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

Started by vividsailor7 · · 👁 286 views · 3.9K replies

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Participants vividsailor7redcrane22Sandra Rivera37swiftbear86melloworca6Dana Martin87ironskipper80mellowgardener15goldenmarlin6analogbison13Nicholas Myersstormygardener34Roger RodriguezDonna Mitchell3Kenneth Vaughn2Laura Ward98briskseal32Susan Vaughn46Zachary Lewis4driftingmason52rustyheron55Laura Chavez47vividstag24lonecanyon8 …
Morgan Morgan5 Morgan Morgan5 Member
22 messages
joined Dec 2010
#1721 ·
Justin Phillips15 said:Is anyone else seeing this?
My doctor told me at the clinic that it’s just some kind of viral thing... she wouldn't even give me a referral for more blood work—just told me to call back in a month if I start feeling worse.

Did you get your Sed rate or CRP checked? Your transaminase levels (liver enzymes) are pretty high—could be from medication or maybe too much alcohol? You also have an elevated white blood cell count. Honestly, looking at those numbers, I'm leaning toward a bacterial infection rather than something viral.
I'm a dentist by trade, so someone with more experience in general practice could probably give you a much better breakdown.🤔

By the way, it doesn't look like an immediate emergency, but if I were in your shoes—especially if you've been drinking—I'd cut out the alcohol entirely for now.
Justin Phillips15 Justin Phillips15 Member
17 messages
joined Mar 2020
#1722 ·
Morgan Morgan5 said:Did you check your ESR or CRP levels? Your liver enzymes are pretty high, which might suggest medication use or heavy alcohol consumption. You also have elevated white blood cell counts. It looks like there's some inflammation going on, so it could actually be a bacterial infection rather than viral.
As a dentist, I can tell you this, but someone with more experience in general practice would probably give you a much better explanation.🤔

By the way, it doesn't look like an acute emergency, but if I were you—especially if you drink—I'd cut it out completely.

My primary care doctor didn't seem interested in my blood work at all... she just brushed it off.🙄 I'll head back in about two weeks for another test... just to see if things have improved.

Regarding the alcohol, I don't drink much except for the occasional drink, though I did have two beers last night, so I'm not sure if that played a role. As for meds, I take something for blood pressure and occasionally Advil.
Also, I have some dental issues; I deal with tooth infections every few months. There's a specific spot that flares up periodically, though it's quiet right now. I wonder if that could be affecting my blood counts.
gentleridge16 gentleridge16 Newcomer
2 messages
joined Oct 2014
#1723 ·
Hi everyone, I’m 19 years old, 184cm, and weigh about 163 lbs. I stay active with sports on a recreational level. I recently went in for a routine physical, which included my first-ever EKG. Before this, I never once suspected I had any heart issues; during the exam, the doctor listened to my heart and lungs, and everything seemed perfectly fine. My chest X-ray also came back clear. However, the EKG results left me feeling quite unsettled because they noted:
Sinus rhythm
Right bundle branch block incomplete
S1, S2, S3 pattern
Consider right ventricular hypertrophy
It’s a bit of a shock—one minute you think everything is normal, and the next, you're staring at a list of potential irregularities. It's like when your high-speed home internet suddenly drops just when you need it most; you're left feeling blindsided. Even though the doctor told me the findings were okay, I’m feeling pretty anxious. Should I push for more testing to be safe, or should I just take his word for it and move on?
Karen Alvarez40 Karen Alvarez40 Member
11 messages
joined Jul 2018
#1724 ·
Karen Alvarez40 said:My hepatitis results came back today and everything is negative.
Following my GI doctor's advice, I still need to get checked for alpha-1 antitrypsin, antinuclear antibodies, and serum copper. My appointment is at the end of the month, so once I get those done, I'll bring them to him. What exactly are these tests looking for?

Okay, I just got these lab results back too.

Alpha-1-antitrypsin 1.54 g/L (0.90 - 2.00)
Serum Copper 23.5 qmol/L (12.2 - 25.1)

ANA (ENA) IIF homogeneous titer (< 1:100)
dsDNA negative IU/ml ( < 100 neg, 100-120 weak pos, > 120 pos)
histones negative AU/ml
SS-A negative AU/ml
SS-B negative AU/ml
Sm negative AU/ml
U1-RNP negative AU/ml
DNA-topo 1 negative AU/ml
Jo-1 negative AU/ml
CENP-B negative AU/ml

Since the ANA came back homogeneous, and because of my hyperthyroidism diagnosis, I went ahead and had my thyroid antibodies checked out as well:

TgAb 4.8 IU/mL (< 4 IU/mL)
TPOAb 144.3 IU/mL (< 9 IU/mL)
TSH 0.03 mIU/L (0.34 - 5.60)
fT3 4.12 pmol/L (3.84 - 5.99)
fT4 6.61 pmol/L (7.85 - 14.42)

Could an ANA result like this point toward an autoimmune thyroid issue? Also, what other tests should I run to rule out things like Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, or other autoimmune stuff?
And is it actually possible for the thyroid to cause elevated liver enzymes?

I'm still waiting on my liver enzyme numbers to see if they've improved. Honestly, though, I'm on Atazanavir right now, so I'm not holding my breath for much of an improvement.
Nicholas Myers Nicholas Myers Active Member
163 messages
joined Jan 2012
#1725 ·
stormyseal1 said:My periods aren't heavy—just about four days. I'm trying to eat a balanced diet, consuming meat daily and adding more fruits and vegetables to my meals. I’ve already had a pelvic ultrasound, and my doctor confirmed there are no fibroids, which was one thing we wanted to rule out...

In that case, a consultation with a gastroenterologist or a hematologist would be prudent to pinpoint why these anemias keep recurring.
restlessstag71 said:Hello,
Thank you all so much for your answers, your time, and your effort.
I wanted to share an update—which might help someone else—that I finally discovered the cause of my issues. It turns out to be inguinal hernias and an ischiofemoral impingement in my hips. I'll definitely need surgery on my hips, and as for the hernias, I'm still deciding, though surgery is looking likely. I should mention that while the pain felt like it was in my lower back, it was actually centered in my pelvis; I didn't realize that until things intensified.
Thanks again for everything!

Ultimately, this points to a mechanical cause for the pain, just as the physiatrist suspected, rather than inflammatory sacroiliitis.

Carol Garcia80 said:Thanks for the response. Just one follow-up: could these tingles—which are persisting, along with occasional bouts of mild weakness in my arms and legs (not everywhere at once)—be a sign of potassium deficiency? I forgot to mention earlier, but it might be relevant: I'm currently following a high-protein, low-carb diet.

Potassium levels were only slightly low, likely a temporary dip due to dehydration from diarrhea. Given those specific levels, one wouldn't expect the symptoms you're describing.
Nicholas Myers Nicholas Myers Active Member
163 messages
joined Jan 2012
#1726 ·
Chris Wells4 said:Looking for some insight on these urinalysis results. It’s for a girl, almost seven years old. She isn't showing any symptoms that I can see; this was just a routine check required for her first-grade enrollment.

Run the urine test again. If the white blood cell count comes back elevated, we move straight to a culture. However, if that culture turns up clean but those white cells are still high, then we have a real reason to dig deeper.

To chatter away aimlessly. To engage in endless, trivial small talk. It’s that kind of mindless social noise that fills the air when there's nothing actually being said. Douglas Harris4 says:
Nicholas Myers, thanks a lot for the reply. :-) My doctor is suspecting rheumatoid arthritis—my uncle actually dealt with that—and possibly spondylitis. It’s been a year of hip and pelvic pain following an intense workout session, and now my mobility is seriously compromised. They found a labral tear in my right hip, but before they pull the trigger on surgery, they want to rule out an autoimmune component. The pain feels inflammatory; it radiates through my entire leg and lower back, which doesn't quite align with a simple labrum issue. My CRP is sitting at 1.8, so the bloodwork looks normal enough. I am a bit concerned about MS, though. I had a brain MRI a year ago and everything came back clear. Does that hold much weight? My movement is becoming increasingly restricted every day, spreading to the other leg, and I feel completely drained.

Look, having that specific HLA-DRB1*14 marker might be linked to rheumatoid arthritis, but it isn't what you'd call a smoking gun. It's more of a minor footnote than a major driver.

Having a genetic predisposition for multiple sclerosis doesn't mean you're destined to develop it. The symptoms you're describing don't necessarily point in that direction, but if there's clinical suspicion, your best bet is to see a neurologist.

Susan Gray91 said:Thanks for the input. I’ve already had my PTH and calcium levels drawn; just waiting on those results now. In the meantime, the antibody work came back. Anti-Tg is fine, but the anti-TPO is elevated at 238—should be under 9.

Some studies suggest certain medications might interfere with conception, though the data remains messy. It's hard to draw any definitive conclusions when the results are this inconsistent.
Nicholas Myers Nicholas Myers Active Member
163 messages
joined Jan 2012
#1727 ·
Justin Phillips15 said:Hi, I was hoping to get a doctor's take on some blood work results...

Atypical lymphocytes (over 10%) and a liver lesion... Does this look like infectious mononucleosis? Should testing for CMV be considered?

Free cortisol-343.4 (100-379), total cortisol 8am-1050 (171-536), total cortisol 4pm-590 (64-327)

The cortisol levels definitely need to be retested. You might require an endocrinology follow-up—things like checking ACTH or running a dexamethasone suppression test. An ultrasound of the adrenal glands isn't enough to rule out subtle pathology.
Nicholas Myers Nicholas Myers Active Member
163 messages
joined Jan 2012
#1728 ·
Joseph Collins18 said:The doctor suggested we redo the blood work after a month, so we just finished that today (not fasting):

View on imgur

Basically, the lymphocyte count is dropping, though it's still sitting at the upper limit of normal.

The latest results look clean. There's no indication that any further follow-up is needed.
Could someone explain this MPXI value? It went from -8 during the first draw to -1.7 in the most recent one. What does that signify?

I covered this in a previous post. Everything looks fine.

There is no cause for concern. Everything is normal.
Justin Phillips15 Justin Phillips15 Member
17 messages
joined Mar 2020
#1729 ·
Maria Fisher46 said:Atypical lymphocytes (over 10%) and a liver lesion... Could this be infectious mononucleosis? Should they test for EBV and CMV?
I had the exact same thought, but I don't have any symptoms of an actual illness. When I had my blood drawn, the only thing I had was a stuffy nose and a bit of a cough; now, I feel perfectly fine with no symptoms at all. My primary care physician completely brushed off the CBC results, saying it was just some random virus, and she wouldn't even write me a referral to get my blood retested.

You should definitely get that cortisol level checked again. It's possible you'll need an endocrinology workup (testing ACTH, a dexamethasone suppression test, etc.). An ultrasound of the adrenal glands isn't enough to rule out subtle pathology.

My nephrologist scheduled me for another round. They want to check cortisol and a few other hormones produced by that gland—I can't recall them all right now—via blood and urine tests, plus a CT scan of the adrenal glands.
Nicholas Myers Nicholas Myers Active Member
163 messages
joined Jan 2012
#1730 ·
gentleridge16 said:But my ECG readout looked like this:
Sinus rhythm
Right bundle branch block incomplete
S1, S2, S3 pattern
Consider right ventricular hypertrophy
Now I'm in shock. I've never had any issues, yet suddenly there's a laundry list of errors. It's like when your high-speed internet slows down—you're stuck waiting. If the doctor says the results are normal, should I trust that? Or do I need to push for more tests? I don't know what to think.

That’s just the machine's automated printout. An ECG is interpreted by a person, not a computer. If a physician reviewed the tracing and cleared it, it's likely fine.

Even an incomplete right bundle branch block is typically a benign finding—nothing to lose sleep over. Ultimately, the actual waveform matters far more than the text the machine spits out.

Karen Alvarez40 said:Could an ANA result be positive due to an autoimmune thyroid condition?

It's possible, though doctors often disagree on the correlation. It really depends on the ANA titer levels.
What other tests should be done to rule out SLE, RA, and other autoimmune issues?

The next step is determining if you meet the clinical criteria for any specific disease, which would then dictate targeted follow-up testing.
And is it possible for the thyroid to cause elevated liver enzymes?

Yes, thyroid issues can lead to elevated transaminases, and Aspirin itself can also cause that.
Nicholas Myers Nicholas Myers Active Member
163 messages
joined Jan 2012
#1731 ·
Justin Phillips15 said:My nephrologist scheduled more tests—cortisol, a few other hormones from that gland I can't quite recall right now, both blood and urine samples, plus a CT scan of the adrenal glands.

Then the doctor is doing his job correctly. 👍
Justin Phillips15 Justin Phillips15 Member
17 messages
joined Mar 2020
#1732 ·
Maria Fisher46 said:Then he certainly ordered the right thing for you. 👍

Could you just tell me, since I'm not actually showing any mono symptoms, if this could just be some common virus?
because whenever I search Google, all I get are results about leukemia due to elevated Lymphocytes.🙄
Karen Alvarez40 Karen Alvarez40 Member
11 messages
joined Jul 2018
#1733 ·
Maria Fisher46 said:I think it’s totally doable, but honestly, doctors can't seem to agree on it. It really all boils down to how high that ANA titer is sitting.

Ugh, they totally left out the titer level. No clue why they'd do that. Just super frustrating!

Maria Fisher46 said:It’s totally possible that your thyroid is the culprit behind those elevated transaminase levels. Honestly, even Athyrazol itself could be causing the spike.

The results finally landed in my inbox. Everything is back within the normal range again, except for my ALP, which hit 175 (anything under 119 is considered normal). But hey, even that is trending down—it was sitting at 201 before! It’s been two and a half months now, and I haven't broken character once; I've been sticking to a strict liver diet this entire time.

Do you guys think there's any point in digging deeper or doing more work on this?
I'm heading to the gastroenterologist in a couple of days with this massive mountain of test results, so we'll see what the doc actually makes of the whole mess.
Chris Wells4 Chris Wells4 Newcomer
2 messages
joined Jun 2015
#1734 ·
Chris Wells4 said:Could someone please weigh in on these urine results? This is for a girl who is almost 7 years old. She hasn't shown any symptoms that I've noticed; we just had this done because she’s enrolling in first grade.

BLOOD POSITIVE
BILIRUBIN NEGATIVE
UROBILINOGEN NORMAL
KETONES NEGATIVE
PROTEINS NEGATIVE
NITRATES NEGATIVE
GLUCOSE NORMAL
REACTION 5.0 (4.5-8.0)
SPECIFIC GRAVITY 1.032
WBC POSITIVE
APPEARANCE SLIGHTLY CLOUDY
COLOR YELLOW

WBC SEDIMENT 15 (0.0-5)
RBC SEDIMENT 4 (0-2)
WBC IN CLUMPS /
RBC IN CLUMPS /
EPITHELIAL CELLS /
RENAL TUBULAR EPITHELIAL CELLS /
TRANSITIONAL EPITHELIAL CELLS /
SQUAMOUS EPITHELIAL CELLS 1
CYLINDERS /
BACTERIA SOME
CRYSTALS /
MUCUS MASS
OTHER ELEMENTS I /
OTHER ELEMENTS II /

Maria Fisher46 said:You definitely need to repeat that urine test. If leukocyturia shows up again, you'll need to run a urine culture. However, if the culture comes back sterile but those white blood cell counts are still elevated, then you really need to dig deeper and investigate further.

Thanks so much for the response. We actually went back and repeated the test after a week, and the values were perfectly normal. Our doctor told us that the first result was probably just some kind of error and accepted the second one as valid. Was that the right call for the doctor to make? Is it even possible to go from those initial results to a totally fine reading just a week later? Do these kinds of errors actually happen?

Edit: In the most recent test, there was just a lot of mucus, so we were advised to make sure she drinks plenty of fluids.

Thanks again.
Chris Howard3 Chris Howard3 Newcomer
4 messages
joined Aug 2013
#1735 ·
Dear all, after my third pregnancy, I dealt with thrombophlebitis—so, naturally, I’m now stuck with varicose veins in my legs. Since I've been having some breathing issues lately, I went in for a bronchoscopy and ended up getting a coagulation panel done while I was at it. Could someone please help me make sense of these results? PV 0.99, INR 1.00, APTV 26, APTV RATIO 0.8
FIBRINOGEN 4.3

Thanks much
gentleridge16 gentleridge16 Newcomer
2 messages
joined Oct 2014
#1736 ·
Maria Fisher46 said:That’s just the machine's automated readout. An ECG result is always interpreted by a person, not the device itself. So, if a doctor reviewed the ECG and interpreted it as normal, then it likely is normal.

Even if there were an incomplete right bundle branch block, that is a benign finding and isn't cause for concern. Ultimately, the actual visual tracing of the ECG matters much more than whatever the machine prints at the top of the page.

Thank you so much! 👏
silentwolf232 silentwolf232 Newcomer
3 messages
joined Apr 2014
#1737 ·
Hey, I had my CBC done today and here are the results: RBC 4.75
hemoglobin 142
Hematocrit 0.431
Mcv 90.7
Mch29.9
MCHC 329 Distr
Distr.eritro 13.5
Platelet 180
MPV 11.4
Leukocytes 5.5
Neutrophils 45.8
# 2.52
Lymphocyte 38.9
# 2.14
Monocytes 11.8
# 0.65
Eosinophils 3.1
# 0.17
Basophils 0.4
# 0.02

I'm a 22-year-old female. Everything looks normal except for the MPV. How much should I worry about that deviation, and what might it indicate? Also curious about the overall look of the blood work. Thanks
Larry Sanchez7 Larry Sanchez7 Active Member
56 messages
joined Feb 2017
#1738 ·
Just had my KKS checked out recently and everything looks solid.

My C-reactive protein is running a bit high though. The normal range is 0-5, but I’m sitting at 5.7.

I'm wondering how high this CRP can actually climb... is 5.7 a big deal or just a tiny bump???
I read somewhere that during intense inflammation, CRP can spike to 1000x the usual levels? Is there any truth to that...
Megan Morales91 Megan Morales91 Newcomer
3 messages
joined Jun 2015
#1739 ·
Hey everyone, I'm 27. Just had my routine annual physical through work... Not really sure what my blood work means, so if you guys could take a quick look... here are the results:
HEMATOLOGY RESULTS
Leukocytes 8.5 (3.4-9.71)
Erythrocytes 4.31 (3.86-5.08)
Hemoglobin 130 (119-157)
Hematocrit 0.380 (0.356-0.470)
MCV 88.1 (83.0-97.2)
MCH 89.8 (27.4-33.9)
MCHC 339 (320-345)
Platelets 241 (158-424)

Neutrophil granulocytes 35.6 (44-72) +
Lymphocytes 47.9 (20-46) +
Monocytes 6.5 (2-12)
Eosinophil granulocytes 7.1 (0-7) +
Basophil granulocytes 0.7 (0-1)
Luc 2.3 (0.0-4.0)
Neutrophil granulocytes 3.08 (2.06-6.49)
Lymphocytes 4.34 (1.19-3.35) +
Monocytes 0.57 (0.12-0.84)
Eosinophil granulocytes 0.63 (0.00-0.43) +
Basophil granulocytes 0.06 (0.00-0.06)

BIOCHEMISTRY RESULTS:
glucose 4.8 (4.2-6.0)
urea 4.1 (2.8-8.3)
creatinine 55 (49-90)
bilirubin total 8 (3-20)
AST 19 (8-30)
ALT 18 (10-36)
GGT 11 (9-35)
potassium 4.5 (3.9-5.0)
sodium 140 (137-150)
alkaline phosphatase 28 (50-153)-

Thanks y'all
Nicholas Myers Nicholas Myers Active Member
163 messages
joined Jan 2012
#1740 ·
Justin Phillips15 said:Could you just clarify one thing for me? Since I'm not actually experiencing any typical mono symptoms, is it possible we're looking at just a common virus instead?
Searching Google for elevated lymphocyte counts just spits back endless results about leukemia.🙄

It isn't exactly typical for just "any" random virus to trigger atypical lymphocytes exceeding 10% in a differential blood count. Even if you aren't feeling any symptoms, I’d suggest getting serology done for EBV and CMV. If those come back negative—or simply show evidence of a past infection—but those atypical lymphocytes are still hanging around, that would definitely be a reason to dig deeper.
Karen Alvarez40 said:Do you think further processing is necessary?

Liver lesions—damage was definitely present. However, now that the transaminase levels have normalized, whether further investigation is actually necessary remains an open question. Ultimately, your attending gastroenterologist will have to make the final call on how to proceed.

It’s worth noting that a positive ANA paired with elevated liver enzymes can also be a sign of autoimmune liver disease.
Chris Wells4 said:Did the doctor handle this correctly?

I believe so. There shouldn't be any need for further processing.

Chris Howard3 said:To whom it may concern, Following my third pregnancy, I dealt with thrombophlebitis and now have varicose veins in my legs. Due to some breathing issues, I underwent a bronchoscopy and subsequently had coagulation testing performed. Could you please clarify these results? PV 0.99, INR 1.00, APTV 26, APTV Ratio 0.8.
Fibrinogen 4.3.

Thanks.

From what I can see, everything looks fine, aside from a slightly elevated fibrinogen level. When interpreting that, you have to factor in body weight, smoking status, and a few other variables.

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