NEED HELP WITH COMPLETE BLOOD COUNT RESULTS

I JUST RECEIVED MY BLOOD COUNT TEST RESULTS THAT WERE TAKEN AT ER THIS PAST WEEKEND. I LOOKED ON THE JANIS SITE AND SOME OF THESE WEREN'T THERE OR MAYBE I WASN'T LOOKING RIGHT. PLEASE HELP ME UNDERSTAND THESE. I KNOW I HAVE BECOME ANEMIC, BUT I WANT TO KNOW JUST HOW ANEMIC I AM.
WBC 4.0                       GLUCOSE 95
RBC 3.1                       BUN 7
HEMOGLOBIN 10.7               CREATININE 0.7
HEMATOCRIT 30.9               SODIUM 140
MCV 98.5                      POTASSIUM 3.5
MCH 34.2                      CHLORIDE 107
MCHC 34.7                     CARBON DIOXIDE 30
RDW 16.6                      ANION GAP 6.5
PLATELET COUNT 223            CALCIUM 8.5
MPV 7.8                       TOTAL PROTEIN 7.3
NETROPHIL% 49.9               ALBUMIN 3.9
LYMPHOCYTE% 39.7              BILIRUBIN, TOTAL 1.1
MONOCYTE% 8.9                 SGOT/AST 24
EOSINOPHIL%1.3                SGPT/ALT 16
BASOPHIL% 0.2                 ALK PHOSPHATASE 45
NEUTROPHIL# 1.9               CK 37
LYMPHOCYTE# 1.6               CKMB 0.6
MONOCYTE#0.4                  TROPONIN I 0.01
EOSINOPHIL# 0.1
BASOPHIL# 0

I KNOW THERE ARE NO DOCTORS HERE OR LAB TECHNICIANS I JUST KNOW SOME OF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE IN READING THESE RESULTS AND I WOULD APPRECIATE YOU LOOKING AT THEM AND TELLING ME WHAT YOU SEE. MY GI WILL ALSO BE RECEIVING THESE RESULTS TODAY BUT I WON'T BE SEEING HIM TILL THE WEDNESDAY AFTER NEXT AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW NOW. CAN ANYONE OUT THERE HELP ME WITH THIS? I WOULD TRULY APPRECIATE IT.

[jmjm530]

Hemoglobin levels and what constitutes anemia is a very individual thing based not only absolute numbers but on how fast the Hgb has dropped over a period of weeks. Very generally, Procrit is prescribed when Hgb is between 10-11 although some people function fine without it at those levels. Personally, I get anemic at anything in the low 11's.

Your WBC looks fine and I'm guessing so is your ANC although not sure how to calculate it from the numbers. Platelets are also are very good as are liver enzymes.

As to the rest, except for the blood count stuff, most values should be in the normal range which I don't have in front of me. You could check that yourself on your printout and I'm sure your doctor will bring anything up out of the ordinary.

-- Jim

[cuteus]

The results are best interpreted if you also look at the reference range used by the lab, Labcorp might use different ranges than Quest, for example. How do the numbers compared to the reference range? and how do they compare to the numbers prior to starting tx? If you started with a baseline of 15 hgb, and are now 10.7 I will say that is pretty anemic. I got the Procrit at 10.2 but I was already having quite  a few symptoms. Other people don't get the same symptoms until they are below 10.
It is ultimately how YOU feel and how it's affecting your QOL that should be the measuring stick. I would consult my PCP for the procrit if my GI is non responsive.

[friole]

I'm pretty ignorant with all those numbers too, but with hgb of 10.2 and the way you have been feeling, it seems you should be a candidate for Procrit. Your white blood cells look great at 4.0 and if I am calculating your ANC correctly, it is 2000 --- which is very good and should be possitive, considering you are looking at surgery soon.
Kathy

[cuteus]

this is my trump card to you, tell your GI you are having chest pains, middle of the chest, and it is not relieved by antacids or stomach meds. ANd if there is anyone in your family with cardiac history of any kind, mention that too, in fact tell the GI there IS cardiac hx in your family. For chissakes, it was the only way I got the Procrit, since anemia CAN cause cardiac adverse events.  I feel for you.

[cougareyes]

Everything looks good except Hgb at 10.7, at this # it's a toss up. What week are you in and what has your trend been over the last few blood test. I'm at 11.3 now in week 14 and after an intial fast drop have been dropping about.5 or so every two weeks. If I dropped to 10.7 with the way I feel I would question my doc when he was planning on intervention and ask for weekly blood counts. At this point it would be wise to get a plan of action against anemia. Good Luck

[snook_man]

www.labtestsonline.org

This website will break down just about EVERY lab for you. Very easy to navigate also. Hope it helps!

[snook_man]

By the way, my wife looked over your labs and the significant thing she stated was the elevation of MCV.
This means a deficiency of vitamin b12, and folic acid. You are anemic. Woman generally have lower hemoglobin levels than men, but 10 is low. Procrit!!!
Everything else looks stable, considering your on tx.

[v eggie dip]

I have a hemoglobin of 10.1 and I am not on tx or anemic...

[honey11]

Yep,,,I agree,,,looks like Procrit is just what the doc ordered!
Everything else looks good!

Snook,,,How ya feeling these days?  Nice to be free at last huh?
Hey,,,I just got my recent labs and everything looks really good so I'm thrilled except one thing low,,,,,Absolute Epsoinophils,,,normal range is showing 15 to 500 and mine is 5.
I asked my dr and he said something to do with white blood cells but he wasn't worried because everything else was perfect.  Do you or anyone else know what would cause the low range of this?

[chellski]

hey - i'm with you!  i'm week 26/48 and my hgb at last appt was 11.4 (down from 12.4 6 months ago)  however dr. says i do not need procrit....says hgb is good.....BUT i feel like ****....cannot go up flight of stairs or walk briskly without serious shortness of breath!....i know what everyone here says, but how do you convince your doctor?   i see him again in two weeks......
gool luck fresno; keep in touch with what you do, or what kind of luck you have with your doctor!
take care--
michelle

[cougareyes]

Yeah I'm at 11.3, started at 15.6; 3.5 months ago. Doc says everythings good, I know how you guys feel. I'm Italian and Native American so you can't see how pale I really am; people that know me tease me and say I'm turning white lol.
I quess you have to walk into your doctors office using a walker, in your robe, with lint in your hair, unbathed, and scruffy just to get some attention. Otherwise mine says you look fine, keep doing what you're doing, I've given you my 5 minutes, now pay your co pay and get out. No but seriously I am very happy with my Doctor overall.    Peace

[bobbyullc]

HEY ON MY LAB SHEET IT SHOWS RBC(BED BLOOD COUNT) SHOULD BE BETWEEN 4.5-6.0. YOURS IS LOW AT 3.1. I DO NOT KMOW JUST HOW LOW THAT IS. SOMEONE ELSE MAY ANSWER THAT BUT T THINK THAT IS THE MAIN TEST FOR ANEMIA. CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG AS I DO NOT WANT TO WORRY YOU NEEDLESSLY. MOST OF THE OTHERS ARE CLOSE.
LOL
BOBBY

[bobbyullc]

HEY, SORRY,
I JUST LOOKED UP ON SNOOKS TEST SITE AND HGB IS THE MAIN INDICATOR OF ANEMIA AND RBC IS AN INDICATOR. MY LAB SHOWED HGB SHOULD BE BETWEEN 14-18.

[honey11]

Cougar,,,LOL  I guess we cover ourselves well on tx.  Its funny that people can not notice that we are different because we sure do feel different.

Friole,,,,I'm with Chelle,,,,my mouth dropped when I read you were walking 3 miles 5 days a week! haha You are making us look bad,,,,You are doing so good on your tx and your labs seem to be looking good also.  Maybe you will be one of the lucky ones that just glides through without getting attacked!

[friole]

Honey
Glad all your labs looked good.  I have no idea what that low number is.  

Veg
with hgb of 10 to start with, should you decide to treat, I would think you will have to monitor it very closely.


Chell
This hgb is a real mystery.  I am functioning okay with 11.4 and you are dragging.  I wonder how humidity factors in there -- I always have a harder time breathing when it is humid, but i live in very dry climate so don't usually notice that.  

Cougar
So you're becoming a white skin, huh?

[snook_man]

Feeling pretty good, well gradually! Still achey (achy) and fatigued, but everyday I get a little bit back! Now I'm just waiting for the 1 month PCR. No pressure, no pressure! LOL

Esonophils are a type of WBC. I think they are the bodies natural antihistamine or something.. Mine have been VERY low all through tx. my labs have been 0 since like week 24.
Dr has not seemed very concerned about them at all.

Hope all is well with you and yours! SVR bus is getting full!!!

[jmjm530]

Cuteus said prev: "this is my trump card to you, tell your GI you are having chest pains, middle of the chest, and it is not relieved by antacids or stomach meds."

-------------------------

Not a good idea for a couple of reasons. But mainly, because given the no-procrit mindset of your doctors, you may run the very real risk of being yanked off treatment completely which is the last thing you want. If you can't get Procrit from your current group of doctors, the best option is getting another doctor.

Have you gone the "insistence" route yet? Asking is one thing, but many doctors who resist, will comply if you insist. Part of it is because it's easier for them not to fight you, part of it may be for legal reasons.

That said, the "having chest pains...middle of the chest..." approach is an excellent one to get into the ER quickly if you have for example anemia. Otherwise, you can end up sitting in the waiting room until you pass out. It was actually suggested to me by my NP -- so I wasn't concerned that she would overeact to my "cardiac" symptons.

-- Jim

[jmjm530]

That said, telling your medical team about a family cardiac history might not be a bad idea to get Procrit earlier. But you really have to know who your doctors are -- because again some unfortunately pull the plug too quickly.

-- Jim

[jmjm530]

Sorry for the triple post...but Cuteus' suggestion of did trigger a thought.

While you might not want to mimic a heart attack, playing up whatever symptons of anemia you actually have might not be a bad idea. Sometimes we try and "put on a face" with your doctors and not convey to them how lousy we really feel. But again, you're walking a fine line if you have a doctor with a "pull the plug" mentality. That's why it's best to have the most agressive doctor possible.

-- Jim

[Tonyz]

Here is a  web site that should help you understand your blood tests. You can save it so that you will be able to refer to it in the future.

Remember to alwase get a copy of results of all the test that are performed on you.

               Hope this helps    

                     Blessings

                        TonyZ


<a href="http://hepatitis.va.gov/vahep?page=tp02-02-01-90">Blood Test</a>

http://hepatitis.va.gov/vahep?page=tp02-02-01-90

[friole]

THanks for the good thoughts.  That 3-mile walk is my guideline.  If at some point I can't do it I will hollar for Procrit. I do think I may be walking slower.   But I have done it for over 20 years, so it would be more odd not to do it.

[Lynne5477]

I agree with most here that your counts look pretty good for being on tx.  Normal range Hgb for men is 14-18 and women is 12-16.  Mine hung around 10.1 for most of tx (I started at 14.3 and tx'd for 48 wks), dropped one wk to 9.1 and my NP wanted me to reduce meds.  Instead, I had blood drawn for a physical with my PCP and my Hgb was back at 10.1 3 days later.  My NP wouldn't rx procrit unless I dropped below 10.0 for the Hgb.  Worst week for fatigue was my last wk of tx when we went to Red River, NM, and the altitude + anemia really wore me down.  I'm in Texas where it's flat and there is no altitude.

Good luck to you.

[cougareyes]

Hopefully there is nothing to the pain during the stress test. But the pain in the chest during anemia can cause some long term problems. I'm not good at bookmarking reports and being able to directly quote studies.
There is a weakening of one of the heart muscles due to prolonged anemia. I can't remember the name of the muscle and the anemia was not based solely on combo tx. Although most docs aren't concerned about our hgb until it reaches 10, do you think having hgb at 11 for 9-10 months or longer could really be that healthy.
Alot of people who had prolonged anemia(or borderline anemia) also reported extreme and/or long lasting brain fog. This all equates to the fact that all of our organs and our brain are receiving less than adaquate oxygen. I believe this low red blood counts is probably our #1 nemesis during tx. Should be at the top of anyones list for risk factors.
Thanks for listening

[cuteus]

AMEN! exactly my thoughts. long term oxygen deprivation can not be healthy at all.

[cuteus]

that is what I meant, basically, it was not a heart attack mimic but more like mentioning that chest pains of unknown origin were surfacing. It should not send you to the ER or get you pulled from tx, but it should make the drs think twice about saying NO.
It was not a Fred Stanford stance of grabbing your chest and pleading up to the higher power.

The curious thing was that a hint of that same pain was felt when they did my stress test some time afterward. The technician was sending electric signals to the heart at the time.

[sunspot]

My Hgb dropped to 9.6. The NP said "You look good". I insisted on Procrit and got the answer "We don't do Procrit from here, you need to go to a Hematologist". It took another month before I saw one.
I've givin up on my GI and I monitor my own lab results.

Dana