GP didn't do a great job of translating. My learned friends can probably do much better:
ESR 5.8
CRP 5.0
LDL 3.89
HDL 1.89
TC 6.3 (should the LDL and HDL not add up)
Triglycerides 1.48
Glucose 5
My BP is controlled with meds. I do not want to go on a statin. She wants me on one. What do you all think? Thanks so much.
Are there figures in brackets after the individual results? They are the reporting lab's normal ranges and are needed for context since they often vary between labs. And units are also important.
No Pro. She just read these to me over the phone. 
You could ask for the printed copy which should have normal values next to each one as PMRpro mentioned above. I always get a print out as otherwise the dr rattles it off and you can’t make a decision without knowing where you should be for each one.
Sadly I'm in Nova Scotia and we can't access our records. Thanks for your reply.
Are you in the UK? If you check your medical records on your GP app you’ll have all your results on there.
Missus835 lives in Canada -and even in UK you may not have all results -depends what GP has agreed…
That’s a shame
yes it is...after all it's our bodies... but I think some GPs aren't happy to divulge all info.. unstandable if some patients don't want to know or cannot process the information rationally.
This may help you understand the cholesterol numbers
heartuk.org.uk/cholesterol/...
They are raised but not dreadfully. But that will still mean they want you on a statin. You might negotiate getting to try lifestyle changes though they don't often work and the main reason they are high is probably pred.
Your blood glucose is at the upper end of normal range - which isn't bad for someone on pred.
Without knowing the ranges for ESR and CRP it is difficult to say much - but at face value they are both OK.
And I would object to her approach - she is dismissing your input by quoting results out of context, assuming you know nothing relevant about it.
Just to add to the CRP, I'm pretty sure the measure they use here means anything below 10 is considered fine, although I've had doctors who have been okay with mine being much higher than that (although I now think those doctors were mistaken in their attitude). This situation really shows how important it is that we be able to see our own results. A friend of mine had a doctor ages ago (maybe ten years) who was part of a trial to release test results to patients. She said it was great. Why it ground to a halt I don't know and cannot understand why there still isn't anything in place.
Exactly - there can be a factor of 10 difference depending on the units. Under 1 is normal in some places, so 5 would be very raised. In others it is under 10 - 5 is fine. I have never seen an esr result with a decimal point before, always whole numbers. But how that could get a factor of 10 difference is beyond me, Anyway - the usual range is up to about 20 is normal 0 in which case that is very normal!!!
It seemed exceptionally "normal" to me and I know squat about ESR. Perhaps she meant 15.8? I am going to email my Neurologist's admin. She's always been very good about emailing various reports. Then I can scan to HU maybe.
Hi PMR
My ESR was 2mm/h(9.0-20.0) outside ref range
but comment was borderline.
Do they put their own interpretation on results. That was all lab comments 😊
The reporting person does take results in the context of diagnosed illnesses and previous results. Not sure how they would classify it as borderline - there are disorders and diseases that make the ESR even lower although for many years the very low levels have been included in the normal range which was 0-20 or so. Maybe a result of 0 might have them looking to rule them out!
My belief is that all our results should be available to us online...wherever we are. My GP doesn't seem very good at manipulating their online system, nor is my Rheumy. Eye roll.
Much as I appreciate my GP he's even worse than old Dr I'm Not Worried About That was in that she would tell me the numbers if I asked rather than (fill in blank) is all right, or in middle of normal or whatever....
I was glad to see the CRP has dropped from the 15.9 which it was 3 weeks ago. I had these bloods done specifically to see if it went up again. I had a couple of boils (again) around that time. Same place. Perhaps there's something going on there. GP said polysporin, but I did the sitz bath, tea bag poultices . They finally drained. Sorry for going down a rabbit trail.
I will try the statin...maybe the lowest possible dose, which with this one is 5 mg. Such anxiety over all things med related! Mainly because GP doesn't seem to check the interactions. Hopefully my very astute pharmacist would catch anything sketchy. I have a phone consult with Rheumy on Tuesday which may be even less informative. If she's even checked the bloods. Thanks Pro.
not sure what the glucose one is as it was a blood test not a finger prick test.and hba1c is usual in double figures mol/mol or the old measurement which is a % and 5% would be excellent
It was fasting hba1c. She did say it was very good.
So 5% but never a need for fasting for hba1c as it is an average over the preceding 3 months
Fasting box is ticked off on the req so I did. Lol. Eye roll.
Hopefully that nuisance wasn't in vain. Perhaps there was something else on the list which fasting was desireable for?
Oh probably Heron. I may ask Rheumy on Tuesday's phone call. It's the only time we "interact". That's if she can find the report. Last time she was very nasty.
If there were choices and you weren't stuck with her, her behaviour warrants reporting somewhere. At least you could anonymously write something on ratemds.com/ns/dartmouth/
if you download the NHS app onto your phone you have access to all your GP records. Every blood test I have the results are loaded and every appointment I had I can read the conversation and input the doctor said to me, it’s easy to forget the information given but after 2 days it’s on the app under GP health record. It makes it so much easier to see what the results, I had bloods on Wednesday afternoon and all the results where loaded by Thursday afternoon.
I think that only applies if your GP participates in the scheme and not all do. Might be wrong ...
Not wrong - depends on GP and also what permissions they have agreed.
Says this -
You can book and manage appointments. view your GP health record to see information like your allergies and medicines (if your GP has given you access to your detailed medical record, you can also see information like test results) book and manage COVID-19 vaccinations. register your organ donation decision.
Yes that’s what I can do. It’s easier as you don’t always remember everything they say at the meeting.
Interesting! Wasn’t aware of that.
Not all are as amenable as yours -see my reply to PMRpro
That would be lovely if we lived in the UK! We're in the boonies over here, when it comes to medical communications. 🤷♀️
I live in Ontario, also in Canada, Heron NS and I have had access online, starting in about 2017, to all test results, reports and medical interactions of any kind within a short while. With blood tests it can be the same day. I just point this out to encourage beautiful Nova Scotia to follow suit !
Cannot begin to tell you how frustrating our situation is. I believe I've mentioned somewhere, maybe even in this thread, that a friend of mine was with a practice which was part of a trial and she loved it. But nothing ever came of it. The trial was long ago, certainly several years pre-pandemic. Pandemic has improved some things, e.g. we can now book our own bloodwork or x-ray time, rather than sitting for hours in a waiting room. I used to go to the clinic, pick up my number, and then go to the nearby supermarket to do weekly shopping, returning in ample time to not miss my place in line!
Frustrating and inexplicable !
Thanks. I'm in Nova Scotia and sadly, we don't have this service. It would save a lot of expensive billable hours if we did and we'd have the results literally at our fingertips.
I agree…I can see all details…had blood tests onFriday morning & at 8pm on Friday evening I could read results…sadly, 3 out of 5 said ‘abnormal, see your Doctor’, but it’s a move forward! Ours is under a surgery specific software called System Online, but I also use the NHS app…can read absolutely everything anybody has written! I thought that in England you had a right to such information nowadays. Looks like I’m wrong there, though!!
I wouldn’t. I take Cardioace and it’s made a significant difference
Blood test results are usually meaningless unless they come with: a) units of measurement, and b) Reference Ranges to indicate what kind of levels are considered 'normal'. The link below explains Reference Ranges in more detail. It says:
"Each laboratory establishes or “validates” its own reference ranges, thus reflects differences that vary from lab to lab. The specific reference ranges that appear on your laboratory report are determined and provided by the laboratory that performed your test.
"Reference ranges help describe what is typical for a particular group of people based on age, sex, and other characteristics. In the context of your personal information, you and your provider can use reference ranges as a guide to what your results mean and to help make decisions about managing your health."
Understanding my test results have been very helpful to my healing. More power to you for trying to learn more about yours. I too have to control my blood pressure with medication because of the Prednisone (which increases my blood pressure when I ingest added salt in my diet). Even at 4 mg, I still need to take 25 mg. of Lozartan, which I am told is a very low dose according to my GP. With this dose, and low/no salt diet, my blood pressure is normal. All the best to you!
Thanks for your reply. Pills, pills and more pills. I'm glad yours is under control.
I'm sorry I can't help since I'm in the States and not sure how results are reported in Canada. The ESR and CRP are close enough to the way they are read here...but, for example, here a good glucose reading would be 80 to 100. I think it is totally unfair that you can't get your results. When I have blood tests they are coming in on my phone and computer within minutes and some tests a bit longer. They show my rating and what a normal range is....I find it a great help. It has been said here already, but you have a right to know about your own body! Just my two cents or pence.💞
Thanks Grammy80. You are totally right. I'm going to see if the admin asst will email a copy to me.
You are absolutely entitled to that. Some things work efficiently here and others ...not so much. Every so often I have to be very nice but persistent to get results. It is complicated here by the requirements of the insurance company. Once the insurance company denied a doctor requested MRI and wanted me to have physical therapy first for back pain. My doctor wouldn't even call them again, so I did. I told BlueCross/BlueShield insurance that I did not want some 'hulk of a therapist manipulating my back until I knew the condition of my discs...AND I would hold them financially responsible for any injury to my spine ." I got a phone call within eight hours approving my MRI; I had two ruptured discs.
So...you go girl~!💪🏼💪🏼
There are bumps in every system--none of them perfect.💞
Cholesterol readings
Blood results
Blood Test Results
Do natural supplements work to reduce high cholesterol?
