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

And why did you have them test your urine?

Look, the results aren't terrible, but it might not be a bad idea to get a urine culture done too, just so you can have some peace of mind.

One time, I got lab results back showing elevated white blood cells and some bacteria or whatever, but when I actually went in for a urine culture, everything came back sterile.

melloworca6 said:And what was the reason for the urine test?

Well, the results aren't terrible, but honestly, it might not be a bad idea to run a urine culture too—just for some peace of mind, I guess.

I had this one time where my labs showed elevated white blood cells and maybe some bacteria or whatever... but then when I actually did the culture, everything came back totally clean.

My OB-GYN told me to get bloodwork done and provide a urine sample...
Actually, never mind—I'll just swing by his office tomorrow and have him take a look at the results. 🤷

About two weeks ago, I dealt with a stomach virus... some pretty unpleasant digestive issues, and now 😬 I just found out that because of work, I have to go get a stool sample tested 😳.

What I’m wondering is, how can I improve my results? Honestly, I highly doubt they’re going to look good. What should I be eating or drinking? Any specific probiotics? Maybe LGG? 🤷

Was that day maybe during your ovulation, or were you on your period or expecting it soon?

Even though our two openings are physically separate, urine can still get contaminated no matter how careful we are. Personally, whenever I have to give a sample, I head down to the pharmacy to grab those sterile containers. In the morning, I make sure to shower thoroughly first and then catch that mid-stream flow. Ever since I started doing it that way, I've never had an issue where my urinalysis comes back bad but the culture is fine.

That was maybe, I don't know, like 5 or 6 days after the volume...

I've been dealing with microhematuria for a while now. Sometimes my white blood cell count is up, too, and one of my recent tests actually showed a significant amount of protein in my urine...

I went in for a kidney ultrasound
The results show partial ectasia of the upper pole collecting system on my left kidney...

According to what I found online, that’s basically like a dilation of the renal pelvis...

My urologist wants a full battery of tests: a urine cytology, a culture, an IV urogram, plus blood work for BUN and creatinine and a urine sedimentation test...

The cytology came back showing a few transitional and glandular epithelial cells, along with some mostly old red blood cells.

The culture was clear.

They mentioned it could be an aberrant blood vessel, or perhaps a kidney stone caused some damage...

I'm mainly trying to make sense of this cytology report if anyone here knows what it implies. :-)

I'm living with constant dull, heavy pains in my lower abdomen and back; sometimes they subside, but I also deal with difficulty urinating and dark-colored urine.

I've been dealing with microscopic hematuria for a while now. Sometimes my white blood cell count is up, and one recent test actually showed quite a bit of protein in my urine...

I went in for a kidney ultrasound
The results show partial ectasia of the upper pole collecting system in my left kidney...

From what I’ve read online, that basically means there's some dilation in the renal pelvis...

My urologist is ordering a bunch of follow-ups: a urine cytology, a culture, an IV urogram, plus blood work for BUN and creatinine and a urine sedimentation...

The cytology came back showing a few transitional and glandular epithelial cells, along with some mostly old red blood cells.

The culture was clear.

They mentioned it could be an aberrant blood vessel or perhaps damage from a kidney stone...

I'm mainly trying to wrap my head around this cytology result if anyone here knows what it implies. :-)

I deal with constant dull, heavy pains in my lower abdomen and back. It fluctuates, and I also have difficulty urinating and notice dark urine at times.

I went in for some routine blood work today. I haven't actually sat down with a doctor in maybe 7 or 8 years, so I figured it was time for a full panel.
Looking at the results, most things seem fine, except for:
Sedimentation rate: 17 (normal 0-13)
Enzymes
S-ALT 56 (12-48)
S-GGt 60 (11-55)
Lipids:
Cholesterol: 8.3 ( LDL Cholesterol: 6 ( S-Triglycerides: 2.45
Since my follow-up appointment isn't for another week—I want to get a few more tests done first—can someone who knows their stuff tell me if I should be worried?
A little background:
Male, 43 years old
175cm, 95kg
Physical activity: basically zero
Diet: pretty erratic. I rarely eat breakfast, often skip lunch, and just have dinner.
I did a bit of digging online, and based on these numbers, I should probably be a heavy drinker, but I don't touch alcohol at all. The only thing I consume in large amounts is Gatorade (maybe 4 or 5 lbs a month) and fruit juices. I rarely touch soda. Does it matter that I absolutely crushed 15 eggs between Wednesday and Thursday (I had the blood drawn on Friday)?

Well, they certainly fixed those up... everything truly begins with the egg.

Megan Bennett2 said:Well, eggs certainly fixed things up... everything starts with an egg, I guess.

Are you actually serious?
Based on what people say online, it looks like I'm living in some kind of delirium tremens....

Brian Gomez28 said:I haven't seen a doctor in maybe 7 or 8 years, so I decided it was time to go get some full blood work done.
... should I be worried?

My stats:
Male, 43 years old
175cm, 95kg
Physical activity: Pretty much zero
Diet: All over the place. I almost never eat breakfast, often skip lunch, and just grab dinner.

Man, this should definitely have you sweating. You're basically asking for trouble here. You've got every single red flag in the book for developing atherosclerosis, which is probably already well underway. The thing is, you won't feel a thing or notice anything until "something" suddenly hits you.

If you happen to smoke too...

Don't sweat the eggs. Recent studies show they're actually a necessary part of a solid diet.

I don't smoke.

Brian Gomez28 said:I went in for some routine blood work today. It’s been about 7 or 8 years since I last saw a doctor, so I figured it was time for a full panel.
Looking at the results, most things seem fine except for these:
Sedimentation rate: 17 (normal 0-13)
Enzymes
S-ALT 56 (12-48)
S-GGt 60 (11-55)
Lipids:
Cholesterol: 8.3 ( LDL Cholesterol: 6 ( S-Triglycerides: 2.45
Since my follow-up appointment isn't for another week while I finish up some other tests, can someone with expertise tell me if I should be worried?
My stats:
Male, 43 years old
175cm, 95kg
Physical activity: almost none
Diet: Irregular; I rarely eat breakfast, often skip lunch, and just have dinner.
I did a little digging online, and based on these numbers, I should basically be a heavy drinker, but I don't drink at all. The only thing I consume in large amounts is Gatorade (about 4 lbs a month) and fruit juices. I rarely touch soda. Could the fact that I crushed 15 eggs on Wednesday and Thursday have any impact on these results (since I had the blood drawn on Friday)?

If you haven't already, go get a liver ultrasound. With lipid levels like yours, I suspect you might have fatty liver disease, which would align perfectly with those elevated liver enzymes.
Good luck

Brian Gomez28 said:So, I went in for some routine blood work just to check things out. It’s been about 7 or 8 years since I last saw a doctor, so I figured it was time for a full panel.
Looking at the results, everything is mostly fine except for this:
Sedimentation rate: 17 (normal 0-13)
Enzymes
S-ALT 56 (12-48)
S-GGt 60 (11-55)
Lipids:
Cholesterol: 8.3 ( LDL Cholesterol: 6 ( S- Triglycerides: 2.45
I don't have an appointment with my doctor for another week while I get a few more tests done, so can some expert tell me if I should be freaking out?
A little background:
Male, 43 years old
175cm, 95kg
Physical activity: basically zero
Diet: All over the place. I rarely eat breakfast, often skip lunch, and basically just eat dinner.
I did a little digging online, and based on these numbers, I should probably be a heavy drinker, but I don't drink at all. The only thing I consume in any real quantity is Gatorade (about 2 kg a month) and fruit juice. I rarely touch soda. Does the fact that I absolutely demolished 15 eggs on Wednesday and Thursday (I gave blood on Friday) have anything to do with these results?

Look, here's the deal: You definitely have excess body weight—your BMI is north of the normal range. You’re eating "unhealthy," and you aren't active. Honestly, these results are exactly what you'd expect given your lifestyle. Let's break it down. Your liver enzymes are slightly elevated, but we're talking minorly here; they likely don't point to anything serious (keep in mind lab equipment isn't perfect; you might show normal numbers tomorrow). With actual serious liver issues, those enzymes would be 5 to 10 times higher or even more. That slightly high sedimentation rate isn't a huge deal either, because sedimentation lags behind inflammation. You could have had a sore throat a few days ago, felt better, but the SED is still catching up. What actually matters is the high LDL, total cholesterol, and triglycerides. You need to fix your diet and start moving. Being overweight + high cholesterol + [you didn't mention blood pressure, but let's assume] + being male + age = a recipe for atherosclerosis and its complications, like a myocardial infarction or stroke. You probably have fatty liver, which isn't surprising in these cases and goes hand-in-hand with those slightly elevated liver enzymes. As for the eggs—true, eggs contain cholesterol, and it's possible they played a role in your numbers (though nobody can say for sure). It would be a good idea to get an abdominal ultrasound and repeat the labs after a while. Like I said, you treat the patient, not the numbers; these are just digits on a page that don't mean much without a physical exam and a real conversation.
All the best.

I've got a bit of a question here

No matter what I do, I just can't seem to get my HDL up—my bad cholesterol is always fine, triglycerides are totally normal, but this good stuff... man, it’s been consistently low for probably ten years now. I’m hitting the gym, I don't eat meat, I'm all about that olive oil, I stay away from sugar, I don't smoke... honestly, I feel like I've done everything by the book. Does anyone have any actual advice?

Sophia Adams63 said:I've got a question here.

No matter what I do, I just can't get my good cholesterol up. My bad cholesterol is always fine, triglycerides are solid, but for probably 10 years now, that good one has stayed constantly low. I work out, I don't eat meat, I use olive oil, I stay away from sugar, and I don't smoke. Honestly, I haven't missed a beat. Anyone got any advice?

Hey there. You didn't mention how old you are or exactly how long you've been avoiding meat—what does your actual diet look like? How low is your HDL compared to what they recommend? Also, have you dealt with any health issues lately, or is there anyone in your family with the same "issue"?

Hey everyone,

I'd love to get some expert takes on these ECG results:

sinus rhythm
left atrial abnormality
abnormal left axis deviation
S1, S2, S3 pattern
left anterior fascicular block
incomplete right bundle branch block
rvh with repolarization abnormality

I'm 32kg, recently did a stress test and everything was fine. I'm in great shape and don't have any other health issues.
Wishing you all good health, I still need to go in for an echocardiogram.

Thank you

So, I'm 25. I haven't touched meat in about a year—honestly, I haven't even had a burger or anything like that in forever. I try to eat super healthy most of the time. Sure, I’ll indulge in something sugary once in a while, like today, but usually? Not really. I might have chicken maybe once a month, and I grab some fish roughly every two weeks or so.

The thing is, I've been dealing with high blood pressure lately, which is kind of a new development. My HDL cholesterol is sitting at 1.04, though the recommended levels are supposed to be above 1.2.

As for my other numbers, LDL is 1.8 and triglycerides are at 0.57.

My mom doesn't have this issue, and I don't think my dad ever did either.

Sophia Adams63 said:I'm 25, haven't touched meat in a year, honestly haven't even had a burger or anything. I eat super healthy. Occasionally I'll have something sweet, like today, but mostly no. Meat maybe once a month, and that's just chicken. Otherwise, I grab some fish about once every two weeks.

I've been dealing with high blood pressure lately, though it's a recent thing. My HDL is 1.04, and they say it should be above 1.2.

LDL cholesterol is 1.8, triglycerides are 0.57.

My mom doesn't have this issue, and I don't think my dad did either.

Just having low HDL on its own is linked to a higher risk of common medical conditions, and there could be a ton of reasons behind it—everything from genetics to poor nutrition or being undernourished. It’s hard to call without more info; sometimes the cause is a total mystery 🙂...If you want to try bumping up that HDL, here's the deal: get some regular aerobic exercise in (like running), drop some weight if you're carrying extra, and cut back on the sweets. Also, I don't see any reason to dodge olive oil; honestly, it might actually help raise your HDL. You might want to eat meat and fish a bit more often too. Basically, it all boils down to cutting out trans fats through your diet and upping those unsaturated fatty acids you find in fish, olive oil, and general vegetable oils. Try adjusting your diet based on some "HDL boosting" plans; you don't need to avoid meat so strictly, especially fish and olive oil. As for the blood pressure, if it's actually high (you didn't say how high), go talk to a doctor. Depending on the numbers, you'll probably need to manage that too because of the risk of common medical conditions. Here's a link on fatty acids and HDL if you want to dig into it.

http://heartdisease.about.com/cs/cho...a/Transfat.htm

I was actually thinking about saying that I use olive oil for everything, but honestly, I don't even trust that it isn't hydrogenated too
My blood pressure is totally fine now—like, 100/60, basically a baby's

Thank you, though who knows? Maybe I’m just undernourished, considering how dramatically I dove headfirst into this whole healthy lifestyle thing