QuestionHi. You helped me recently with explaining the low ferritin levels. I recently got the result of more lab work and was told all is normal, but the paper says otherwise, and again I am hoping you can explain what it is and give me a direction to search in. (I know you are not a doctor and I dont hold you accountable for anything you say)- On the hematology part of my report at the top it starts--I will only ask you the ones that seem odd or they marked as off---what they list as normal is in ()-because if its in the very low or very high range I am wondering what it may mean also--I assume mid is best.
WBC says normal but my reading is 9.3 (4.8-10.8)
%NEUT 85.9 H (45-85)
%LYMPH 9.3 L (25-45)
%NEUT 8.0 H (1.9-7.8)
%LYMPH 0.9 L (1.0-4.5)
HGB 12.2 (12.0-16)
HCT 37.1 (36-47)
MCV 79 L (80-100)
MCH 26.1 L (28-34)
MCHC 32.9 (32-36)
RDW SD 38 (36-47)
PLT 346 (150-400)
The next page was a urinalysis and nothing was mentioned but it says
Ketone-2+
SG Spec grav 1.015
UR blood 1+
PH UR PH 6.5
Then lastly
WBC RARE
RBC RARE
EPITH CELLS 3-5
The ones that have a H or L is in bold on my paper work and says it means the numbers are high or low. The others are all norally typed but I see they are high or low in the normal range and the urinalysis is typed differently so not sure what it means by the numbers or rare. I am sorry for so many questions, I am having a really difficult time with my health and am always just told I am healthy, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and find out if there is something going on somewhere, and I dont understand this stuff or why if something is low or high they tell me I am fine. I have a new dr. who is all for me investigating on my own and as I learn the meaning of stuff and possiblitlies I can then talk to her about it with my questions and such. Thank you so much for your help.
AnswerHi again, Jen. I understand your frustration. When you don't feel well, you, of course, look to your doctor for answers and understanding. It's good to be proactive when it comes to your health. As I review your lab results, I do see some tests out of the "normal range", but these small abnormalities are unlikely to be of any clinical significance. (I do note that your HGB and HCT (hemoglobin and hematocrit) are borderline and your MCV is low, which goes along with iron deficiency anemia.) Please review this link for more info on "normal ranges".
http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/features/ref_ranges.html
Also, your urinalysis results are OK too. You do have "1+" blood in your urine, but the lab did a microscopic analysis of your urine and only found "RARE RBCs", which, again, is unlikely to be of any clinical significance. Hope this helps, Jen. Good luck.
Samantha
