+ 1 understanding this blood test
Hi, been a member here for about 10 years but don't post much at all. I am 54 about 180, divorced and have a physical job in package delivery. I have been self prescribing test for about 10 years and did not start it by getting a baseline test done and all the other things on would do to start correctly. I started at a high dose of 175mgs a week for a few years then dropped down to 150mgs a week for a few years but started getting side effects, so at the beginning of this year I dropped down to 85mgs a week and that was terrible so a few months ago moved up to 100mgs a week. I get blood tests done and have blood pulled but the last few tests showed some irregularities that I cant figure out and was hoping to get help understanding what this could mean. This blood test was done 3 weeks after giving 1/2 pint of blood and 2 days after a shot. I also have been eating a lot of red meat every day, about 1 pound of ground beef. I went to a clinic to get medical advice but the doctor told me to get off for 3 months before he would help me. I can only imagine what that would feel like, so I was looking for advice here before moving on to some other action.
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Are you anemic? Can you post your full CBC? If all your electrolytes, bun, and creatinine are within normal range it is unlikely anything related to dehydration. If you don't have anemia, it can be as simple as an iron deficiency or you can have some other underlying blood disorder (unlikely to discover it this late in life/usually genetic). If you've never had similar abnormal values in the past, then I'd try to supplement my iron and do a repeat cbc... or you can check your iron (full iron panel) beforehand.
Your HCT & RBC aren't terribly elevated, but if you correct the iron deficiency you may want to consider donating blood again down the road (when you're allowed to do so again); depending how much longer you're running your cycle. If you're coming off cycle in the next few months then you're HCT and RBC should level themselves off. You want to be concerned when your HCT is near that 60% range. I too have sleep apnea and it will indeed raise your HCT slightly to moderately.
*If you're blood type is O+/-, A-, or B-, double red donations is the way to go.
I am B- but I am not cycling I have been using for about 9-10 years. I am keeping it low to avoid the high blood pressure and giving blood more often.
Sorry cant get it rotated correctly.
Belay my last. You were indeed likely a little dehydrated at the time. Yeah, so that explains a bit more. Without trending labs it is hard to say. I would do a repeat cbc and add an iron panel, while making sure your more thoroughly hydrated. I'm not a physician, but I wouldn't be too concerned about being in any immediate danger. It may be worth seeking another doc as well....
I’m not a physician, but I can give you some educated advice here. I wouldn’t be overly concerned, the only thing that’s remarkable would be your RBC. That can simply be diet, watch your red meat. As far as the hematocrit/hemoglobin, imagine your screenshot and the hemoglobin is the video. That number can and will fluctuate daily as the hemoglobin gives you a long term showing. I have apnea as well, and poor sleep, I absolutely cannot use the cpap machine and after seeing my doctor yesterday, I have a referral for an ent doctor to see if I qualify for the implant. I’m borderline for qualifying because of my BMI, even though I have visible abs, I’ll probably have to disrobe for the doc to show why I’m 220lbs. Just looking at these numbers, and considering your job, my first guess is you were dehydrated that day. Your cells were holding on to what water was in your system thus raising your corpuscular volumes, will also raise that hematocrit. Nothing here is alarming, at least for me, but there’s room for some improvement. Next time I would drink plenty of water, even some Gatorade (personally I water it down half to half) and make sure you’re not overworked prior to your blood draw. I’m not going to preach, you and I are both old enough to know, DO FUCKING NOT get into the habit of taking benzodiazepines for sleep. It’s ok on occasion if you’re exhausted and simply cannot fall asleep, but that’s a dangerous path to go for some rest. If you do choose to use them on occasion, Xanax is a terrible choice for that, you’d want something with a much longer half life. Longer onset of action, get you through the night, alprazolam is for panic attacks, or to get a weird high, with a very high potential for abuse and dependency. Hope this helped you, ask any other questions you may have, it’s what we’re here to do. I’d suggest a blood donation, maybe, but I think that’s a cookie cutter suggestion and frankly speaking you need your blood. It’ll help you, it’ll help those in need of a donation, but unless you’re running high dosages your issues can be fixed without draining your body of the liquid that’s delivering the oxygen you breathe to your tissue, organs, and brain. Your mileage may vary, best wishes buddy.
Wow, I really appreciate the time you took to comment. I was dehydrated when I was tested because my work and I live in Texas, so 100+ days. I have tried many things to try to sleep but as a last resort I use half a Xanax, I just cannot do my job with a few hours sleep. I plan to see a physician about that soon. Thanks!
My mistake, I just realized your MCV was low, not high. you were definitely dehydrated my guy. They’ll hold on at first, but when that count gets low it’s a real problem. Drink more, add electrolytes, and keep an eye on your urine.
Has this been a pattern on consecutive blood tests? I'm sure you've heard the saying, blood tests are just a snapshot in time.
Per the internet, "Studies have shown that sleep apnea can cause an increase in hematocrit, which is the percentage of red blood cells in the blood. This increase in hematocrit can lead to decreased MCV and MCH levels. In other words, sleep apnea can cause the production of smaller, less hemoglobin-rich red blood cells."
I take somatomax, unisom, the anime and tryptophan to get some sleep and sometimes Xanax if those don’t work.
You are taking way to much stuff to sleep IMHO. Cut down caffeine if you take that. I also have sleep issues so I get it but that is not healthy! Have you gotten a new bed anytime recently?
As far as your labs are concerned, find a MD who will actually work with you. There are places online that specialize in running gear and doing it safely. Your MD sounds like he is uneducated on it and therefor scared to help. This is exactly what you need a MD for, understanding what is going on in your body. TBH if they didn't refer you(pass off) to a endocrinologist I'd really question their ability to do much or anything.
I would absolutely take a baby aspirin 81mg daily to help thin your blood. The hematocrit is to high for someone who just donated blood. To give you an analogy hematocrit is the oil in your car, if your oil is to thick or to thin your motor isn't going to run right. The motor is your heart. You may need a MD to write you a therapeutic blood donation to shave off some of numbers. 1lb of red meat is a ton per day. I really would suggest eating more chicken, fish and pork if you can.
The MCV & MCH are not that alarming to me, since you just donated blood. That makes sense, sort of. But please read this:
https://www.personalabs.com/blog/low-mcv-and-mch-meaning-and-treatment/
It talks about what all that stuff is in pretty laymen terms and gives you some ideas how to fix those numbers. If I can help answer anything I will.
I am in healthcare, don't want to dox myself so that's all I will say.
It’s true my sleep is not good most of the time and I appreciate that I will research that. Also thanks for the help and not flaming me. I’ve read many comments where people trash the poster and I’ve never posted from fear of that and not getting knowledge.
For sure brother. We're all out here trying to better ourselves. Every time I get bloods done it seems something is out of range so I can totally relate
I pin twice a week and I take multiple supplements to sleep because my sleep is off and on. I just don’t understand why my MCV, MCH is low. I also take lots of vitamins like a good multi, fish oil curcumim and a few others.
I replied about to a lot of these things, but one thing I forgot to mention was taking magnesium at bedtime. I take 800mg, it really helps with my sleep. Most people have a deficient in it. There are MANY different types out there, some work well for one person and not the next one. It does take some time to work, it's a thing you need to take for up to a year in some cases. Thinking more about what you posted above about being a package carrier, I bet you have some trace mineral deficiency if you are sweating a lot. That could answer some of the sleep issues.
Greetings brother. When you mentioned side effects, what are you referring to? How often are you pinning? Often pinning smaller doses more frequently can reduce estrogenic side effects, for example.
How's your sleep? Is it possible you have sleep apnea?
Lastly, I can't recommend enough seeing a naturopathic doctor - a doc you can trust.