I take standardize tests well. All those tests in elementary school, the PSATs, the ACTs. I did well in school with minimal studying. This is a good thing, right? Here is another set of tests I did well in.
These are the results of my latest round of blood tests.
| Type | Low | Mine | High | Purpose | |
| BUN | 10 | 10 | 20 | How well kidneys filter wastes from blood | |
| Cholesterol | 196 | 239 | Total Cholesterol/risk for heart disease | ||
| Creatinine | 0.6 | 1.2 | Kidney function | ||
| Glucose random | 60 | 90 | 159 | A screen for diabetes | |
| HDL Cholesterol | 45 | 66 | Good cholesterol | ||
| Potassium | 3.5 | 4.8 | 5.3 | A mineral in the blood | |
| Alt (SGPT) | 10 | 40 | Liver inflammation | ||
| Sodium | 133 | 136 | 145 | An element in the blood | |
| TSH | 0.2 | 2.5 | 5.5 | Thyroid activity | |
| HGBA1C | 4.9 | 5.3 | 5.8 | Average blood sugar level over past 3 months | |
| WBC | 3.5 | 8.9 | 12.5 | White blood cells, screen for infection | |
| RBC | 3.6 | 4.46 | 5.7 | Red blood cells, screen for anemia | |
| Hemoglobin | 11.5 | 13 | 15 | Test for anemia | |
| Hematocrit | 34 | 40.6 | 46 | Test for anemia | |
| MCV | 80 | 92 | 100 | Measure size of red blood cells | |
| RDW | 11.9 | 12.3 | 14.3 | No idea, they didn’t include it | |
| Plt | 140 | 374 | 400 | Platelets, measurement of how well blood clots | |
Where there is no number, it means it needs to be either higher or lower than the given number.
Sorry, there is no link to find out your scores. You need a doctor for these.
I pretty much have scored smack in the middle or low on every test. I am trying to figure out a way to plot it to see how close to middle I score on each one relative to each other.
The bad part of this is the doctors say “Congratulations, nothing is wrong with you.” My issue is, if there is nothing wrong with me, why do I feel like shit and am seeing a doctor? I would like one of these scores to be bad so I could understand why I have the issues I do and can do something about them.
At least the current doctors are making me feel like I am being listened to and taken care of. That helps a lot.
Normally I feel like they just look at the numbers and dismiss me. And with numbers like this, it is easy to see why they would think there is nothing wrong with me.
I get my first MRI in a month. I would have gotten a CATscan but they decided an MRI would be better. I am sure I will ace it too. But it is fun to get one. I don’t know why I like these tests and collecting the numbers. I use to love the eye test, the hearing test and getting weighed when I went to the doctors as a kid. In college, I got my blood pressure taken every week at the table they set up in the student center. 90 over 60. See, low side of normal. Now, it is about 112 over 60. I gained some weight and it is a little higher. So now I seem to be collecting blood tests. I wish there was a way to plug in a cable and run a full accurate diagnostic. I am tired of being unique.
For those that might be concerned, I wasn’t feeling well two weeks ago and saw a doctor. He set up this battery of tests because he didn’t have a clue. (I love it when my doctor says they just don’t know, I trust them so much more if they can say that when it is true.) I feel normal now but am following through in hopes we might find out the cause for my dizzies, my energy drops, and my increased emotional variances. In the past, I have had extensive tests to try to determine the cause to my blood sugar problem. All the test came in well within “normal” range. The best that a wonderful doctor has been able to come up with on that one is that I am sensitive enough to feel the energy drop when my insulin unlocks the cells to transfer the blood sugar. Oh, I love how sensitive I am < / sarcasm >
edited 7/14/03 to add purpose of tests.
Boy… I know this isn’t what you want to hear… but are they checking for possible early menopause? What you just described is ALL symptomatic for it. I was being checked for it m’self when I got pregnant with Kira, and had those exact symptoms (no, it never was ‘diagnosed’… and I’ve just been dealing with other stuff since… but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t menopause now
given the girlchild…)
Anyhow… hang in there and remember: if they knew what they were doing 100% of the time, Doctors wouldn’t have to call it a medical “practice”
Hugs to you!
Thanks for the reminder. I have had the night sweats and hot flashes in the past an thought to look into it and have forgotten. How would they check for early menopause? I have been eagerly waiting for it ever since I hit puberty. The only problem is that I have this idea that no matter when you start, you finish around the normal time, so if you start early you have it for a long time and it is not fun to go through.
On the bright(er) side, at least the doctors believe you when you say there’s something wrong with you. In the past, they’d have gotten the blood tests back and said “Nope, nothing’s wrong. You’ll have to pay for any other tests yourself.”
It is on the bright side this time. I have given up on doctors many times because I have gotten the “test are all normal, there is nothing wrong with you.”
I did 7 days of tests at the Mayo Clinic, everything they could think of. And when they couldn’t find anything they told me I was bi-polar and cycled every 2 hours and it had nothing to do with me eating every 2 hours. If I cycled every 2 hours I would have been a case study. Stupid doctors.
I have always had full insurance to cover tests. If the doctors ask for it, it is covered. This is one of the reasons I still belong to Kaiser. I show up and say fix me and something happens. It may not be the best medical care but it is adequate and I know what to expect. I haven’t hit the loopholes yet and hope I never do.
I can’t tell, but they might want to try checking your B-12 and thyroid levels, stuff like that. I transcribe psychiatric consultations on occasion, and that seems to be what the psychiatrist recommends in a lot of the cases where no one can quite figure out the origin of certain symptoms.
But yeah, it’s cool to have doctors who are willing to work with you. Otherwise, they are just stupid and pointless.
We have been checking my B-12 and thyroid levels many times over the years. It sure looks like that would be a cause but the test say I am “normal.” I think the TSH is the thyroid test. I am not sure if B-12 was in this round and I don’t have any of my old numbers.
Shhhh, I secretly think that my regular state is different that everybody else’s and for these numbers to be in the “normal” range, it actually means they are far out of whack for me. But that is my 4 side talking.
The docs think you’re *normal*?
Seems unlikely to me. I think you’re delightfully eccentric, myself. What can I say, I like wierdos. (This being a case of like attracts like.)
Medical stuff-ness
Well, as someone with a bit of lab experience (which means I’ve never treated a patient but often seen the labs) I would suggest checking your hormone levels. Go with Estrogen, progesterone, FH/LSH, and possibly testosterone if Kaiser will go for it (it’s a reference test mostly). If you’re going through early menopause that would point it out. You may very well have had this done already but with lab stuff I couldn’t resist.
Re: Medical stuff-ness
With as much trouble I have had dealing with doctors, I have always liked the nurses and lab techs. They always seemed to care, were interested in helping and were willing to admit when they were clueless.
Many a time, I have wanted to ditch the doctor and deal only with the support staff and let them query the doctors when they were over their heads. Just keep the doctors away from me.