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

Hannah Hill said:I feel like I've been struggling for six months now... everyone keeps telling me everything is fine...but I didn't just make this pain up because it's constant... just this dull, nagging ache in the exact same spot...The last thing they could get me after the ultrasound was a stool sample and repeating my urine test...
I'm thinking about heading to a private clinic for an abdominal MRI... if that'll actually give me some peace of mind compared to the ultrasound... I don't have many choices left since neither of my two doctors will write me a referral for anything else.

I totally believe you. 👍

And what you're describing is basically the textbook definition of visceral pain, so it's most likely coming from an internal organ... and honestly, it's pretty probable it's related to the liver like they mentioned (if I remember correctly, someone brought that up)... a liver biopsy would be the real way to go because that would finally clear everything up once and for all. It’s definitely not a fun procedure, but when you've exhausted every other option, you really should consider a biopsy. It isn't the most pleasant experience, and you'll be waiting about two weeks for the results, but it's reliable...

If you can swing an MRI—just go for it. There's no way you should skip any tests that might help figure out what's going on, because there's really no point in suffering like this...😉

Thanks for the advice... I think my first step will be getting an MRI. Hopefully, that leads to some actual referrals if there's something going on... Not to mention, I am already a complete nervous wreck over all this.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention—on my last lab report, my alkaline phosphatase levels were low. What does that actually signify? Any idea what that might point toward?

Hannah Hill said:Thanks for all the advice... I think I'll start with an MRI... then hopefully they'll send me to a specialist if there's actually something going on... not to mention I'm already a complete nervous wreck over this whole thing...
oh and I totally forgot to mention that on my last lab report my alkaline phosphatase was low??? what does that even mean? what could be causing it?

here's a super helpful link for you 😉
http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/alkaline-phosphatase-test/about/pac-20385111

I'd definitely suggest getting your kidney function checked out too—just to be safe...🙂

Kate Collins67 said:Look, I’m definitely not an infectious disease specialist, and honestly, every hospital or clinic has its own specific way of asking for labs and interpreting them.
It’s really hard for me to say for sure whether you need more testing or not based just on what you wrote—I mean, from what I can gather, probably not. But it's a totally different story when you’re actually treating a patient and have their full medical file right in front of you... though, hey, at least you have the luxury of time to comb through everything, right?☕

Based on what you've described, it sounds like you had it once, but it's gone now—kind of like how you move past the flu.
Those antibodies are actually a good thing; they protect you. You don't want to get rid of them. They're there to fight off the virus, and they develop because the virus was present. With some infections, they stay in your blood for life as a sort of shield, while with others, they just hang around for a set amount of time.
Now, if by any chance you actually had an active or chronic infection, or were just a carrier for Hepatitis B, that could potentially cause issues toward the end of a pregnancy (I guess I'm not entirely certain about the specifics during pregnancy), specifically regarding transmission to the baby during childbirth. Generally speaking, though, a Hep B infection tends to be much more dangerous for kids in the long run than it is for adults.

Thanks!

I just got my blood work back, and a few of my numbers are sitting outside the standard reference ranges. I’m curious to hear your thoughts on this:

MCH 26.6 (>27.4)
MCHC 316 (>320)

Cholesterol 5.03 (
UIBC 61.70 ( TIBC 75.60 (
AST 38 (
Urinalysis: ascorbic acid positive

None of these values are extreme, but since several fall outside the normal range, can you actually "read between the lines" here? Could these specific markers point toward a particular underlying condition?

I’m 23 and stay pretty active with sports—could that be a factor? I only get blood work done once a year, and everything was perfectly fine during my last checkup a year ago.

Nathan White35 said:About 15 years ago, I dealt with some Hepatitis B stuff—well, honestly, nobody ever actually told me if I officially had it or if I just happened to be exposed to the virus.
I was stuck on a strict liver diet for six months, and my markers for anti-HBc and HBe came back positive once, while my triglycerides were through the roof (though my ALT and AST levels were totally fine).
So, did I actually have hepatitis or what?

Since then, I’ve been getting my liver labs checked regularly and they look okay, but... I still get this dull, nagging ache right where my liver is. Why would that be?
Just to be clear, I don't touch fatty foods, and I don't have any gallbladder issues or anything like that.
Also, could the kidney problems I've been dealing with over the last couple of years have been caused by hepatitis? (Hashimoto)

Is anyone gonna weigh in on this? 🙂

Nathan White35 said:can someone give me some feedback on this? 🙂

Just because you’ve picked up a virus doesn't mean you've actually developed the full-blown disease... so based on what you shared, you might be carrying the hepatitis virus, but looking at those liver enzyme levels, I really doubt you're dealing with active inflammation right now. 🙂

Also, Hashimoto thyroiditis is an autoimmune condition, which means it's totally unrelated to any viral infections... so that hypothyroidism you're dealing with isn't coming from your liver since we're talking about two completely different medical causes... 🙂

I'm asking because my liver was acting up back then—it was actually enlarged or whatever—so I ended up stuck on one of those strict liver diets

A friend of mine just got her lab results back, and her CA 19-9 tumor marker came in at 62.93.
I’m looking for some perspective here,
Thanks!

I’m hoping someone might be able to point me in the right direction here. I just received some orders for a three-day urine sediment test, but the instructions regarding how to collect the samples are a bit confusing to me. I guess I’m just wondering if I should be using the very first urine sample from the morning, or if I should wait until the second one? If anyone has gone through this before or has any experience with these kinds of tests, I would truly appreciate your help. Thanks so much!

For that first morning urine sample, you’re supposed to do the "midstream" thing, where you let a little bit out first to clear the way before you start collecting the actual sample...

thanks so much!!!🙂

What even is hematocrit? My lab results show it's up at 46.0, while the normal range is listed as 0.415-0.513. What does this actually mean???... thanks in advance...

silentlynx24 said:What even is hematocrit? My lab results show it's up at 46.0, but the reference range is listed as 0.415-0.513. What does that actually mean???... thanks in advance...

In the simplest terms, it's just the percentage of blood cells compared to the plasma and everything else in your blood. You said 46.0? That likely means 46%, which is perfectly normal. Double-check those numbers.

I’ve got a urine sample due tomorrow, but my period just started today... everywhere I look, they say it's not a good idea to test during your cycle, but nobody actually explains why. If it's just about blood contamination, can't I just use a tampon to prevent that? Or does the urine itself change during your period?

I wouldn't recommend it. You end up getting all those false positives for things like red blood cells or white blood cells in the urine.

Can someone explain what HDW means on a blood test? And what does it typically indicate when those levels are low?
Thanks in advance

Nathan White35 said:I'm just asking because my liver was enlarged back then and I had to stick to a specific diet

Man, I am totally lost on what you're getting at here...🤷

If you tested positive for hepatitis and your liver was swollen enough to require a special diet, why didn't your doctors just tell you straight up if it was hepatitis or not... or even ask them yourself... I mean, why wouldn't you ask why you needed that diet if not for the liver issue... either way, those specialists definitely know way more than we ever will since they actually went through all that med school training...🤷

The only thing I can really say for sure is that you were likely dealing with a hepatitis infection, since an enlarged liver could be a reaction to the virus itself or just show that the hepatitis is progressing... it's got nothing to do with Hashimoto... honestly, that's about as much as I can tell you...🤷

brightmaker10 said:I have to drop off a urine sample tomorrow, but my period just started today... everywhere I look online, it says you shouldn't provide a sample during your cycle... but nobody actually explains why... if it's just about blood contamination, couldn't I just use a tampon to prevent that, or is there some other way the urine itself changes during menstruation?

Look, it’s all about contamination—you've got blood mixed in along with vaginal flora—so basically, any test results you get from a sample taken during a period are unreliable and pretty much useless... if I suspect an infection, what I usually do is tell the patient that I'm going to treat them based on clinical judgment and prescribe the appropriate antibiotics for cystitis right away, then we just run the follow-up lab work once the period is over...

If you absolutely need those specific lab results for some reason, you can technically get a clean sample, but let me tell you, it is definitely not a pleasant experience...

Michelle Ramirez6 said:Can someone explain what HDW means on a blood test? And what does it usually point to if the levels are low?
Thanks in advance

Are you sure it’s HDW, rather than RDW or PDW?