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

Sam Hall15 · 2008-11-07T19:15:08+00:00

An elevated GGT level can sometimes indicate nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, which involves more pronounced fatty changes in the liver. Potassium levels need to …

Walter Mendoza81 Newcomer

6 messages
joined Sep 2009

#441 · Sep 20, 2009

Thanks so much, you really took a weight off my shoulders 😁 Honestly, I don't think it's just a "young people" thing, if you know what I mean; I personally know kids who are maybe 11 or 12 years old already burning through half a pack a day... it’s honestly just tragic, truly heartbreaking, but I guess that’s just how things are now, and even worse, maybe half the adults in those circles actually know they're smoking and just hand them a cigarette... I mean, you’d have to be out of your mind, because I would never, ever let my own kid touch a cigarette, not even when they turn 18... and look, it's not like I'm a smoker myself, I just do it for the aesthetic, maybe two or three cigarettes every couple of days or so... it's probably not much, but I guess I'm just worried about getting hooked...

Brandon Newman95 Active Member

245 messages
joined Jun 2024

#442 · Sep 20, 2009

Ryan Wilson95 said:I need some advice!
I'm wondering if I should see someone beyond my primary care doctor based on these results:

hemoglobin 68
hematocrit 0.240
mcv 60.7
mch 17.1
mchc 282
rdw 17.6
iron 2.3
tibc 70

Where is all my iron going? I’m not dieting, I don’t drink, I don’t smoke... maybe I just work a little harder than most, but that shouldn't be an issue, right?😉
Also, my legs are constantly swollen—could that be related?
Thanks in advance🙂:

Best bet is to go back to the doctor first, and they'll send you wherever you need to go. That hemoglobin is incredibly low, plus the iron levels, and I think the TIBC is getting pretty close to that upper limit of 75 (if I remember correctly). Like that other user mentioned, you basically need a doctor plus a hematologist.

Brandon Newman95 Active Member

245 messages
joined Jun 2024

#443 · Sep 20, 2009

Kimberly Ward said:You really need to see a doctor first. They’ll give you a referral, because your hemoglobin is tanking, plus your iron is low, and I think your TIBC is hitting that upper limit of 75—not that I'm an expert or anything. Like budabudimir said, go to your GP and then get a hematologist.

And my veins could be swollen too.

Walter Mendoza81 Newcomer

6 messages
joined Sep 2009

#444 · Sep 20, 2009

Hey, 😕Sarah Johnson11, I’ve got one more question for you—I was asking around about whether nicotine actually shows up in your bloodwork, and some people were telling me that if you go in for those really specific, specialized tests, it might be detectable, so I guess I'm just wondering if that's actually true and, if it is, whether they'd even bother looking for it during those standard physicals for pro athletes...😕😕

Walter Mendoza81 Newcomer

6 messages
joined Sep 2009

#445 · Sep 20, 2009

Ryan Wilson95 said:I guess I could use some advice, if anyone's willing to weigh in.
I guess I'm wondering if I should probably head out to see a specialist instead of just sticking with my primary care doctor, given these lab results.

I guess a hemoglobin level of 68 is pretty much a medical emergency, though I suppose I shouldn't be making any definitive calls without being a doctor, but honestly, that sounds incredibly low and probably means someone needs to get to an ER in Chicago right about now.
So, my hematocrit came back at 0.240, which I guess is pretty low, though I suppose it really depends on how you look at it.
I guess an MCV of 60.7 is probably on the lower side, though I suppose it really depends on what else is going on with your bloodwork.
I guess that MCH is sitting at around 17.1, which seems a little low, maybe?
I guess MCHC hit 282, which seems like quite a jump, maybe?
I guess an RDW of 17.6 might be worth mentioning to your doctor, since it seems like it could be a little high, though I'm certainly no expert on all this bloodwork stuff.
I guess there might be some kind of typo or something missing here, because I'm honestly not quite sure what you're getting at with just those numbers.
I guess maybe it’s around 70, if I had to take a wild guess.

I guess I'm wondering where all my iron is actually going. I'm not even on a diet, I don't drink or smoke, and maybe I've just been working a bit harder lately, though that really shouldn't be an issue, right?😉
I guess I might have something to do with that, maybe, since my legs are always so incredibly swollen lately.
Thanks in advance.🙂:

I mean, it’s probably just burnout if you've been grinding that hard... my brother was the same way during his senior year of law school, pulling like 12-hour days constantly, and he ended up dropping seven pounds because he was totally wiped out. He was dealing with some serious iron deficiency too. I can't say for sure if that's what's happening with you, but I guess maybe you should just go see a doctor? I remember when I had anemia and my iron levels were bottoming out, I felt like I could barely stay awake for more than three or four hours at a time.

Sarah Johnson11 Member

27 messages
joined Nov 2009

#446 · Sep 20, 2009

Walter Mendoza81 said:Hey, 😕Sarah Johnson11😕, I’ve got one more thing on my mind. When people talk about smoking, does nicotine actually show up in your bloodwork? Some folks tell me that if you go in for those really specific, specialized tests, they might catch it. So, I'm wondering—does that even exist? And if it does, would they be looking for it during standard athletic physicals?😕

Just take a breath and relax. During a routine physical, they’re looking at your basic CBC and a urine sample. If anything comes back wonky, sure, they’ll order follow-up tests, but there’s basically zero chance they’re hunting for nicotine. Just stay calm and don't even bring it up, seriously.
Once everything wraps up, get back to me. You'll see I'm right. If they do a lung capacity test, yeah, smokers might show a slightly lower number, but that isn't "proof" you smoke. There's really no need to stress over this.👍

Walter Mendoza81 Newcomer

6 messages
joined Sep 2009

#447 · Sep 20, 2009

Thanks, I appreciate it. They aren't even really looking at my lung scans or anything like that, so thanks again. I mean, I know there's probably a slim chance they'd catch something if it were there, but the fear just kind of takes over, I guess. It’s funny because nobody in my house even smokes; my mom actually quit seven years ago just so I wouldn't pick up the habit or start breathing in all that smoke, or whatever the reasoning was, so mostly it's just this overwhelming sense of dread... but seriously, thank you. Oh, one more thing—if you don't mind me asking, how old are you and what's your actual name so I can properly thank you? You're Nikolina, right?

quietcrane Member

34 messages
joined Oct 2008

#448 · Sep 21, 2009

👋

If anyone here has experience interpreting these immunology lab results, I would appreciate your insight.

IgE: 45.8 (Ref. range: 0-122 kU/L)

RAST w 1 (Ragweed) concentration: 5.38 H (Ref. range: 0-0.35 kU/L)
Class +3 H

RAST w 6 (Mugwort) concentration: 0.44 H (Ref. range: 0-0.35 kU/L)
Class +1 H

Thank you in advance for any help! 😉

Brian Martin9 Member

23 messages
joined Nov 2008

#449 · Sep 24, 2009

My little mystery:
WBCs, RBCs, the whole nine yards—everything looks totally normal on paper, except my ESR is through the roof.
The lab says anything up to 30 is fine, but I’m sitting here at 45...

As far as I can tell, the only thing going on is this absolute nightmare with one of my teeth. Had a root infection recently, finished a full round of antibiotics, but now it feels like it's acting up again...
Could that be what's driving the numbers up, or should I be looking for something else entirely?

Sarah Johnson11 Member

27 messages
joined Nov 2009

#450 · Sep 24, 2009

Rebecca Fox53 said:here’s my little medical mystery:
my white cell count, red cell count—the whole nine yards—are all perfectly normal, but my ESR is way up.
The lab says anything up to 30 is fine, but I’m sitting here at 45.

Right now, the only thing I actually know for sure is that I've been dealing with absolute chaos regarding one specific tooth. I had a root infection, finished a full course of antibiotics, but honestly? I have this nagging feeling it’s acting up again.
Could that be the culprit, or should I be looking for something else entirely?

Look, that elevated ESR is almost certainly just a reaction to the inflammation from your tooth. That’s a given right now, and frankly, it's likely the only reason. There’s really no need to go down a rabbit hole with more testing. Once you get that tooth taken care of, your levels should settle back down to the normal range.👍

briskstag13 Newcomer

4 messages
joined Sep 2014

#451 · Sep 28, 2009

So, I just got my bloodwork back, and there are some deviations from the norm:
white blood cell count (always slightly elevated—my doctor brushes it off, but it’s definitely bugging me)—normal range goes up to 11, but mine is at 12.4
lymphocytes—normal is up to 4, but I'm sitting at 4.4
iron is borderline low—range is 8 to 30, and I'm at 9.6 (though it's always been low, so I'm usually taking supplements)

Basically, those white cells and lymphocytes have me worried—especially since the lymphocytes are high for the first time

+ my sedimentation rate is right on the edge of normal, which is weird because it's usually much lower than this...

fadedmarlin402 Active Member

154 messages
joined Apr 2010

#452 · Sep 28, 2009

briskstag13 said:So, I just got my bloodwork back, and there are some deviations from the norm:
white blood cell count (which is always a little high and my doctor doesn't say anything, but it worries me)—normal is up to 11, mine is 12.4
lymphocytes—normal is up to 4, mine is 4.4
iron is right on the edge—normal range is 8 to 30, mine is 9.6 (but it's always low, so I take iron supplements often)

Basically, the white cells and lymphocytes are worrying me (it's the first time the lymphocytes have been elevated)

+ sedimentation rate which is right at the limit, whereas it's usually much lower..

It isn't anything serious if you aren't dealing with any other symptoms. It’s likely just some minor inflammation. Just redo the tests in a week or two, then you can sit down with your doctor to see if it actually needs more attention. A slight deviation from the reference values doesn't mean a thing; those numbers are just based on standard statistical averages. A perfectly healthy person can easily have values that are slightly high or slightly low.

Betty Gonzalez30 Active Member

55 messages
joined Dec 2003

#453 · Sep 29, 2009

So, about a month ago, my blood work came back showing high red blood cell counts and elevated hemoglobin levels...
I decided to take a break from hitting the gym for a month and cut out all the whey protein from my diet—everything else stayed pretty much the same—and I finally got my latest labs back yesterday, and everything looks totally normal now...

I'm curious, though—what actually causes those numbers to spike like that?
And honestly, if they had stayed high, would there have been any actual reason to freak out?

fadedmarlin402 Active Member

154 messages
joined Apr 2010

#454 · Sep 29, 2009

Roger Wood50 said:About a month ago, my blood work showed elevated red blood cell counts and hemoglobin levels...
I took a break from training for a month (hitting the gym) and cut out whey protein from my diet—everything else stayed exactly the same—and I just got my latest labs back yesterday, and everything looks normal now...

What could be the actual reason for an increase in erythrocytes and hemoglobin?
And would there have been any reason to panic if those numbers had stayed high?

There you go. One of the main drivers is physical exertion. Your muscles demand more oxygen, so the body responds by ramping up red blood cell production to meet that need. Honestly, keep training. A slight bump in your erythrocyte and hemoglobin levels isn't a big deal. It wasn't the whey.

On a different note, some athletes use EPO (erythropoietin) to artificially spike their red blood cell count to boost performance. Obviously, that's illegal.

driftingseal3 Member

22 messages
joined Sep 2007

#455 · Sep 29, 2009

I need some input on this—it's urgent
My child is 16 months old:
WBC: 2.2 (Normal range: 6.0-16.0)
Monocytes: 22 (Normal range: 5-13)
Reactive lymphocytes: 3 (Normal range: 0)
Neutrophils: 26 (Normal range: 30-72)

Everything else looks perfectly fine.

Sarah Johnson11 Member

27 messages
joined Nov 2009

#456 · Sep 29, 2009

driftingseal3;22806700 said:I need an opinion—urgent.
Kid is 16 months old:
WBC 2.2 (6.0-16.0)
Monocytes 22 (5-13)
Reactive lymphocytes 3 (0)
Neutrophils 26 (30-72)

Everything else looks fine.[/QU

So, basically, leukopenia is just the medical way of saying the total white blood cell count in the blood is lower than what’s expected, or simply falls below the standard range set by the lab.
Certain infections or illnesses can really "suppress" or dial down the production of those white blood cells—you know, the ones responsible for carrying our immunity. Because of that, these numbers often act as indicators of an infection, most commonly viral ones. Looking at these results, it's possible your little one is currently fighting something off or perhaps just recovering from a recent virus. If there hasn't been any illness lately, then you'll likely need to run some follow-up tests to see what's going on.👍

Kenneth Smith Newcomer

2 messages
joined Sep 2009

#457 · Sep 30, 2009

Can someone please walk me through these cryptic lab markings? My mother isn't doing well, and she was reading out her blood marker results to me, along with some other terms I don't quite grasp. I'll list them here—if anyone understands what this means, I would truly appreciate the help;

HGB 14.6
HCT 0.409
MCV 86.7
MCH 31.0
MCHC 358
RDW 10.5
PLT 279
MPV 7.25
NEU 2.75
LYM 1.82
MONO 0.33

Ladies, please help if you can... I'm worried this might be related to breast or ovarian issues. Does anyone know? She’s heading in for a mammogram tomorrow.

George Clark19 Member

35 messages
joined Jan 2007

#458 · Sep 30, 2009

Low cortisol levels in a 24-hour urine test?
Cortisol levels at 8 AM and 4 PM are within the normal range
Can someone walk me through this? I'm a bit lost.

Kenneth Smith Newcomer

2 messages
joined Sep 2009

#459 · Oct 1, 2009

What exactly does C 72.1 mean?

Terry Fisher3 Newcomer

3 messages
joined Nov 2012

#460 · Oct 1, 2009

I went ahead and had the following tests done:
urine culture - lab report
aerobic urine bacteriology - sterile
aerobic ejaculate bacteriology - sterile
chlamydia (EIA(atg)) - negative
neither ureaplasma urealyticum nor mycoplasma hominis were isolated
Additionally, my prostate was examined, and everything there appears normal

The test results are perfectly fine, yet I am still dealing with this issue. I get this stinging sensation, a sort of tickling, and occasionally a very mild pain or discomfort. It becomes noticeable during sex, and ejaculation is often accompanied by a stinging feeling. Most of the stinging occurs right at the urethral opening (near the tip of the penis), whereas the middle section and the base tend to feel more like an ache or discomfort when touched; sometimes the sensation radiates all the way back behind the scrotum (for instance, it bothers me while I'm out riding my bike). These symptoms have a tendency to vanish completely for short periods, but they have been lingering on and off for about a year now.

About three years ago, I dealt with chlamydia, which I treated with Azithromycin. I had a follow-up swab after the treatment, and that came back negative.

I use condoms consistently, though I do skip them during oral sex (which I don't use a condom for), and I am in a long-term monogamous relationship.
My urologist basically gave me a lecture on STIs and then sent me home👎. He noted "follow up as needed"🤷.

I am wondering if anyone might have an idea of what this could be? I suspect there might be some kind of bacteria that wasn't covered by these specific tests. Also, is it possible that using standard bar soap for washing could cause these issues and prevent them from clearing up?

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

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