Weird Labs and Bowel Movements

[tarrigo]

Hi All,

I am a 25 yr. old male, fairly healthy, with a history of anxiety disorder.  Back in Sept. ’06 I thought I had ALS because my right arm and leg seemed weak.  An EMG and numerous doctor’s visits ruled that out.  I was put on Lexapro for three months, but I quit taking it because of weight gain and I didn’t like how it made me feel.  I recently went to the hematologist because my hemoglobin was elevated.  I had a phlebotomy, and now my hemoglobin is normal once again, but my calcium was elevated slightly at 10.4.  Back in November my calcium was at 10.7 but all tests i.e. serum protein, chest x-ray, 24 hr. urine, renal ultrasound and pulmonary function test were all normal.  Two weeks again, like I mentioned, it was back up to 10.4.  In addition, my albumin level in my blood was elevated.  In the research I have been doing, it seems that the two are related.  Am I correct?  Also, I have been having really light colored stools.  My hematologist said that it is probably IBS.  I am worried about something being wrong in my GI area?  Do any of my tests point to anything?  

Thanks,

T

P.S.  All my other labs were normal.  Including WBC, RBC, platlets, etc.

[vanillachiffon04]

Tarrigo,

     I am sorry that you are going thru these symptoms and uncertainties. This is what I have come to find w/ your description. By what you stated that your CA level was 10.7 back in 11/06 and that 2 weeks ago it went to 10.4...those are still w/in normal ranges, (8.5 - 10.8 mg/dL).  The mood swings were due to the Lexapro or Escitalpram you were taking for 3 months. Albumin levels are primarily from 3.5 to 5 grams/dL, now I dont know what your level was, it fell below that it might be due to either liver disease, kidney disease, or malnutrition. But it can be that individuals whose GI tract do not absorb nutrients properly and individuals who have prolonged diarrhea can develop abnormal albumin levels. You need to see where you fall in this catagory. What other symptoms do you have besides pale color stool? Pale could be indicative of many things from something as simple as having too much rice in your diet to a whole number of issues like Celiac Disease, Cholecystitis, Gallstones (which have a more clay-colored type stools.) When you have light colored stool it can be affected by either the large or small intestine (but def not limited to those parts). If it has anything to do with liver disease also look for reddening of the palms, easy bruising, muscle wasting, testicular atrophy (diminish in size) and enlargement of the breasts in males.

CA levels can increase due to: Addison Disease, Hodgkin's Disease, Hyperthyropidism. And CA levels can decrease due to: Hypoparathyroidism, Acute pancreatitis or Renal Failure.

IBS symptoms are pain that is relieved after you had a bowel movement, frequency of bowel movements change as well as the apperance or form changes. It can fluctuate from diarrhea to constipation, you can have either more than 3 bowel movements in a week or less than 3. You can also have intestinal gas and mucous in the stool, which are another tall-tale sign of IBS. IBS can not be cured, but can be managed thru diet and sometimes doctors may prescribe medicine to help with the gas or pain.

I hope this has helped you in some way and that you feel better. Never settle for one answer when it is not helping you. Only YOU know your body and know when something is wrong. Good Luck!

[tarrigo]

Vanilla,

Thanks for the feedback Vanilla.  To answer one question about my labs, my albumin level was 5.4.  This was two weeks ago along with my elevated calcium at 10.4.  (These values were elevated according the labs standards.)  In my research about this, I read about how calcium binds to albumin and as the albumin level increases, so does the serum calcium.  This is because albumin comprises about 40% of the serum protein.  I found something about corrected calcium levels, when the albumin level is elevated.  Using a “corrected calcium calculator”, that I found on the net, my corrected calcium level (based on the increased albumin level) is 9.28, which is within normal limits.  My hematologist didn’t mention any of this to me, but did order another test to measure my blood calcium.  I can also rule out parathyroid as the culprit, because my PTH was intact when they checked.  My proteins are normal, both in the blood and urine…so what else can cause this?  I am having feelings of being off balance, more aches and pains than usual and my blood pressure is running a little high (140/83) on Monday at the hematologist.  

As for my stools, they are not really pale, they are just very light brown.  What does this mean?  Any additional feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks,

T