First labs back.... Any thoughts?
I'm thinking there is also a lot of things that they do not put in a lab for.... I don't see anywhere that says Iron or FE. Just Ferritin.
Here's most of the things listed:
B-12 926
Folate 16.3
TSH 0.704
Vit D, 25-Hydroxy 75.3
Vit B1, (Thiamine) 171.6
Phosphorus 3.6
Thyroxine (T4) 10.5
Insulin 25.8 (says HIGH but I wasn't fasting)
Ferritin 22
PTH, Intact 57
Prealbumin 24
Sodium 141
Potassium 4.7
Chloride 104
Calcium 8.9
Protein 7.4
Albumin 4.2
Is there another name for Iron and maybe I'm just missing it? Do some places just test Ferritin and not both?
Any thoughts? Thanks so much. I LOVE this board!! :)
*******Angela****** 5'10"tall 36yrs old SW 268 CW 180 GW 168
If they ordered iron, it would say iron or total iron. It so happens they are missing several things though so you can ask them order iron if you want along with the other things. If you want to ask for them, I mean. I don't see vitamin A, zinc or copper, which you definitely need. And I don't see B6, E, K or selenium, which you probably don't need as much as you do the others, but I would still get them done. What I mean is, they are less likely to be a problem. But they could be.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
the calcium level in our blood really tells us very little about our calcium intake/absorption.
See, if the calcium level in our blood drops too low, our muscles cannot contract. The heart is a muscle and if it cannot contract, as in beat, we drop dead. So if we don't take in enough calcium or don't absorb the calcium we take in for some reason (like if our vitamin D level is too low), our bodies produce extra parathyroid hormone, which sucks calcium out of our bones to keep that level in our blood good. As long as you have bones and teeth to suck calcium out of, that calcium level in your blood will likely be OK.
If it drops low, it may mean you have problems with your endocrine system or other potentially serious health problems, but it doesn't mean you aren't getting enough calcium.
For lab results that tell you about calcium, what you want to know is your D level and PTH. If the D is below 80, that means you won't absorb calcium well, no matter how much you take. Doesn't mean you won't absorb any, you will. But maybe not enough and you will be at increased risk for osteoporosis as well as other unpleasant things.
If the PTH is on the high side (even in the normal range, just on the high side), it suggests you are indeed leaching calcium out of your bones.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
After your labs have been finished, ask for a copy of the lab report for yourself. Read it. They are usually easy to read, you don't have to have any special medical knowledge. If anything is outside the normal range, as him what that means and if you need to do anything about it.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
