Blood experts please report.

Got my blood work back from my personal doc today. Just grabbed a copy from her receptionist. Didn't want to make a copay just to sit down and discuss it with the doc. She had an office full anyway. So I'm flagged in a couple of areas, but I don't know enough medical to fill a thimble. So let me throw some terms out here and if any of y'all have any info or insight on these, then fire at will: RDW - According to webmd.com it stands for Red Cell Distribution width. The acceptable range is 12.8 to 14.7%. Mine was 15.7%. Is this related to WLS, malabsorption or diet? Anion Gap - No hits on webmd.com. Have no friggin clue what it is. Mine is 17.0 whereas the acceptable range is 5.0 - 15.0. Total Bilurubin - According to webmd.com this has something to do with the liver filtering out old red blood cells, but I can't make out much more than that. Mine's 1.7 whereas the acceptable range is 0.2 - 1.3. Anybody who knows anything about any of these topics would be appreciated greatly. Of course I'll discuss these items with my bariatric doc's staff here in a couple of weeks, but like most everybody else, I'm always looking for a heads up.

This says, RDW can be related to mixed iron and B-12 difficiency:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_blood_cell_distribution_wid th

Still, I'd hate to play armchair M.D. based on that.

With the same reservations, this Wiki article says that high Anion Gap can be related to Ketosis, which being a recent RNY, you will have. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anion_gap

Bilirubin, according to this next armchair diagnosis which I'm doing again through Wiki, is related solely to food intake and there is no real normal level for Bilirubin. So, your body is probably just getting fewer signals to produce or release bilyrubin, because your digestive system has been altered big time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilirubin

Hope this helps.

Best Wishes,

Dave

...in other words, you may need more B-12 and iron, but overall from my novice analysis of Wiki, it just looks like your body is going "WTF?"

I hadn't thought about Wiki. Good call. I'll go read up on this stuff over there. Thanks, JF

I'll take a stab at it. RDW - According to webmd.com it stands for Red Cell Distribution width. The acceptable range is 12.8 to 14.7%. Mine was 15.7%. Is this related to WLS, malabsorption or diet? RDW increases in early iron deficiency, often before other tests show signs of this type of anemia. Anion Gap - No hits on webmd.com. Have no friggin clue what it is. Mine is 17.0 whereas the acceptable range is 5.0 - 15.0. Anion Gap helps to categorize and evaluate possible causes of metabolic acidodis. Not a huge thing to worry about, but of note... it can show diabetic ketoacidosis if it is elevated. Total Bilurubin - According to webmd.com this has something to do with the liver filtering out old red blood cells, but I can't make out much more than that. Mine's 1.7 whereas the acceptable range is 0.2 - 1.3. A high total bilirubin is common in some newborns, then they recieve UV light treatment and get better. In your case though it could just be a sign that your liver is working hard, but I would not stress about it. ****il your eyes and skin turn yellow -jaundice)

Smidge-off "abnormal" lab test values hardly ever mean much of anything.  In fact, the "normal" values are called "normal" simply because of the normal distribution.  Clinical labs each calculate their own "normal" values based on what is seen in the population they test, which also explains why a lab reports new "normal" ranges occasionally.  Now, for most run-of-the-mill lab tests, one lab's normal values wouldn't be expected to differ all that much from another's, but it could be enough to turn on or off a red flag on an automated lab result printout. Basically, if something isn't off-the-charts, and isn't a clearly well-understood value like electrolytes or low iron or hemoglobin or something like this, all anyone is really going to do is wait 'n see, and measure the results again in a few months or a year, especially if it isn't associated with any clinical signs or symptoms.  Plus, most lab results aren't meaningful by themselves; it takes an experienced and expensive clinician familiar with the patient as a whole to know which results to ignore!  "Not Dave!" and "Knotty Druid" both sounded spot-on to me as far as your particular lab tests are concerned. /Steve

Thanks men. This type of information give and take is one of the reasons I hang out here. I pick up a lot just by lurking. Y'all take care.

Wiki is okay. My favorite source is the Mayo clinic. They have a lot of the stuff (nothing to do with my love of Mayonaise!).

Best Wishes,

Dave

J, I’m late to the thread, and after reading the others I have nothing to add…Except- Do ask your doc pointed specifics as how these fluctuations Might relate to your WLS. Looks to be early indicator of a degree of Iron deficiency and Liver a little stressed slightly by rapid weight-loss. (But just my knee-jerk response based on reading others lab-doc-reports from past ‘posters.’  Wouldn’t quite fill that thimble of yours.) KD is usually spot on, he has some expertise to draw from, and Dave is a Google aficionado .  Steve has nailed it with his explanation of “normal values.” Your doc, even with the co-pay (next week?) will do wonders at hitting the nail on the head. Don’t put off seeing the doc for interpretation and follow-up. Best Wishes- Dx