Blood Tests - not normal but no action required????

[DonnaldIW]

Hi, I would be very grateful for some help.

I have been feeling, and looking, really unwell lately (dehydrated, fatigued, kidney pain) and my new GP kindly agreed to help me try to get to the bottom of the problem. He arranged for a number of blood tests including FBC, TFT, B12 etc. I suspect Sjogren's but he doesn't seem to have ordered the antibody tests we discussed.

When I phoned the surgery they said that my results were all normal with no follow up required. I asked for a copy and received them today.

The following are highlighted in bold:

Estimated GFR 89ml/min/1.73m2 (>90) "Low"

Serum Vitamin B12 >1500 ng/l (180-900) "High"

Total white cell count 3.8 10*9/L (4.0-11.0) "Low"

My TSH is looking much better (down from 2.9 to 1.31)

I think the tests were sent to my old GP (who I only saw once) and not my new GP, which explains the lack of follow up I guess In the meantime I have been prescribed Cipro antibiotics for a kidney infection after visiting the local hospital's drop-in gp surgery in desperation. Within a day of taking the antibiotics I felt better than I have in weeks but the right-sided pain and pressure has now returned (abdomen and lower back).

Sorry for the rambling My question is, could a kidney infection have caused my ferritin to drop from 40 to 25 in a few weeks? Should I ask to see a GP about the low GFR and white cell count?

Thank you for your help x

[Clutter]

Hi Donald,

Yes the drop in ferritin is probably caused by the kidney infection. Ferritin is an iron storehouse. When iron is needed it is pulled out of ferritin and if there is excess to requirements it's dumped back into ferritin. Where in range was your ferritin when it was 40? That seems a bit low.

If the abdominal and back pain doesn't cease when you finish the course of antibiotics you should go back to your GP.

[DonnaldIW in reply to Clutter]

Thank you Clutter My ferritin has been low for quite some time now. I was feeling very anaemic but am starting to look a little bit better now, the panda eyes are starting to fade Whatever has been wrong certainly seems to be bacterial which hopefully means it is beatable x

[Jackie]

Hi test for Sjogrens not reliable. best is a lip biopsy, specialied rheumy. GFR kidneys brilliant., not low unless below 60. b12 too high.Where are your T4 and Free T3/? Iron/ferritin? FBC, blood count?

Bloods can be quite out and GP etc says OK, they need to be quite bad before any thing done.

Jackie

[sazzyb]

Hi Donald, only about 50% test positive for Sjogren's' antibodies anyway, as Jackie mentioned, it's not a reliable test. I have primary Sjogren's, you might find this site helpful: dry.org/fox20020816/guide.htm

[DonnaldIW]

Thank you.

Jackie my T4 was 11.4 and they didn't test T3.

The full results were...

Serum TSH 1.31 mu/L (0.3 - 5.00)

Serum Free T4 level 11.5 pmol/L (7 - 20)

Serum urea level 3.0 mmol/L (2.5 - 7.8)

Serum sodium 137 mmol/L (133 - 146)

Serum potassium 4.1 mmol/L (3.5 - 5.3)

Serum chloride 103 mmol/L (95 - 108)

Serum anion gap NA

Serum creatinine 67 umol/L (40 - 90)

Estimated GFR 89 mL/min/1.73m2 (>90) Low

Will be filed as 451F Glomerular filtration rate 89

Serum Calcium 2.29 mmol/L (2.2 - 2.6)

Serum inorganic phosphate 1.00 mmol/L (0.8-1.5)

Serum alkaline phosphotase 55 u/L (30-130

Serum total protein 68 g/L (60-80)

Serum albumin 39 g/L (35-40)

Serum globulin 29 g/L (20-40)

Corrected serum calcium level 2.29 mmol/L (2.2-2.6)

Serum total bilirubin level 11 umol (<21)

Serum ALT level 19 u/l (<31)

Serum C reactive protein level 0.2 mg/L (0.0-5.0)

Plasma fasting glucose level 5.0 mmol/L (3.5-5.6)

Serum Vitamin B12 > 1500 ng/L (180-900) High

Serum folate 14.2 ug/L (4-20.0)

Serum ferritin 25 ug/L (15-200)

<15 IDA confirmed 15-40 IDA possible 41-100 IDA less likely

FBC

Total white cell count 3.8 10*9/L (4.0-11.0) Low

Haemoglobin estimation 132 g/l (120-175)

Haematocrit 0.388 (0.360-0.48)

Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) 86 fl (78-100)

Mean Corpuscular HB Concentration 350 g/L (320-370)

Platelet count 206 10*9/L (140-400)

Neutrophil count 2.1 10*9/L (2.0-7.5)

Eosinophil count 0.2 10*9/L (0.0-5.0)

Basophil count 0.0 10*9/L (0.0-0.2)

Lymphocyte count 1.2 10*9/L (1-3.5)

Monocyte count 0.3 10*9/L (0.2-1.0)

Red Blood Cell (RBC count) 4.53 10*12/L (3.8-5.8)

Mean corpuscular haemoglobin MCH 29.1 pg (28-34)

Erythrocyte sedimentation rate 6mm/

HBA1C 35 mmol/mol (20-42)

I think that is all of them

I will check that link out sazzy

xx