I went back to the doctor yesterday for my vitamin shot, so while I was there I got copies of my blood work that I have had done over the past few months. I am not good with understand what all this means, so any help will be appreciated. I have listed 3 different dates that they did blood work, maybe I didn't make it to confusing.
2/09/10
Cortisol AM - 17.1 ug/dL
THS, Thy Cascade - 2.39 uIU/ml
4/27/10
THS - 1.47 uIU/ml
T4 - 5.9 L ug/dL
7/23/10
THS 1.15 uIU/ml
T4 - 4.3 L ug/dL
Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy - 58.5 ng/mL
Here is a list of other things that had H and L, but my doctors always says every thing looks normal, but I can't help but to worry about some of it. If you can help me understand some of these that would be great. Does the changes have something to do with the CC?
2/09/10
RBC - 3.61 L
WBC - 4.8
Alkaline Phos - 160 H
Protein Total - 5.7 L
BUN - 5 L
Globulin - 2.2 L
CRP High Sensitivity - 1.581 H
ANALYTE - Protein total - 5.9 L
RBC - 3.61 L
MCV - 100.5 H
MCH - 34.8 H
Eosinophils - 2.4 L
Eos - 1.8 L
Lipase - 19 L
Neutrophils - 61.7
Lymphosytes - 29.1
Monocytes - 6.4
Neutrophils (absolute) - 2.9
Lymphosytes (absolute) - 1.4
Monocytes (absolute) - .3
4/27/10
RBC - 4.25
WBC - 9.3
MCV - 102.5 H
MCH - 35.5 H
Neutrophils - 84.2 H
Lymphosytes - 9.6 L
Monocytes - 4.2 L
Eos - 1.8 L
Neutrophils (absolute) - 7.8 H
Lymphosytes (absolute) - .9 L
Monocytes (absolute) - .4
What causes the MCV and MCH to keep getting higher and the Neutrophils, Lymphosytes, Monocytes, Neutrophils (absolute), Lymphosytes (absolute), Monocytes (absolute) to keep changing?
Lab results
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Lab results
Donna
No matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
No matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
Donna,
The "ml", "mL", and "dL" in the first three test results do not indicate low readings. They stand for milliliter, milliliter, and deciliter.
When did your MC symptoms begin, and when was your diagnosis made?
What medications, (if any), were you taking when you had those tests done?
I gather that your test levels for SGOT/AST and SGPT/ALT were normal.
Were you having any allergy symptoms, (hay fever, for example), when those tests were done?
Tex
The "ml", "mL", and "dL" in the first three test results do not indicate low readings. They stand for milliliter, milliliter, and deciliter.
When did your MC symptoms begin, and when was your diagnosis made?
What medications, (if any), were you taking when you had those tests done?
I gather that your test levels for SGOT/AST and SGPT/ALT were normal.
Were you having any allergy symptoms, (hay fever, for example), when those tests were done?
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
I was first dignosed with LC and a overgrowth bacteria in the small intestine on 3/11/08. Was treated with Entocort 3 Mg 3/day, Stony Field yogart, pepto, probiotic and Xifaxan. I got better and stayed well untill November of 2009. My MC symptoms returned November of 2009. Then was dignosed with CC the end of Feburary 2010.
2/09/10 I was taking:
Phenytoin SOD ER - 300 mg on odd days and 400 mg on even days
Entocort 3 mg 3/day
Asacol 400mg 2/day
Casodex 60 mg per day
4/27/10 I was taking:
Phenytoin SOD ER - 300 mg on odd days and 400 MG on even days
Imuran (Azathioprine) 50 mg 2/day
Symax SR - .375 mg
Vitamin C
Vitamin D-3
Multi Vitamin
7/23/10 I was taking:
Phenytoin SOD ER - 300 MG on odd days and 400 MG on even days
Symax SR - .375 mg
Estradiol - 2 mg
Vitamin C
Vitamin D-3
Multi Vitamin
My doctor started me on Levothyroxine 75 mg per day on 7/26/10 for hypothyroid.
2/09/10 I was taking:
Phenytoin SOD ER - 300 mg on odd days and 400 mg on even days
Entocort 3 mg 3/day
Asacol 400mg 2/day
Casodex 60 mg per day
4/27/10 I was taking:
Phenytoin SOD ER - 300 mg on odd days and 400 MG on even days
Imuran (Azathioprine) 50 mg 2/day
Symax SR - .375 mg
Vitamin C
Vitamin D-3
Multi Vitamin
7/23/10 I was taking:
Phenytoin SOD ER - 300 MG on odd days and 400 MG on even days
Symax SR - .375 mg
Estradiol - 2 mg
Vitamin C
Vitamin D-3
Multi Vitamin
My doctor started me on Levothyroxine 75 mg per day on 7/26/10 for hypothyroid.
Donna
No matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
No matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
Tex, you know way more about this than I do. I do understand that "ml", "mL", and "dL" stands for the unit. I was going by the report where it has a > by the ones that had either L or H between the number and the "ml", "mL", and "dL", I guess I miss understood what L and H stands for, I was thinking low and high.
The only test that listed the SGOT/AST and SGPT/ALT was the one on 2/09/10 and they were in normal range:
ALT (SGPT) - 21
AST (SGOT) - 16
As for the allergy symptoms, no sir I don't have any problems in that area. I do smoke but I don't have any allergy problems.
I do have clonic tonic seizures, and have been taking Phenytoin for 27 years, so they test my liver functions about every 6 months due to the medication doing liver damage.
The 2/09/10 test was ran when they put me in the hospital. They put me in the hospital because my legs and stomach was swollen, diarrhea, weak, nausea, loss of appetite, chills, low potassium and having pain in the right upper quadrant region. They thought my gallbladder was bad. They did a hyda scan of the gallbladder and it showed it was functioning at 58% so they ruled that out,they said it was funtioning with in range. After being in the hospital for 3 days, they said they could not find anything wrong other than my potassium being low. They sent me home and told me I needed to go back and see my doctor in Birmingham, so I did and that is when they found out that I had CC.
There are several other test listed on the report, if I need to list them let me know. I didn't list them because they were in the normal range.
Thanks for all your help.
The only test that listed the SGOT/AST and SGPT/ALT was the one on 2/09/10 and they were in normal range:
ALT (SGPT) - 21
AST (SGOT) - 16
As for the allergy symptoms, no sir I don't have any problems in that area. I do smoke but I don't have any allergy problems.
I do have clonic tonic seizures, and have been taking Phenytoin for 27 years, so they test my liver functions about every 6 months due to the medication doing liver damage.
The 2/09/10 test was ran when they put me in the hospital. They put me in the hospital because my legs and stomach was swollen, diarrhea, weak, nausea, loss of appetite, chills, low potassium and having pain in the right upper quadrant region. They thought my gallbladder was bad. They did a hyda scan of the gallbladder and it showed it was functioning at 58% so they ruled that out,they said it was funtioning with in range. After being in the hospital for 3 days, they said they could not find anything wrong other than my potassium being low. They sent me home and told me I needed to go back and see my doctor in Birmingham, so I did and that is when they found out that I had CC.
There are several other test listed on the report, if I need to list them let me know. I didn't list them because they were in the normal range.
Thanks for all your help.
Donna
No matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
No matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
Hi Donna,
The Neutrophils, lymphocytes etc are part of your immune system. They will change quite a bit depending on whether you have infections etc. The docs will probably have been looking for very high readings (which could indicate a significant infection).
Results like these need to be read against the normal range for the lab that produced them. If I am reading your figures correctly, at 67.1 your neutrophils were in normal range but at 84 they are high - yes? That is a very minor difference and not at all something to worry about. If they suddenly went from 67 to 670, (a hundred fold increase) that would send your doc looking for his antibiotic script book.
Alternatively, sustained very low figures (I mean less than 10% of the bottom of the labs normal range) could also cause them to pay attention - but only if they were sustained.
Figures that are just a bit off normal for these not going to help the doc make a decision. They probably relate to minor infections - fighting off a cold, or a bit of a tummy bug or an infected cut etc. That is why your doc called them normal - people often have these minor illnesses and don't even think of them. That doesn't explain your serious gut issues.
Lyn - who has her white cells counted just a little too often.
The Neutrophils, lymphocytes etc are part of your immune system. They will change quite a bit depending on whether you have infections etc. The docs will probably have been looking for very high readings (which could indicate a significant infection).
Results like these need to be read against the normal range for the lab that produced them. If I am reading your figures correctly, at 67.1 your neutrophils were in normal range but at 84 they are high - yes? That is a very minor difference and not at all something to worry about. If they suddenly went from 67 to 670, (a hundred fold increase) that would send your doc looking for his antibiotic script book.
Alternatively, sustained very low figures (I mean less than 10% of the bottom of the labs normal range) could also cause them to pay attention - but only if they were sustained.
Figures that are just a bit off normal for these not going to help the doc make a decision. They probably relate to minor infections - fighting off a cold, or a bit of a tummy bug or an infected cut etc. That is why your doc called them normal - people often have these minor illnesses and don't even think of them. That doesn't explain your serious gut issues.
Lyn - who has her white cells counted just a little too often.
Donna,
The white cells are measured in terms of percentages of total while cells, and as absolute, (actual individual amounts), numbers. The percentages, (the first ones listed), often vary considerably, since when one percentage changes, that causes the others to change, also, just because of the math. Lyn is quite correct, the white cells are part of the immune system, and their numbers reflect what is going on. Their numbers are affected by allergies, among other things. On my last CBC, several of my white cell counts were out of range. While my lymphocyte count, (percentage) was slightly below range, eosinophils, and basophils were high. The only one out of rage in absolute terms, though, was monocytes, which were about 10% high. As Lyn says, I don't worry about them when they are are only slightly out of range, because I am subject to hay fever from various causes, including pollen, mold, etc. In your case, the elevated neutrophils could even be due to smoking. At that level, though, the numbers are nothing to be concerned about.
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NE ... 0053211402
Mean corpuscular volume, (MCV), is a measurement of the average size of your red blood cells. MCV becomes elevated when your red blood cells are larger than normal. A common cause of this, for example, is anemia caused by vitamin B12 deficiency, or by folic acid deficiency.
Mean corpuscular hemoglobin, (MCH), is a calculation of the average amount of oxygen-carrying hemoglobin inside a red blood cell. Oversize red blood cells are large, so they tend to have a higher MCH.
Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, (MCHC), is a calculation of the average concentration of hemoglobin inside a red cell. Since you didn't list your result, I assume that the number was within the normal range.
My take on the fact that your MCV and MCH numbers are out of range, and increasing, is that you may be developing a B-12 or folic acid deficiency, (an adequate level of folate is necessary in order for the body to be able to utilize B-12.
The elevated liver enzyme, alkaline phosphatase, is almost surely due to the Phenytoin, though corticosteroids, (Entocort), can also have that effect. To be honest, I'm surprised that it came down after the introduction of Imuran. That's the opposite of what I would have expected.
The combination of low total protein and low BUN suggests inadequate dietary protein intake, but since those readings apparently returned to normal, on the second test, it was probably just a temporary problem.
All in all, your second set of test results seems to be pretty satisfactory, except for the possible B-12/folic acid issue.
Remember, I'm not a medical professional, (I suppose that makes me a medical amateur. LOL), so these observations simply reflect my thoughts, and nothing I've said here should replace a doctor's advice. I hope I've addressed your concerns. If I missed anything, please don't hesitate to ask.
Tex
The white cells are measured in terms of percentages of total while cells, and as absolute, (actual individual amounts), numbers. The percentages, (the first ones listed), often vary considerably, since when one percentage changes, that causes the others to change, also, just because of the math. Lyn is quite correct, the white cells are part of the immune system, and their numbers reflect what is going on. Their numbers are affected by allergies, among other things. On my last CBC, several of my white cell counts were out of range. While my lymphocyte count, (percentage) was slightly below range, eosinophils, and basophils were high. The only one out of rage in absolute terms, though, was monocytes, which were about 10% high. As Lyn says, I don't worry about them when they are are only slightly out of range, because I am subject to hay fever from various causes, including pollen, mold, etc. In your case, the elevated neutrophils could even be due to smoking. At that level, though, the numbers are nothing to be concerned about.
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NE ... 0053211402
Mean corpuscular volume, (MCV), is a measurement of the average size of your red blood cells. MCV becomes elevated when your red blood cells are larger than normal. A common cause of this, for example, is anemia caused by vitamin B12 deficiency, or by folic acid deficiency.
Mean corpuscular hemoglobin, (MCH), is a calculation of the average amount of oxygen-carrying hemoglobin inside a red blood cell. Oversize red blood cells are large, so they tend to have a higher MCH.
Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, (MCHC), is a calculation of the average concentration of hemoglobin inside a red cell. Since you didn't list your result, I assume that the number was within the normal range.
My take on the fact that your MCV and MCH numbers are out of range, and increasing, is that you may be developing a B-12 or folic acid deficiency, (an adequate level of folate is necessary in order for the body to be able to utilize B-12.
The elevated liver enzyme, alkaline phosphatase, is almost surely due to the Phenytoin, though corticosteroids, (Entocort), can also have that effect. To be honest, I'm surprised that it came down after the introduction of Imuran. That's the opposite of what I would have expected.
The combination of low total protein and low BUN suggests inadequate dietary protein intake, but since those readings apparently returned to normal, on the second test, it was probably just a temporary problem.
All in all, your second set of test results seems to be pretty satisfactory, except for the possible B-12/folic acid issue.
Remember, I'm not a medical professional, (I suppose that makes me a medical amateur. LOL), so these observations simply reflect my thoughts, and nothing I've said here should replace a doctor's advice. I hope I've addressed your concerns. If I missed anything, please don't hesitate to ask.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Tex and Lyn, thank you both for all the information, it was very helpful. Tex, I realize that you are not a medical professional, but if you were, I would for sure be one of your patients. You all take the time to explain things and that it what I like so much about you all. I can get a ton more information from you all and the different post, than I ever have from my doctor. Thanks again for all your help.
Donna
No matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
No matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.