutrophils: 2.40
% : 55.2
Lymphocytes: 1.50
Lymph %: 34.0
Monocytes: 0.30
Mono %: 8.0
Eosinophils: 0.10
Eos %: 1.9
Basophils: 0.00
Baso %: 0.9

Platelets: 212
MPV: 7.3

Coagulation panel too

Fibrinogen: 2.2 (1.8-3.5)
PT: 80 (SHOULD BE UNDER 70)
INR: 1.11

ADP platelet aggregation: 52 (63.9-85.9)
Epinephrine platelet aggregation: 53 (58.5-93.4)
Collagen platelet aggregation: 64 (58.8-93.2)

My specific issues are detailed on page 138 (or maybe 137)

thanks 🙂

The short version: I'm 27. My medical history is a bit of a mess, but here’s the deal: I have epilepsy and have been on meds for about 9 months now. Used to struggle with anemia and chronic candidiasis. Diabetes runs in my family on both sides.
I went in for some routine blood work, specifically looking at insulin resistance because an OGTT from November 2011 was pretty confusing. Just following my doctor's orders.

That insulin resistance test is tripping me up. Isn't the formula for that index glucose * insulin / 22.5? I don't see a glucose reading anywhere on this report.🤷 So how did they get an index of 1.0?
Is this generally okay?

Insulin Resistance
Test Result Unit Reference Range
Insulin 6.7 mU/L 2.6 to 24.9
Pancreatic beta cell activity (HOMA calculator) 76.3%
Peripheral insulin sensitivity (HOMA calculator) 96.4%
Insulin resistance index (HOMA calculator) 1.0

HEMATOLOGY AND COAGULATION
Test Result Unit Reference Range
leukocyte 11.3 7.6 10^9/L 3.4 to 9.7
Neutrophils 63.2 % 44 to 72
Lymphocytes 26.1 % 20 to 46
Monocytes 9.4 % 2 to 12
Eosinophils 0.1 % up to 7
Basophils 1.2 % up to 1
Neutrophils 4.8 10^9/L 2.06 to 6.49
Lymphocytes 2.0 10^9/L 1.19 to 3.35
Monocytes 0.7 10^9/L 0.12 to 0.84
Eosinophils 0.0 10^9/L up to 0.43
Basophils 0.1 10^9/L up to 0.1
RBC 4.34 10^12/L 3.86 to 5.08
Hemoglobin 137 g/L 119 to 157
Hematocrit 0.394 L/L 0.356 to 0.47
MCV 90.7 fL 83 to 97.2
MCH 31.5 pg 27.4 to 33.9
MCHC 348 g/L 320 to 345
RDW 11.9 % 9 to 15
Platelets 258 10^9/L 158 to 424
MPV - mean platelet volume 7.5 fL 6.8 to 10.4

Test Result Unit Reference Range
Prothrombin time 106.8 % 70 to 130
Prothrombin time - INR 1.0

Enzymes
Test Result Unit Reference Range
AST - aspartate aminotransferase 21 U/L 8 to 30
ALT - alanine aminotransferase 10 U/L 10 to 36
GGT - gamma-glutamyl transferase 24 U/L 9 to 35

Electrolytes
Test Result Unit Reference Range
Potassium 4.3 mmol/L 3.9 to 5.1
Sodium 142 mmol/L 137 to 146

Trace Elements
Test Result Unit Reference Range
Iron 26 μmol/L 8 to 30
TIBC-total iron binding capacity 59 μmol/L 49 to 75
UIBC-unsaturated iron binding capacity 32 μmol/L 26 to 59

Proteins
Test Result Unit Reference Range
Ferritin 33.6 μg/L 10 to 120

Looking at the rest of the results, MCHC and basophils are slightly elevated (bold), but honestly, I don't think that's a big deal on its own. Everything else looks fine.

Hi everyone! Could someone help me make sense of my thyroid serum panel results listed below?

Free T3: 6.10 pmol/L (Normal range: 2.76 - 6.45)
Total T4: 109.0 nmol/L (Normal range: 58.0 - 161.0)
Free T4: 17.5 pmol/L (Normal range: 11.5 - 22.7)
TSH: 5.69 mIU/L (Normal range: 0.40 - 5.50)

Note: Total T3, Tg-Ab, and TPO-Ab results were not provided.

It looks like everything falls within the standard range, except for the TSH, which sits just slightly above the upper limit (though it seems minor to me).

Age: 22 years old
I have been pregnant once before, if that matters.
Since last November, I've been dealing with several symptoms: constant fatigue, depression, brain fog, forgetfulness, tingling in my hands and feet, excessive sleepiness, irritability, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, shallow breathing, hair thinning, peeling skin on my upper arms, bleeding gums, and occasional blurred vision. Between December and now, I’ve gained 12 pounds despite eating normally—mostly healthy meals—and staying quite active. On top of that, stress is a massive factor in my life right now: managing the household, caring for my child, studying chemistry, financial pressures, and the recent passing of someone very close to me. I should also mention that living with my in-laws is a major source of tension for me. Regarding contraception, I’ve had a Mirena IUD for about 1.5 years; I haven't had issues with it until recently, and my doctor mentioned these aren't typical side effects (she noted weight gain and fatigue might occur, but usually only by 6–10 pounds, certainly not the 25+ pounds I've seen). Lately, I've also noticed my hands shaking frequently and experiencing cramps in my feet.

I would truly appreciate any insight you can offer. Thank you!