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

Hey there.

I'm 29 and I've been on birth control for two years. I recently had some blood work done and my triglycerides came back at 2.3, while the limit is supposed to be 1.7.
Is this something I should be worried about?

Hey everyone,
Here are my blood work results:
- Leukocytes 5.6 (norm 3.4-9.7)
- Neutrophil granulocytes 35 (norm 44-72)
- Lymphocytes 52.8 (norm 20-46)

- Total Bilirubin 29.2 (norm 3-20)

Urinalysis microscopic exam:
- Leukocytes 8-12 (norm 0-2)
- Erythrocytes 3-4 (norm 0-2)
- Bacteria - a little bit (0/neg)

- CRP 0.8 (
About three weeks ago, I took three tablets of Azimed. After a 10-day break, my doctor put me on Klavax BID because he prescribed the Azimed to treat some sinus inflammation that hit me with a 100.4°F fever. When that didn't do the trick to bring the fever down, he switched me to the Klavax after about 10 days. The fever dropped slightly then, but even now, it won't stay below 98.6°F—I'm stuck with this low-grade fever constantly.

Just to add, along with this lingering low temperature, I’ve got a non-stop headache.
I still need to get my sinuses and lungs checked out via X-ray by a pulmonologist.

So, here's what I'm wondering: based on these labs (and if my Google search isn't totally leading me astray), it looks like a viral infection since my neutrophil granulocytes and CRP are low while my lymphocytes are high. Does anyone know if it's possible for those erythrocytes and leukocytes in my urine to be caused by taking antibiotics rather than something like cystitis or pyelonephritis? And what's the deal with that Bilirubin level?

I've been reading up on Epstein-Barr virus and Cytomegalovirus, which Google keeps flagging as the culprits behind mono. But I should mention, I haven't had a sore throat at all—not even the intense kind people usually associate with mononucleosis. Is it actually possible to have mono without a massive sore throat?

I would really appreciate any info or if anyone has dealt with something similar. 🤷

Dealing with a stuffed-up nose all the time? Look, stuffy noses and sinus issues like rhinitis or rhinosinusitis usually kick off as simple viral infections that just happen to get hijacked by bacteria. It’s a classic move. You might have dealt with an acute bout of rhinosinusitis that you never actually cleared out completely, or you could be staring down chronic rhinosinusitis right now. Constant headaches and that nagging low-grade fever? Yeah, those are textbook symptoms of the chronic version. Honestly, you really need to get a sinus X-ray done to see what's actually going on in there.

Look, let’s get one thing straight: EBV and CMV aren't what cause sinus inflammation. Period. They cause infectious mononucleosis syndrome and a handful of other clinical pictures, but that's it. You can catch an EBV infection and honestly never even realize it happened—you could have cruised through it during childhood as a subclinical case without a single symptom to show for it. The older you are when it hits—I'm talking adolescence—the harder the EBV infection hits. That's when you start seeing the full-blown, classic symptoms of infectious mononucleosis. And just a heads-up: antibiotics won't do squat for it. So, if you're looking at EBV or CMV as the culprit for sinus issues, just forget about it. It's not happening.

Look, here’s the deal with blood work: Generally speaking, viral infections bump up the lymphocyte count in your white blood cells while dropping the neutrophil percentage—but that’s not a universal rule, and it doesn't happen every single time. You can't just look at one snapshot and call it a day. Blood counts have their own rhythm during an illness and throughout treatment. You really need to compare the results from before you started antibiotics against the results after the infection has actually settled down. Also, don't forget that chronic inflammation can sometimes mimic a "viral" pattern on a blood test, even when it isn't. It’s all about the trend, not just one number.

Urine: I mean, having like two extra Erythrocytes isn't exactly worth losing sleep over. You definitely don't have pyelonephritis.🙄Leukocytes? Yeah, they can show up in your urine if you're dealing with cystitis. Honestly, maybe go ahead and get a urine culture done if your doctor thinks it's necessary, but if you aren't actually feeling any symptoms of a bladder infection, I don't think it's really worth the hassle.

Bilirubin? Honestly, who knows. Might be the meds, might be something else entirely. There are a million different reasons why that number jumps around, so there’s really no point in making any big claims based on just that one piece of info. Too many variables.
CRP looks fine. It basically just says the acute inflammation has settled down, but don't go thinking that means you're in the clear regarding chronic or subacute sinus inflammation. That’s still something you need to rule out. If your doctor thinks it's worth looking into, they can send you over to an ENT for some follow-up testing.

Hey there!
Does anyone have a clue why my Leukocytes might be slightly elevated (I'm at 11, when the normal range goes up to 9.7)? Everything else on my blood work looks totally fine, and honestly, I feel perfectly healthy—I haven't even had a sniffle lately.

And more importantly, how do I get them back down?

This is a huge deal for me because the job I’m applying for requires me to be in perfect health. My doctor is clearly making a big deal out of this tiny jump, otherwise she wouldn't have sent me back in for more blood work.

Jessica Rivera said:Hey there!
Does anyone know why my Leukocytes might be slightly elevated (11, when the normal range goes up to 9.7) on my blood work? Everything else in the CBC looks totally fine, and honestly, I feel perfectly healthy—haven't even had a sniffle lately.

And how do I get them back down?

It’s kind of a big deal because the job I’m applying for requires me to be in perfect health, and my doctor is making a huge production out of this tiny jump, sending me back for more blood tests.

Look, there are a million reasons why Leukocytes go up—we're talking hundreds of possibilities, from inflammation and tumors to meds, trauma, pregnancy, acute stress, or just "for no reason at all." Having an 11 when the limit is 9.7 doesn't automatically mean you're sick, especially if everything else in your labs and physical exam looks solid. There's actually a decent chunk of people who sit just outside those reference ranges but it's basically their personal normal. Those "standard" ranges are really just arbitrary numbers agreed upon to cover the widest majority of people. They change from country to country and even from one lab to another...
You can't just "lower" your white cell count through sheer willpower. The only way to drop them is to treat whatever is causing the spike (like taking antibiotics if you had pneumonia, for example). If you feel fine and everything else is normal, there’s nothing to "fix"—you just wait a bit and retest. Lab machines aren't perfect either, and your deviation is honestly tiny. In my opinion, these numbers shouldn't have anything to do with your employment status. Cheers.

Gastroenterologist – requested tests

1. Stool – bacterial and parasite screening
2. Fecal occult blood test
3. Blood – tissue transglutaminase antibodies and H. pylori serology
4. Hepatitis C blood test
5. Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus blood tests

The patient is my 17-year-old son. We live in New York City and I’m a pharmacist. A gastroenterologist ordered these specific tests, so my family doctor wrote out five referrals—referrals 1 through 3 are for the medical and microbiology labs at the big city hospital, while 4 and 5 are for the infectious disease clinic.

I headed to the main hospital first just to figure out where we actually needed to go. I ran into a former classmate there who’s a medical biochemist, and she suggested I try the infectious disease clinic first, or if they couldn't do everything, head over to the CDC. At the infectious disease clinic, they basically tried to brush us off and told us to go to the CDC first for whatever they could do, then come back to them for the rest. I had to be pretty firm and insist they do what they could right then before we moved on. Finally, they agreed and took my son's blood for tests 4 and 5. They left a bruise on him that honestly didn't even start fading until ten days after the draw. One set of results should be ready in seven days, and the other in fourteen.
Next, we went to the CDC, where they gave us the container for the stool sample. It hit me then that I’d need another container for the occult blood test, so I ran to a pharmacy and picked up two more. I dropped the stool samples off at the local clinic’s microbiology lab (for bacteria/parasites) and the medical lab (for the blood test). The microbiology results from the CDC took seven days, but the blood in the stool test was done in just 24 hours at the local clinic.
To top it all off, they directed us to a hospital for test number 3. So, I dragged my son back to the big city hospital, only for them to try and send us away again! They claimed they hadn't performed that specific test (tissue transglutaminase antibodies) in ten days and weren't even sure what to do with the second part of the referral (H. pylori serology). They suggested we go to the Mayo Clinic instead. Again, I had to push back, and eventually, they said they *could* do the antibody test for kids and would draw his blood for the H. pylori serology right then—but told me I’d have to take it over to the microbiology lab in the purple building. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, I hit the final hurdle: a nurse at the intake desk who acted like the last line of defense for the entire hospital. She barely even accepted the sample, telling me the results wouldn't be ready for a whole month!

So, I guess I’m wondering: is it normal to have to bounce between this many hospitals and labs in New York City just to get these tests done? They don't seem like anything super rare to me.

If there are any experts here who deal with this, please tell me—how could we have handled this more simply?

P.S. I’m not even going to get into how rude the staff was at every single one of these places.

silentdriver75 said:Gastroenterologist – requested tests

1. Stool – bacterial and parasite testing
2. Stool for occult blood
3. Blood – tissue transglutaminase antibodies and H. pylori serology
4. Blood for Hepatitis C
5. Blood for Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus

The patient is my son, 17 years old. We live in New York City and I’m a pharmacist. A gastroenterologist ordered these tests, so my family doctor wrote five referrals—referrals 1 through 3 are for the medical and microbiology labs at the big city hospital, and referrals 4 and 5 are for the Infectious Disease clinic.

I started by heading to the main hospital just to figure out where we actually needed to go. While there, I ran into a former classmate who’s a medical biochemist, and she advised me to head to the Infectious Disease clinic first, and then go to the CDC for anything they couldn't handle. At the Infectious Disease clinic, they basically tried to brush me off and told me to go to the CDC first for whatever they could do, and *then* come back to them. I had to be really firm and insist they do what they could right then and there before I moved on. Finally, they gave in and took my son's blood for tests 4 and 5. They left him with a bruise that didn't even fade after ten days! Results should be ready in about 7 to 14 days.
Then we went to the CDC, where they gave us the container for the stool sample. It was then I realized I needed another container for the occult blood test, so I grabbed two more from a local pharmacy. I took the samples to the local clinic's microbiology lab (for bacteria and parasites) and the medical lab (for the blood in the stool). The microbiology results from the CDC were ready in 7 days, while the stool blood test was done in 24 hours at the local clinic.
And to top it all off, for test number 3, they sent us back to the hospital. So, here I am again with my son at the big city hospital, only this time they try to tell me they haven't performed that specific test (tissue transglutaminase antibodies) in the last 10 days, and they weren't even sure what to do with the second part of the referral (H. pylori serology). They suggested I go to the Mayo Clinic instead. Again, I had to fight just to get an answer—they finally said they *do* perform the antibody test for kids and would draw his blood for the H. pylori serology immediately, but told me to take it over to the microbiology lab in the purple building. Just when I thought I had everything sorted, I hit the reception nurse in the microbiology lab—the absolute final line of defense in the hospital—who barely even accepted the sample, and now we're told the results won't be ready for a month!

So, I'm wondering: is it normal to have to bounce between this many hospitals and labs in New York City just to get these tests done? To me, they don't seem like particularly rare requests.

I’m asking any professionals who deal with this to please enlighten me on how we could have handled this more simply.

P.S. I’m not even going to get into the rudeness of the staff at all these different places.

Aha, well, I think you probably could have done most of that at the infectious disease clinic, the main hospital, or somewhere else, but I suspect there's something else going on here.

Anyone else dealing with this... the upper limit is supposed to be 3.5, but mine is sitting at 4.5?
What could be the issue here...

Nicole Jackson33 said:Does anyone have experience with this... the upper limit is 3.5, but mine is at 4.5?
What could the issue be...

Dear Douglas Mendoza8,

An elevated fibrinogen level doesn't tell us much on its own. It can indicate inflammation, but that isn't a certainty. What matters is whether you're experiencing any symptoms that prompted the test, and what your other results look like—things like your CBC, CRP, or a coagulation profile if one was performed.

It’s worth noting that the value you mentioned is only slightly elevated, so there is no immediate reason to panic.

To figure out why this happened, you should have the fibrinogen retested and potentially check other parameters as recommended by your doctor.

Fibrinogen levels can fluctuate; it might just be a temporary spike. You need to monitor the trend—whether it’s rising or falling. Elevated levels are common in smokers, people carrying extra weight, during pregnancy, or when taking oral contraceptives. It can also show up in certain medical conditions, though sometimes perfectly healthy people see a bump too.

It could also stem from a minor inflammation, an infection, or even a lingering low-grade infectious source.

Unfortunately, without a physical exam, it's impossible to pinpoint the cause.

Best regards. 🙂

Maria Fisher46 said:Hey Douglas Mendoza8,

Just looking at an elevated fibrinogen level on its own doesn't tell us much—really. It could be a sign of some inflammation somewhere, but it might also be nothing at all. What actually matters is whether you're feeling any symptoms that prompted the test in the first place, and what the rest of your labs look like (things like your CBC, CRP, or a coagulation panel if you had one done).

It’s worth noting that the value you mentioned is only slightly elevated, so there’s absolutely no reason to panic just yet.

To figure out what's actually going on, you should probably have your doctor re-run the fibrinogen test and maybe a few other parameters based on their specific recommendation.

Sometimes fibrinogen levels just spike temporarily, so it’s more about watching the trend—whether it's staying steady, climbing, or dropping back down. High levels can pop up in smokers, people carrying extra weight, during pregnancy, from taking oral contraceptives, or even due to certain underlying conditions—though sometimes, perfectly healthy people just have a high reading.

It could potentially be related to some kind of inflammation, an infection, or even a lingering low-grade infection site.

Unfortunately, without a full physical exam and a look at the whole picture, it’s impossible to say for sure.

Best, 🙂

I sent you a private message... thanks

Maria Fisher46 said:Hi Douglas Mendoza8,

Just looking at a high fibrinogen level by itself doesn't tell us much—really. It could point toward some kind of inflammation, sure, but it isn't a guarantee. What actually matters is whether you're feeling any symptoms that prompted this, along with how your other results look—things like your KKS, CRP, or a coagulation profile if you had one done.

It’s worth noting that the value you mentioned is only slightly elevated, so there’s absolutely no reason to panic just yet.

To figure out what’s actually going on, you should probably have that fibrinogen test repeated, and maybe check a few other parameters too, depending on what your doctor recommends.

Fibrinogen levels can spike temporarily, so it’s more about watching the trend—seeing if it's climbing or dropping. High levels show up in all sorts of situations: smokers, people carrying extra weight, during pregnancy, or even from taking oral contraceptives. Sometimes it's tied to specific illnesses, but honestly, it can happen to perfectly healthy people, too.

It could be a sign of some inflammation or an infection, or perhaps a lingering "smoldering" infection somewhere.

Unfortunately, without a full exam, it’s impossible to say for certain what we're dealing with.

Best regards. 🙂

I sent you another private message...

Hello, I went to get stitches this past Sunday after cutting myself, and the surgeon at the hospital put me on this treatment plan:

toilette 😕, revision, sutures 😕, check AT prophylaxis 😕, dress SDD 😕

Hey there everyone....
I was wondering if any of you pros could take a look at my lab results, I would be so incredibly grateful for your insight...
So, after five months of nothing, I finally got my period back, but it was just a few brown spots that lasted maybe two days, and it wasn't even triggered by anything specific. I haven't been taking any medications for several years now...
I rushed straight to get blood work done on the fourth day of this "period," and here is what came back:
FSH: 4.5 LH: 4.1 ESTRADIOL: 0.045 PROLACTIN: 275 TESTOSTERON: 5.2 DHEA-SO4: 10.1
FT3: 3.1 FT4: 9.6
Please, please let me know what you think as soon as you can because I’m starting to totally panic that something might be wrong...
Justin Carter50 is online now Report Post Edit/Delete Message

goldenmoose25 said:Hi there!

I'm 29 years old and I've been on birth control for about two years now. I recently had some blood work done, and my triglycerides came back at 2.3—which is a bit higher than the typical target of 1.7.
Should I be worried?

It’s definitely not something to panic over, and it isn't dangerous, but I would certainly suggest keeping an eye on those triglyceride levels with your doctor. Take care!

Elizabeth Gomez3 said:Hi. I went to get some stitches this past Sunday after cutting myself. The surgeon at the hospital put me on this treatment plan:

toilette 😕, revision, sutures 😕, check tetanus prophylaxis 😕, dress wound SDD 😕

The wound was cleaned out, dead tissue removed, and closed with stitches.

I was given a referral for my family doctor to check my tetanus vaccination status (standard protocol: if you’ve had three or more doses of the vaccine, minor low-risk wounds don't require a booster unless it's been over 10 years since your last shot).

They recommended dressing the wound SDD (every other day?????, not entirely sure what that acronym stands for here).

Best. 🙂

Could someone please help me make sense of these coagulation test results:
1. Prothrombin Time (PT) 11 (reference interval 10-15 s)
1.13 (reference interval 0.70-1.30 ratio)
0.94 (reference interval 0.90-1.20 INR)

2. Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (APTT) 23 * (reference interval 25 - 33 s)
3. Fibrinogen 4.0 (ref.interval 2.1 - 4.0 g/l)
4. Thrombin Time 16 * (reference interval 17 - 21 s)

NOTE: PT INR is used to monitor oral anticoagulant therapy.
The recommended therapeutic range is 2.00 - 3.50.

I was sent in for these tests because a capillary burst in my eye completely out of nowhere—no heavy lifting, no straining, no sneezing or coughing, nothing. There was zero pain, but blood just spread across the entire white of my eye. High blood pressure has been ruled out, and I’ve been on oral contraceptives for years along with hormone therapy for hypothyroidism.
Do these two values that fall below the "normal" range suggest any specific issues or potential problems?
Thanks.

Hi there!
I went to get my coagulation profile checked because I was thinking about starting birth control pills, but it turns out my PV is 0.65 L (normal is >0.7)
and my PV-INR is 1.33 L (the therapeutic range says 2.0-3.5)
Can anyone help me make sense of this? 😕

Maria Fisher46 said:The wound was treated by being irrigated, damaged tissue was removed, and then the wound was closed with sutures.

The chosen family doctor was given instructions to verify the patient's tetanus vaccination status (if the individual has received three or more doses of the vaccine, for minor wounds—specifically low-risk ones where tetanus infection isn't suspected—vaccination isn't necessary if it's been less than 10 years since the last dose).

Changing the dressing is recommended every other day (SDD—every second day?????, I am not entirely sure what that abbreviation stands for).

Regards. 🙂

Thanks 😁 I saw the doctor today and received a tetanus shot 😁 and the dressing changes are every other day 👍
It is so frustrating how they drive you crazy with all these abbreviations 🙄😁

I would be so grateful if someone could help me make sense of these hormone levels. I’m doing a follow-up for long-term PCOS. After being on Diane for quite a while, I switched over to Yaz about two months ago. During my last ultrasound, both ovaries still looked polycystic. These results are fresh, taken on day five and a half of my cycle.

(I also manage Hashimoto's hypothyroidism. My prescribed dose of Synthroid is 88 mcg, though I've been taking 75 mcg. I'm 22.)

Cortisol 623 nmol/L
TSH 0.99 mIU/L
LH 3.78 IU/L
FSH 3.3 IU/L
Testosterone 1.1 nmol/l
Estradiol L
Prolactin 236 mIU/L
DHEA-S 3.9 micromol/L
Androstenedione 6.6 nmol/l
SHBG >240 nmol/L

Could you please let me know if I'm reading this right? It feels like my FSH/LH ratio shows real progress compared to previous years. Back when I was on Diane, my LH used to be three or four times higher than my FSH.🙂
Also, considering I'm currently on Yaz and 75 mcg of Synthroid, could any potential abnormalities in the rest of the panel (like this SHBG level, for instance) be interpreted in that context?

Thanks so much!

So, I recently went in for some blood work and a urine test because I noticed a red spot in my genital area. When I saw the venereologist, she prescribed two boxes of Azithromycin and a topical cream. After finishing the treatment, everything cleared up completely. She told me to come back in a few weeks once the antibiotic wears off to check my blood levels—basically to see if there’s any lingering bacteria or if I’m officially in the clear.

I called today to follow up on the results, and they said everything looks normal, except for a low sedimentation rate.

What does that actually mean? I know a high rate usually indicates inflammation somewhere in the body...