Labs...

I got my labs back and have no idea what they mean? Is there something online that tells us what all these big words mean in plain english?!
Also, doc said my folate was low. Is folate folic acid? Or a B vitamin? I thought it was folic acid but I just saw a surgeon for plastics and he said it was a b-vitamin or something?!
I'm aaaaaaaaall kindsa' confused! HeLp pleeeease!

 Your folate is supplemented with folic acid another name for vitamin B9. You want it somewhere around 20. A good website to help you with this is www.labtestsonline.org also Linus Pauling has good info online about vitamins and minerals.

If you want to post your iron, ferritin, hemoglobin, hematocrit, calcium, PTH (parathyroid), vitamin D3, potassium, zinc, protein, albumin, B12 and whatever else interests you, I'll try to help. And, post your labs range next to your level.

--gina
 

She just said I was low on Folate so I should take a multivitamin, but I see now that it says I'm "L" (low) on... GLOBULIN 1.9 (2.0-3.7 g/dL). Then it say's I'm "H" (high) on... ALB/GLOB RATIO 2.4 (1.0-2.0).

Um... what? *confused*

I don't know anything about those. Just the ones I listed that are more nutrition related.

--g
 

I know it takes a lot of time to post all of the labs with ranges next to it (that's impo b/c labs set different ranges), but if you want the best help you can get by posting here, then you really have to do this step.  The fact that you're so far out from your surgery & unsure about folic acid being a B vitamin suggests that you might not be very knowledgable about vitamins - where you should be in your ranges, what you should have gotten tested, & what you're currently taking.  I certainly hope it's not the case, but it may be that you have bigger problems than folic acid & just don't realize it b/c you trust your dr to know about vitamins (when they don't) and you likely don't, either, based on what you typed.  I didn't know either when I first got the DS, but I swallowed my pride, reread things a lot if I didn't understand the first time, & listened to others - b/c in the end, it was my health at stake.  I would type the list here if you have the time.  What labs you got, what your ranges were, & what you currently take for vitamins.

About the albumin, globulin, & ratio . . .

Based on your ratio & globulin, I've calculated your albumin to be around 4.4 - 4.5, which is good.  Albumin is the precursor to your total protein.  If albumin runs low, your total protein will soon follow.  So, your albumin is good, which suggests your protein dietary intake is good :)

As far as the ratio goes, you are so close to normal that I wouldn't worry overly much about it, especially since your albumin is good.  When I was really sick, my ratio was REALLY, REALLY LOW (0.6)  It could just be that your liver wants a little bit of extra help, it's been under a lot of stress lately is my likely guess based on your plastics & possibly medication from that.  The liver cycles out toxins from your blood, that's it's normal job.  Given time, the ratio will almost certainly go back into the normal range as your body heals & is not under a lot of stress.  If you want to help it along, take 1 pill of milk thistle daily.  Also, keep in mind that there's always an "error of margin"  in any blood test, which means they could run that same blood sample again & it could be 10% higher (& therefore normal) or 10% lower.  In any case, I think the take home message is it's not that low, don't worry about it.