It’s been 14 months since my last blood test update on the site, and I thought I’d share my latest test with you guys.
I had this test done because I’ve been feeling more fatigued than normal, and I’ve had a few instances where I’d get really shaky for no apparent reason. It didn’t feel like anemia, but I’d say it felt close to when I’d do bowel prep and not eat for several days and just feel completely drained (physically).
Here are the results, which have been condensed to exclude certain tests like glucose, eGFR and urine tests:
Blood test comparison Nov 2012 - April 2015
Highlight = out of normal range| Test | Reference range | April 9, 2015 (fasting) | Feb 6, 2014 (fasting) | Nov 8, 2013 (pre-op, fasting) | Nov 22, 2012 (fasting) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creatinine | 60-127 umol/L | 64 | 65 | 63 | 54 |
| Urate | 180-450 umol / L | 261 | 302 | n/a | 210 |
| Sodium | 135-146 mmol/L | 139 | 140 | 137 | 138 |
| Potassium | 3.5-5.2 mmol / L | 3.9 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 4.8 |
| Chloride | 95-108 mmol / L | 103 | 105 | 107 | 105 |
| Albumin | 35-50 g/L | 49 | 43 | n/a | 20 |
| Alt | 4-43 u/L | 27 | 26 | n/a | 3 |
| Cholesterol | <5.2 mmol / L | 3.6 | 2.96 | n/a | 1.78 |
| Triglycerides | <1.71 mmol / L | 1.25 | 1 | n/a | 0.5 |
| HDL cholesterol | >1.0 mmol / L | 1.2 | 1.38 | n/a | 0.83 |
| LDL Cholesterol | < 2.0mmol / L | 1.83 | 1.12 | n/a | <1.0 |
| Chol/HDL ratio | < 4.5 mmol/L | 3 | 2.1 | n/a | 2.15 |
| Vitamin B12 | >200 pmol/L | 126 | 196 | n/a | 202 |
| Vitamin D (25 hydroxy) | 75-200 nmol/L | 52 | 43 | n/a | 38 |
| Ferritin | 25-200 ug/L | 29 | 24 | n/a | 14 |
| Hemoglobin | 135 - 180 g / L | 148 | 117 | 83 | 91 |
| Hematocrit | 0.37 - 0.54 L/L | 0.438 | 0.36 | 0.267 | 0.296 |
| Wbc count | 4-11 x10 9/L | 6.7 | 6.2 | 9.53 | 6.6 |
| Rbc count | 4.5 - 6.5 x10 12/L | 5.02 | 4.62 | 3.2 | 4.21 |
| Mcv | 80-97 fl | 87 | 79 | 83.4 | 70.4 |
| MCH | 27-32 PG | 29.5 | 25 | 25.9 | 21.7 |
| MCHC | 320-360 G / L | 338 | 323 | 311 | 308 |
| RDW | 11-14.5 % | 13.2 | 19.7 | 16.5 | 19.7 |
| Platelet count | 150-400 x10 9 / L | 207 | 251 | 180 | 474 |
| Neutros | 2-7.5 x10 9 / L | 4.4 | 4.4 | 7.17 | 4 |
| Lymph | 1.1-3.3 x10 9 / L | 1.7 | 1.43 | 1.4 | 1.9 |
| Mono | 0-0.8 x10 9 / L | 0.5 | 0.31 | 0.95 | 0.6 |
| Eos | 0-0.5 x10 9 / L | 0.01 | 0.06 | 0 | 0.1 |
| ESR | 2-25 mm/h | 11 | 6 (March 2014) | n/a | 49 (Sept 2011) |
| hs-CRP | <1.0 mg/L | 3.7 | 3.5 (Mar 2014) | n/a | 40.8 |
I’ll be honest, I’m really happy with the look of things – nearly everything is normal except vitamin B12 and vitamin D, which are typical concerns for vegans, ostomates, IBDers and Canadians alike! But I will confess that I’ve been terrible in keeping up with supplementing those two. Since I don’t eat many fortified foods, supplementation is a must for those two vitamins.
The good news is that even without iron supplementation, my levels are now normal and I’m no longer anemic. I’m willing to bet that if my anal wound hasn’t been bleeding for the last year, the levels would be even better, but I’m not going to complain too much.
My electrolyte levels are also looking good, which is a relief. I know that electrolytes are a concern for ileostomates, so I’m glad that’s not an issue for me right now.
I am puzzled by the hs-CRP, which is an inflammatory marker, but considering that I still have an anal wound, this may not be too out of the ordinary. My GP wasn’t concerned, but I did say that I would follow up with my GI sometime in the summer when I schedule another ileoscopy.
I was also taken back by my weight, which is now 183lbs, and is probably the heaviest I’ve been – ever. I’m not happy about this, and will work to get that weight down to a healthier level. Inactivity + night-time binges + eating waaaaay too much at dinner time + “making up for lost meals” = uncontrolled weight gain.