magnesium rbc test

brandy · Post by **brandy** » Tue Sep 11, 2018 9:56 am

I've ordered my 6th month kidney testing through request a test so I'll post my results when I get them back.

I thought I would do the magnesium RBC testing at the same time. The test advises abstaining from all
supplements for a week before testing the RBC. I'm curious if that is what folks have done on this board?
I can easily obstain from all supplements with the exception of magnesium glycinate. That one is touchy
as it really helps me to sleep at night.

Curious what folks have done?

Brandy

Post by **tex** » Tue Sep 11, 2018 11:17 am

Hi Brandy,

A week without magnesium seems rather drastic to me. I wonder what their reasoning might be? Normally, I only avoid magnesium supplements on the morning of the blood draw and then I resume them afterward. But maybe I've been blindly going about it all wrong?

Tex

skp · Post by **skp** » Tue Sep 11, 2018 12:14 pm

I had read that one must avoid magnesium for two weeks prior to the RBC blood test. I didn't read that until after my last test when I abstained from magnesium for only one week.

Susan

Post by **tex** » Tue Sep 11, 2018 1:23 pm

I cant't help but wonder why this is the case. I always thought the body responded to magnesium rather quickly. I can usually skip taking magnesium one day without consequences. If I skip two days, I have leg cramps. When I had the severe magnesium deficiency, it took less than one day at the proper dose to resolve all my major symptoms (night sweats, tachycardia, heart palpitations, erratic blood pressure, etc.). In less than two days, all my symptoms were gone.

Tex

MamaFill · Post by **MamaFill** » Tue Sep 11, 2018 3:08 pm

I was just about to post a question about blood work when I saw this. I was only taking magnesium and VitD sporadically before my blood test and the results were normal for everything except the following: Potassium - low; WBC, hemoglobin and hematocrit were high.

I'm not sure if I should continue taking the supplements as I don't want to get excessive amounts. Also, I've been taking them regularly now and the doctor wants me to get another blood test this week. Aggghhhh!

Any advice?

MamaFill · Post by **MamaFill** » Tue Sep 11, 2018 3:08 pm

P.S. I wasn't told to stop any supplements prior to testing.

Post by **tex** » Tue Sep 11, 2018 5:43 pm

If you're eating dark green leafy vegetables and getting plenty of sun, and you don't have secretory diarrhea (watery diarrhea), you might not need any supplemental vitamin D or magnesium, but that would be unusual.

Tex

MamaFill · Post by **MamaFill** » Tue Sep 11, 2018 6:20 pm

Hi Tex, I am not eating any vegetables except the occasional cooked carrots and I avoid the Sun. I don't seem to be having many bms at all, but when I do it's usually the explosive diarrhea. I'm eating very little due to nausea which is why I asked for the test in the first place. When I do eat, I try to stick to the stage 1 diet.

Post by **tex** » Tue Sep 11, 2018 7:38 pm

If I were in your situation, I would take at least a minimum dose of each — say, 200 mg of magnesium glycinate and maybe something like 2,000 IU of vitamin D. But that certainly doesn't mean that it's urgent.

Tex

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Wed Sep 12, 2018 2:06 pm

For items such as zinc and B12 testing, minimum of 3 days abstanince is recommended, for most accurate results 5 day gap is suggested. (Where oral supplementation is being used)

My thoughts are, they don't really know.

brandy · Post by **brandy** » Wed Sep 12, 2018 8:35 pm

Thanks everyone for their feedback. I could not find anything definitive on the internet.
Quest Labs is the only place that says to avoid vitamins and minerals for a week before the RBC magnesium test.
Lab Corp does not reference avoiding anything.

Other than Quest Labs I could not find anything anywhere referencing this. I checked Carolyn Dean's writings and could not find
any info.

Gabes I think you are right.....they don't really know.

I think I'll do Tex's strategy and if I get weird results retest with more abstinence.

MamaFill · Post by **MamaFill** » Wed Sep 12, 2018 8:56 pm

That's where I got mine done but no one said to avoid supplements.

Cathy

brandy · Post by **brandy** » Wed Sep 26, 2018 4:54 pm

Magnesium RBC my score 5.1 range of 4.0-6.4 mg/dl

Got my score, see above. I was in a MC flare prior to testing and it was random but to get out of my MC flare I
ditched all supplements and mag glycinate oral (hard) 5 days prior to testing.

If I had not been in an MC flare I think I would have kept with my regular supplementation including magnesium
and not worried about things.

The good thing is I am out of MC flare.

dolson · Post by **dolson** » Fri Oct 19, 2018 3:11 pm

I too was not told to 'hold off" for magnesium testing. Then the lab forgot to check my magnesium level after the doctor ordered it for all blood work. That's life!