Good news re. blood tests

[gillsky8]

Good evening ,

Well the good news is I have had blood test results today and there is improvement in the haemoglobin, now normal and normal white cell count also normal !

Several of the other results which were abnormal seem to have settled down.

Red platelet count is still quite high 479 and also Serum iron level which was 47.5, so not sure whether that would indicate the need to cut the iron supplement back

Now all I need to know is when I can stop taking the ferrous sulphate, or if there should be a reduction in the amount per day.

It seems to have done the trick in anycase so that is quite reassuring.

Tapering to 10mg. next week. 12.5 has been good for last 3 weeks.

And had Covid jab yesterday, so far so good.

Fingers firmly Xd 😀🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞

[HeronNS]

I checked back at a previous post to see what this was about! Good results. Your doctor is the best person to consult with regarding what happens now with the supplement. I do know that normal ferritin (is that the same as serum iron?) has a large range, but it can be too high even when haemoglobin is low and this can show up with autoimmune conditions, which is why doctors check both things, but I think normal high can be as much as somewhere in in the 300s (and normal low as low as about 25). So it looks like you are in a safely normal level now, and maybe will just need to consider taking a supplement occasionally? I take a liquid iron supplement, but not all the time. The bottle has to be used up once opened, takes a couple of weeks or a month, and then I don't take any more for months, and it seems to work out well. I'd have been a non-compliant patient if I'd had to take tablets as I remember they were most unpleasant from a time back in my green and salad days.

[gillsky8 in reply to HeronNS]

Thanks so much for your reply, I did wonder if I could now reduce the ferrous sulphate or certainly be looking at some alternative iron supplement. Will consult with the GP again for her advice.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

What do you mean by "red platelet count" - red cells or platelets, but never heard of red platelets!

Ferritin is also an inflammation marker like ESR and CRP so also reflects the PMR/GCA,

[gillsky8 in reply to PMRpro]

I meant platelet count

[Den73]

Hi, always good to get pleasing results, so well done!Also good to hear about tge covid vaccine, I have deliberated about having mine, set for 21 October, found your comment reassuring, thanks.

Xx