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

Black stools combined with an elevated ESR point toward gastrointestinal bleeding. When was her last colonoscopy? That’s something that definitely needs to be monitored.

So, I’ve got an appointment lined up with my gastroenterologist, and they told me I need to bring a whole bunch of lab results along with me (among other things):

• a full stool workup—everything from cultures and parasite screenings to biochemical analysis, checking for fat malabsorption or undigested food, plus cytology and occult blood tests

The big question on my mind is: how long does it actually take for all these results to come back?
Are we talking a day or two, or is it going to be way longer?
I have this nagging feeling in the back of my head that because of those parasite tests, it might take like 10 days, but honestly, I have no clue where that number came from 😳
If anyone could give me a heads-up on the turnaround time for these stool tests, I would be seriously grateful, because if that "10-day rule" is real, then Monday is officially my last chance to get this done.
🙂

fadedmarlin402 said:Black stools combined with an elevated ESR often point toward GI bleeding. When was her last colonoscopy? That really should have been checked out.

Her last colonoscopy was about two years ago.
The doctor mentioned today that he’s just going to proceed with a gastroscopy instead; his take is that the black stools aren't coming from the colon, but rather the stomach. 🤷

I was wondering if someone could help me make sense of these rather cryptic lab results:

Hematology:
Leukocytes 6.20
erythrocytes 3.6
hemoglobin 120
hematocrit 0.358
MCV 90.4
MCH 30.4
MCHC 336
RDW-CV 10.5
Platelets 255
MPV 8.7

Neutrophil granulocytes 44.8
Lymphocytes 41.7
Monocytes 9.3
Eosinophil granulocytes 2.7
Basophil Granulocytes 1.5 H!

Urinalysis

Appearance - slightly cloudy
Color - amber
pH 5
nitrites NEG
Leukocyte esterase up to 25 H!
Proteins < 0.2
glucose normal
Ketones NEG
Bilirubin 17 H!
Urobilinogen NORM erythrocyte
Erythrocytes up to 10

Note: abnormalities present only in granulocytes and monocytes

I would truly appreciate it if someone with some expertise could explain these elevated values, particularly the ones found in the urine sample.

Sarah Wells23 said:The last colonoscopy was two years ago.
Today, the doctor decided to skip the colonoscopy and just move forward with an endoscopy. His reasoning? He thinks the black stools aren't coming from the lower GI tract at all—he’s pointing toward the stomach instead. 🤷

That's spot on. Tarry, black stools are often a primary indicator of upper GI bleeding, like a peptic ulcer. The tricky part is that "black" is subjective; people describe colors differently all the time, but in medicine, you can't afford to be vague about those details. I'm hoping for the best here.

Could someone please walk me through what this actually means? I'm a bit lost here.

HBsAg (Hepatitis Bs antigen) - neg.
anti HBs (antibodies against HBsAg) - pos. 10 IU/L
anti HBc total (IgG + IgM) - pos.
Comment: These HBV marker results suggest either a past infection with the Hepatitis B virus or that you're currently in the recovery phase.

fadedmarlin402 said:That’s spot on. Tarry stools can be a sign of stomach bleeding—like an ulcer, for instance. The tricky part is that we humans don't always see colors the same way, and in medicine, you can't leave anything to chance. I really hope everything turns out okay.

Well, it turns out there was a polyp after all. It isn't anything serious, but they'll need regular check-ups to stay on top of it.

Chloe Clark77 said:Can someone make sense of these results for me?

HBsAg (Hepatitis B surface antigen) - neg.
anti HBs (antibodies against HBsAg) - pos. 10 IU/L
anti HBc total (IgG + IgM) - pos.
Comment: These HBV marker results suggest either past exposure to the Hepatitis B virus or recovery from the infection.

Basically, it means you’ve already dealt with Hepatitis B—which is exactly what that comment is getting at.
"Exposure" just means you came into contact with the virus; it doesn't necessarily mean you actually got sick, but your body still went ahead and built up those antibodies anyway.
As for "recovery," that implies you actually had the hepatitis and your body managed to fight it off on its own.
The real kicker here is whether the anti HBc IgM is positive or not, but looking at this total count they gave you, there's no way to tell the difference.

Kate Collins67 said:Basically, it means you’ve already fought off Hepatitis B, which explains what the lab report is getting at.
"Exposure" just means you came into contact with the virus; it doesn't necessarily mean you actually developed full-blown hepatitis, but your body still produced antibodies against it.
"Convalescence" implies you actually had the hepatitis and managed to clear it on your own.
The big question mark here is whether the anti HBc IgM is positive or not—looking at this specific summary, there's no way to tell from the data provided.

Thanks for clearing that up. I actually went to the Red Cross in Chicago to get these tests done. They didn't even break down the IgG and IgM separately in the results; they just gave me one big total. Does that mean I’m going to have to go back for more testing? And honestly, I'm trying to get pregnant right now... am I a risk to a future baby with this diagnosis? Is there any way to pinpoint when I actually ran into the virus? Also, can those antibodies just... disappear?

Hannah Hill said:...

Anyone else?😕

Hannah Hill said:Anyone there?😕

Look, I’ll point you in the right direction, but the heavy lifting is on you. You’re the one who needs to go out there and do the actual legwork to dig deeper.

Basophils are slightly elevated, but honestly, it’s negligible. Nothing to worry about.

Regarding your urine results, that leukocyte esterase reading points toward a urinary tract infection. You really ought to get a urine culture done to pinpoint exactly what you're dealing with. Your urine is also looking cloudy and amber-colored because of elevated bilirubin levels. That brings up the question: why is it high? Usually, we're looking at liver issues—something like hepatitis or perhaps a blocked bile duct. I noticed you've been posting in other threads about abdominal pain as well. My advice? Go get an abdominal ultrasound to check out your liver. There’s a real possibility you’re dealing with gallstones, which could very well be the root cause of everything you're feeling.

It would be helpful if you could dig up some previous lab results so we can actually compare the two.

fadedmarlin402 said:Look, I can point you in the right direction, but at the end of the day, the follow-up research is on you.

Your basophil granulocytes are negligibly high. Nothing to write home about.

As for the urine results, the leukocyte esterase suggests some kind of urinary tract infection; you really should get a urine culture done to see what's actually going on. Your urine is cloudy and amber-colored due to elevated bilirubin. Why is that elevated? Usually, it points toward liver issues—think hepatitis or perhaps a bile duct obstruction. I noticed you've been posting in other threads about abdominal pain as well. My advice? Get an abdominal ultrasound focused on the liver. There's a real possibility you're dealing with gallstones, which could be the root cause of all this discomfort.

It would be helpful if you had some previous lab results we could compare this to.

Well, here’s the situation... over the last five months, I’ve had two complete blood counts, two urine cultures, two abdominal ultrasounds... and a gynecological exam too. According to every single one of those tests, everything was fine. It's only this most recent one where this specific value came back high. I actually have a family history of elevated bilirubin, but it has never shown up positive in my urine before, which is why I’m asking for a bit more clarity. Unfortunately, I can't get much useful information from my primary care physician. I've been struggling with constant pain for six months now, and my doctor's standard response is basically, "If your blood work and ultrasound look normal, then everything is fine." So, yeah, 😢

Could someone help me make sense of this finding?
In the projection of the posterior margin of the first rib on the left, there's a visible soft tissue oval lesion measuring about 1 cm.
Thanks so much in advance!

Chloe Clark77 said:Thanks for getting back to me. I ran some tests over at the Mayo Clinic in Minneapolis. They didn't break down the IgG and IgM levels individually in the results—they just gave me a total count. Does that mean I'm going to have to go back for more testing? Is there any danger to a future baby (I'm trying to get pregnant)? Can you even determine roughly when I was exposed to the virus? And can those antibodies be destroyed?

Look, I’m not an infectious disease specialist, and let's be honest—not every medical facility requires the exact same set of labs to reach the same conclusion.
It’s tough for me to give you a definitive "yes" or "no" on whether you need more testing based on what you've told me. In my opinion? Probably not. But it’s a completely different story when you're actually treating a patient and have their entire medical history right in front of you—which, thank God, gives you the luxury of time to review everything properly.☕

Based on what you've described, it sounds like you had it, but you don't have it anymore—kind of like how you recover from the flu.
Those antibodies are actually protecting you; they're a good thing! You definitely don't want to "destroy" them. They exist to attack the virus and are produced specifically because the virus was present. With certain infections, they stay in your blood for life as a permanent defense, while with others, they might only stick around for a specific period.
If you happened to have an active or chronic infection, or if you were just a carrier for Hepatitis B, that could pose a serious risk toward the end of a pregnancy—though I can't say for certain regarding the specifics of pregnancy—and there could be a risk of transmission to the baby during childbirth. Generally speaking, though, a Hepatitis B infection tends to be much more dangerous for children in the long run than it is for adults.

Drew Thompson5 said:Can someone please explain this finding?
In the projection of the posterior aspect of the first rib, there is a visible soft tissue oval lesion measuring 1 cm on the left side.
Thanks in advance.

The very first thing that jumps to mind—and honestly, it’s the worst-case scenario—is a lung metastasis. But look, it could also be something completely benign; you absolutely have to run this by a pulmonologist.
That said, we're working with next to nothing here. There isn't nearly enough data to make any kind of solid diagnosis based on just one sentence from a report.

Hannah Hill said:It’s basically like this... over the last five months, I’ve had two complete blood counts, two urine cultures, and two abdominal ultrasounds done... plus my OBGYN exams... and according to every single result, everything is perfectly fine. Except for this most recent one where this specific thing came back elevated... I mean, I have a family history of high bilirubin, but it’s never shown up positive in my urine before, which is why I wanted someone to actually explain this to me—since, unfortunately, I can't get much of an answer from my own doctor. The truth is, I've been dealing with constant pain for six months now, and my doctor's response is just, "if your blood work and ultrasound look good, then you're fine." So, yeah, 😢

A urine analysis... honestly, there's so much wiggle room there that it's hard to say anything definitive.
Personally, I don't think that urine sample is the smoking gun here. If it's really eating at you, just go get the test repeated just to clear the air and get some peace of mind. But as for those stomach pains? Man, that is a massive, wide-open territory—there are probably more possible diagnoses for abdominal pain than there are stars in the sky.

At the end of the day, the gut feeling you get during a face-to-face visit matters most. If you are genuinely hurting—and you aren't just imagining it—and your doctor isn't getting you anywhere, then demand a referral to a gastroenterologist. That’s their specialty, after all. If they take one look and tell you nothing is wrong, then you're pretty much left with only one move: getting a second opinion. I don't know exactly what kind of pain we're talking about, but there's always that nagging possibility where they just slap an "Irritable Bowel Syndrome" label on you—which seems to be the go-to diagnosis whenever nobody can figure out what's actually happening but all the major red flags have been ruled out.

I just got my lab results back, and for the most part, everything looks fine—except for one specific section regarding "Urine - visible field sediments."

Leukocytes: 3-5 (reference range is 0-2)
Epithelial cells: 7-9 (reference range is 0-1)
Bacteria: Present in small amounts

Since these numbers are sitting above the standard reference ranges, I'm trying to make sense of what this actually means...

Karen Ramirez said:I got my lab results back and everything looks fine, except for that part about "Urine - sediments in field of view."

WBC: 3-5 (ref range 0-2)
Epithelial cells: 7-9 (ref range 0-1)
Bacteria - a little bit

Since those numbers are higher than the normal range, I'm wondering what it actually means...

Based on what you wrote, it sounds like you might be dealing with some inflammation... those slightly elevated white blood cell counts usually point toward an infection, especially since your sedimentation rate is also up too...

I don't know why your doctor sent you for these specific tests, so I can't give you a more exact answer than that... 🙂

Don't sweat the epithelial cells, because that just measures how many skin cells end up in your urine when you go, which can really fluctuate from moment to moment... honestly, it's better that it isn't even higher... 🙂

You should probably get a CBC done so you can see exactly which type of white blood cells are high, because what you listed is just the total count, and you really need to see the breakdown to tell if we're looking at something acute or chronic... 🙂

Hannah Hill said:it’s basically this... over the last five months I’ve had two blood panels, two urine cultures, and two abdominal ultrasounds... plus my OBGYN visits too... according to all the results everything is totally fine... except for this one thing being elevated in the latest report... I actually have high bilirubin in my family, but it’s never shown up in my urine before, so I was just hoping someone could explain what this means since my doctor isn't really giving me much to go on... honestly, I've been dealing with constant pain for six months now and my doctor's just like, if your blood work and ultrasound look good, then you're good to go... so yeah 😢

If you're seeing bilirubin in your urine but your ultrasound came back clean, you should definitely see a nephrologist!!! Just to be safe and rule out anything going on with your kidneys...

Keep in mind that even if an ultrasound looks normal, it doesn't always mean everything is perfect, it just means everything looks okay within the limits of what an ultrasound can actually detect...

Grace Smith said:If you're seeing elevated bilirubin in your urine despite having a clear abdominal scan, my advice would be to see a nephrologist. It's better to rule out the kidneys as the culprit just in case.

The caveat here is that a "clear" ultrasound doesn't necessarily mean everything is perfect; it just means nothing unusual showed up within the limitations of what an ultrasound can actually detect.

I've been struggling with this for six months now... everyone keeps telling me everything is fine, but I didn't just make this pain up. It’s constant—this dull, persistent ache in the exact same spot. The last thing I managed to get after my ultrasound was a stool sample request and an order to repeat my urinalysis...
I'm seriously considering heading to a private clinic for an abdominal MRI. If that gives me more certainty than the ultrasound, I'll take it. I don't have many options left since neither of my doctors will write me a referral for further testing.