12 replies to this topic

[Road Runner]

I've been feeling flat for about a month (it started off with a week of severe headaches & nausea), so finally got some blood tests done. Everything was normal, apart from the following.......

Transferrin: 39
Total Cholesterol: 5.9 (probably from all the junk I eat!)
White Cell Count: 3.9
Neutrophils: 45% 1.8
Platelets: 110

All the (non-running) doc said was that I might be recovering from an infection, and advised me to get retested in a month. If anyone has more info than that, it would be greatly appreciated.

PS Dorevitch added the following.........
Red cells, white cells and platelets show normal morphology. There is a mild neutropenia. There is a mild thrombocytopenia.

Edited by Road Runner, 02 November 2008 - 07:19 PM.

[Leofisio]

The best guy to interpreter your exams is your GP... all type of exams must be interpreted with clinical examination, and therefore I suggest you to ask your doctor about it.

Leo

[Woodenlegs]

Leofisio, on Nov 3 2008, 10:47 AM, said:

The best guy to interpreter your exams is your GP... all type of exams must be interpreted with clinical examination, and therefore I suggest you to ask your doctor about it.

Leo

I agree with the above your doctor would know best and if concerned then you must discuss it with them!! But I can tell you your platelet & white cell count is not really that low normal range is about 140 -400 platelets and white cell count 4.0 -11.0 Some people have what is know as a reverse differential where their Lymphocyte count is higher than their Neutrophils again I would not be worried.

[Road Runner]

Woodenlegs, on Nov 4 2008, 04:44 PM, said:

I agree with the above your doctor would know best and if concerned then you must discuss it with them!!

I did discuss it with my doctor, and the only info I got was what I put in my original post

Edited by Road Runner, 04 November 2008 - 09:04 PM.

[BabyNurse]

Thing is though, you'll find most of us who are qualified/able to interpret pathology results normally do so in conjunction with a whole clinical picture. The pathology test is just one component of diagnosis, and you won't find many medical professionals willing to put their registration on the line (because let's face it, it wouldn't be that hard to identify most of us from posting history) in order to provide information to someone over the internet.

I'd join the chorus of people telling to to seek further information from your doctor if you are concerned.

[Road Runner]

Obviously, no-one (so far) has read my original post properly. No offence, but unless you can offer something constructive, please don't bother posting here. I did discuss the results with my doctor, but all she could tell me was that I might be recovering from an infection (as I said in my original post).
BabyNurse, I think you're a bit paranoid with talk about medical professionals putting their registration on the line! We're all friends here

Edited by Road Runner, 04 November 2008 - 09:21 PM.

[Bellthorpe]

I would suggest that each further poster has read your original post studiously. They are then adding their comments to the conversation that ensued. Sorry to tell you this, but you're not in control of the thread.

[Colsy]

Hey bossy boots...I think those guys have offered you some good advice. I thought woodenlegs in particular was very helpful.

I suggest you havent read the replies properly.

[Olmy]

Test results aren't a diagnosis and a set or results can mean vastly different things depending on the clinical picture and the patient's history. Doctors are taught to treat the patient, not the test results, and if the test results don't match your clinical thinking then you disregard the test results or order new tests.

And people are offering something constructive, they are telling you that you can't offer someone much from a bunch of general test results.

[Leofisio]

Road Runner, on Nov 4 2008, 09:14 PM, said:

Obviously, no-one (so far) has read my original post properly. No offence, but unless you can offer something constructive, please don't bother posting here. I did discuss the results with my doctor, but all she could tell me was that I might be recovering from an infection (as I said in my original post).
BabyNurse, I think you're a bit paranoid with talk about medical professionals putting their registration on the line! We're all friends here

Ok... so I will give you a constructive reply: "You might be recovering from an infection... repeat the exams in 30 days".

Cheers,

Leo

[jenny the orienteer]

Not commenting on anyone else's comments here, but going back to the blood test results as listed in Road Runner's original post:

You don't say whether you turned out to be anaemic? White cell count and platelets are slightly lower than usual for most people, but not so low that a doctor would be concerned by them. The cells are described as being of usual size and shape, and unless someone becomes suddenly far more prone to infections, or bruising a lot more than usual, it's unlikely that a doctor would order any further tests based on this information. It's definitely true that a one-off infection, including a virus, can make people's blood counts go down, or up, for that matter, but they should come back to normal in a while. Checking again in a few weeks to see whether there is any change in these results makes sense to me.

I'm not a doctor but I work with them on a daily basis, and this is the sort of approach I've commonly seen them take.

[Old chook]

I'm really only repeating what your GP has said. The test is useful in that it has made certain diagnoses much less likely: significant bacterial infections, anaemia, major viral infections. These results would not make you chase any of these diagnoses further at this point. In the absence of more symptoms on your part. There are some minor abnormalities. The trouble is that "normal" ranges are statistically derived and it is possible to get a result outside of these ranges for many perfectly innocent reasons. The most likely reason which involves a disease process to explain your minor abnormalities is a viral infection. But there are so many of the buggers and the abnormalities are so small, in the absence of any more specific clues, it is generally pointless (and can be hugely expensive) to do any more specific tests for them. Most doctors though would do a followup test in a week or two, just to see that the abnormality was moving towards normality.

Does this help much?

[Road Runner]

Old chook, on Nov 10 2008, 10:35 PM, said:

Does this help much?

Hi Old chook,
Thanks for the info. I just ran 8 days in a row, before being sidelined with shin splints (again), but I hope to be back into it again soon. Regardless of how I feel, I'll go back to the doc in a couple of weeks to get retested. Initially I was a bit concerned, but after reading your post (and a couple of the others), I'm not giving it much thought anymore.