Blood test results - how big a deal?

[frank]

I recently had a blood test and the result showed kidney, creatinine was 1.6 and should have been under 1.4 and GFR was 44 and should have been over 60. the doctor said I was dehydrated. does anyone know what this means?

 

[TheWizard]

There are three separate considerations to me:

1 -- concern about the cost of the meds;

2 -- concern about the side effects of the meds;

3 -- concern about being diagnosed with something that makes me a higher risk if we have to apply for individual health insurance in the future.

In reality, the magnitude of my concerns here go (from greatest fear to lowest fear) #3, #2 and #1.

I think one needs also to be concerned about the long term effects of NOT dealing with a problem related to blood sugar or blood pressure, for example...

 

[psweath]

brewer12345 - I had almost those exact same numbers at my checkup about a year ago. My doc wanted my Vitamin D in the 60-70 range. We started at 2000IU per day and have retested a couple times and have found that for me it takes 4000IU per day to maintain that level. This of course is an individual thing, so all you can do is supplement and retest.

For my glucose which had hit the low 100s, I suspected my diet which was carb heavy and a fair amount of sweets too. I researched diet/lifestyle changes, and went on the South Beach Diet, and actually learned how to modify my eating for life - not just for a "diet" period. It's easy to follow after the initial couple phases and it dropped my glucose into the 80s within 5 months.

For my creeping LDL, my doc suggested a heart scan which actually did show a moderate amount of plaque, so we are treating that with a couple supplements. Had my heart scan score been zero, then he wouldn't have done anything about my LDL number.

Your condition at time of test can definitely skew the numbers, so I agree with what others have said about retesting. If it were me, I'd start getting some more Vit. D in me, get in to see the doc when I could, and maybe wait until things are a bit more relaxed.

Good luck to you!
Pete

 

[brewer12345]

Brewer - I understand your frustration but there is a significant liability issue about treating over the phone. It is highly preferable to see patients rather than treat and/or prescribe over the phone. Even some meds refills are tricky since we need kidney function, liver function test results for example.

I understand. Its hard to be told some random numbers are a little out of whack and not be given any context, especially when they wil not talk to you until you come in.

 

[haha]

That is precisely teh reason I will fight like a lion to avoid such a diagnosis.

Then don't get any more tests like this, and change your diet toward or to low-carb. It works for almost everyone.

Ha

 

[brewer12345]

brewer12345 - I had almost those exact same numbers at my checkup about a year ago. My doc wanted my Vitamin D in the 60-70 range. We started at 2000IU per day and have retested a couple times and have found that for me it takes 4000IU per day to maintain that level. This of course is an individual thing, so all you can do is supplement and retest.

For my glucose which had hit the low 100s, I suspected my diet which was carb heavy and a fair amount of sweets too. I researched diet/lifestyle changes, and went on the South Beach Diet, and actually learned how to modify my eating for life - not just for a "diet" period. It's easy to follow after the initial couple phases and it dropped my glucose into the 80s within 5 months.

For my creeping LDL, my doc suggested a heart scan which actually did show a moderate amount of plaque, so we are treating that with a couple supplements. Had my heart scan score been zero, then he wouldn't have done anything about my LDL number.

Your condition at time of test can definitely skew the numbers, so I agree with what others have said about retesting. If it were me, I'd start getting some more Vit. D in me, get in to see the doc when I could, and maybe wait until things are a bit more relaxed.

Good luck to you!
Pete

After some time to think about it, I suspect that teh upshot of all of this is that I need to be more diligent about taking vitamins (esp vit D) and I need to stop indulging my sweet tooth. If the doctor starts talking about making an adverse diagnosis or statins, etc. I will suggest another blood test. My next visit will be a couple days after a week-long vacation.

 

[jayc]

I think you could do 1 of 3 things.

1) Ask more strangers on the internet until you get enough of the answers you were hoping for.

2) Start a 'Poll' on an internet forum to get statistical data to back up item 1.

3) Go see your Doctor to discuss the lab results as they pertain to your lifestyle, diet, and family history.

 

[Bimmerbill]

I also got a recent blood test that showed low D. I am on 1 1000 unit D vitamin a day now. Doc said that a lot of people from the North East have it due to lack of sun.

 

[brewer12345]

I think you could do 1 of 3 things.

1) Ask more strangers on the internet until you get enough of the answers you were hoping for.

2) Start a 'Poll' on an internet forum to get statistical data to back up item 1.

3) Go see your Doctor to discuss the lab results as they pertain to your lifestyle, diet, and family history.

4) Go be pointlessly obnoxious on the interwebs

 

[jclarksnakes]

I think you could do 1 of 3 things.

1) Ask more strangers on the internet until you get enough of the answers you were hoping for.

2) Start a 'Poll' on an internet forum to get statistical data to back up item 1.

3) Go see your Doctor to discuss the lab results as they pertain to your lifestyle, diet, and family history.

Best laugh of my day. Thanks jayc.

 

[Gumby]

3 -- concern about being diagnosed with something that makes me a higher risk if we have to apply for individual health insurance in the future.

My health insurance plan has a program whereby if you have certain chronic conditions, the co-pays are waived for visits related to that condition. It is supposedly designed to get people to follow a treatment and monitoring regimen before things get out of hand (and therefore more expensive). I recently received a letter from them saying, in essence, "Good news! You don't have any more co-pays for your chronic asthma and coronary artery disease." I'm sure it would be good news, except for the fact that I have no such conditions.

My concern was exactly the same as yours - what if I need individual health insurance or life insurance in the future and this is in my medical record? So I got on the phone pronto to straighten them out. Surprisingly, they were quite responsive, agreed it was a mistake and corrected it.

It brought home to me the fact that I need to be very vigilant about precisely what record is being amassed when I go to the doctor that might later be used against me. To this extent, at least, the doctor is serving the insurance company's interests, not mine. Indeed, I would not go for a checkup at all, except for the fact that the health plan will charge me an extra $1200 a year in premiums if I don't.

 

[Nords]

I got blood test results that had a few values outside the ideal ranges. Vit D was 21 vs. a usual range of 35 to 150. Fasting blood glucose was 101 vs. 79-99 range. LDLs were 113 vs. max of 100 for the ideal range.
When they drew blood I was exhausted after twoo weeks on the road and a very busy weekend catching up on chores in between.
Is this the correct interpretation?

When the Dr. saw me that day he even said, "you look tired."
Given how exhaustion and stress affect almost everything about health, I would not be surprised in the slightest if the tests were affected.

After some time to think about it, I suspect that teh upshot of all of this is that I need to be more diligent about taking vitamins (esp vit D) and I need to stop indulging my sweet tooth. If the doctor starts talking about making an adverse diagnosis or statins, etc. I will suggest another blood test. My next visit will be a couple days after a week-long vacation.

Ironically, at your altitude I think you get exposed to more UV radiation over there than I get exposed to over here.

When you stack up the quotes the diagnosis seems to resolve itself. Take 15 [-]days[/-] minutes of [-]surfing[/-] sunshine and talk to the doctor again.

See if you can find anyone in your neighborhood who knows anything about good beer... that might help too.

 

[Dawg52]

If the doctor starts talking about making an adverse diagnosis or statins, etc. I will suggest another blood test. My next visit will be a couple days after a week-long vacation.

Before I was put on statins, my doc waited 3 months before doing the test again. In that time I did a lot of walking and tried to eat better. My LDL actually went up from 113 to 130. So he put me on one of the older drugs(Mevacor) and it corrected everything. The doc was even amazed at how perfect the ratios turned out.

I was also concerned how being on a statin would affect an individual health policy. When I had my over the phone interview with BCBS, the interviewer complimented my numbers and said just keep on doing what ever I was doing. She had the info on my statins, so I assume she saw it or maybe she was asleep at the wheel. But i was approved with standard rates for my age bracket. And they premiums have stayed in line for the six years I have had the plan.

Mevacor cost me 11 cents a day. Not a bad deal imo. Of course they may make me bat crazy in a few years. Some think they already have.

 

[grasshopper]

I was also concerned how being on a statin would affect an individual health policy. When I had my over the phone interview with BCBS, the interviewer complimented my numbers and said just keep on doing what ever I was doing. She had the info on my statins, so I assume she saw it or maybe she was asleep at the wheel.

As long as the statin use was in your application. BCBS does have a way of letting you go, if you aren't truthful, only after you have a claim.

 

[Buckeye]

brewer12345 - I had almost those exact same numbers at my checkup about a year ago. My doc wanted my Vitamin D in the 60-70 range. We started at 2000IU per day and have retested a couple times and have found that for me it takes 4000IU per day to maintain that level. This of course is an individual thing, so all you can do is supplement and retest.

It also took me 20,000 IU a day for 60 days to raise my Vitamin D by about 20 points (started about 50). My doc also wanted me in the 70 range and recommends getting at least 4,000 IU's per day in one form or another. I haven't been good about supplementing lately so I'm sure I've gone back down to 45-50. Time to get it checked.

 

[Buckeye]

I also got a recent blood test that showed low D. I am on 1 1000 unit D vitamin a day now. Doc said that a lot of people from the North East have it due to lack of sun.

My guess is you will see no change in your Vit D with such a low level of supplementation.

 

[Buckeye]

I recently had a blood test and the result showed kidney, creatinine was 1.6 and should have been under 1.4 and GFR was 44 and should have been over 60. the doctor said I was dehydrated. does anyone know what this means?

About 2 years ago, my 78 year-old mother had some terrible kidney numbers. They were so bad, her PCP was talking to her about dialysis (which she would never do). Apparently, her 2-part BP medication was causing a problem and coincidentally her Vit D level was incredibly low at 12. She changed her BP med and started taking the prescription Vit D pills, once a week, 50,000.

I think she's up in the 30's now but should get it higher. No more kidney issues.

 

[eytonxav]

My guess is you will see no change in your Vit D with such a low level of supplementation.

+1, I agree with Buckeye. You may need to build up your stores first by taking higher dosages for a while before going on a maintenance level like 1000 units/day. I'd suggest consulting with your Dr.

 

[omni550]

+1, I agree with Buckeye. You may need to build up your stores first by taking higher dosages for a while before going on a maintenance level like 1000 units/day. I'd suggest consulting with your Dr.

I get a fair amount of sun exposure, as I walk for an hour outside on most days (without wearing sunscreen).

Even with that sun exposure, my doc says that my blood tests indicate that I need 8000 units of Vit D3 daily. I now take Vit D3 5000 units one day and 10,000 units the next, alternating days.

Doc says the latest findings are that D3 (Cholecalciferol) is the critical portion of Vit D, so that's the kind I take. Also, they've found that K2 is required for the telomeres to take-up the Vit D3. So I take 50mcg of K2 daily.

I've noticed, while shopping at the health food store, that some manufacturers are now selling Vit D3 and K2 together in the same pill.

omni

 

[Dawg52]

As long as the statin use was in your application. BCBS does have a way of letting you go, if you aren't truthful, only after you have a claim.

It was in my application. Plus it was in my prior records BC had as I was already a customer with them through my company's health plan. Everything was in their court when they approved me for the individual policy 6 years ago.

 

[audreyh1]

Well, Brewer, did you meet with your Doc? Did he have anything to add suggest? Was he concerned about your "borderline" glucose number?

My husband routinely has fasting blood glucose around 101. It hasn't changed over the years. He is at an excellent weight and eats more healthy food than I! I notice that depending on the year, it is compared against 110, 100, or 118! Pretty random!

I just got back a great fasting glucose number, so while I may have many things to worry about, diabetes apparently is not one of them thank goodness (knock on wood!).

 

[brewer12345]

I met with the doc and he told me to lose some weight and clean up my diet. I have lost the weight (193, lowest I have been since probably 2008) and watch my diet, although I have relatively frequent backslides in part due to the strains of heavy business travel lately. I was supposed to meet with doc tomorrow to follow up, but it is the first day of school. Therefore I punted a couple weeks.

I think that I just need to quit my job and camp all the time. I routinely lose weight when we go camping since I usually eat very well (carbs are a PITA to achieve over the campfire) aside from a s'more a night, I generaly have heavy physical activity (several mile hike at 10,000+ foot elevations, firewood gathering, and a workout with a hatchet this weekend), and I sleep like a rock for way longer than I normally manage. Can I get a prescription for that?

 

[Tyro]

Vitamin D, Glucose

It's been estimated that as many as 1/3 of healthy individuals may in fact be deficient in vitamin D. Also, as we age, our skin loses the capacity for vitamin D production. Given the many benefits vitamin D can afford us, supplements aren't a bad idea. The question then becomes which form -- D2 or D3, and how much?

Since the 1930s, it was assumed that both were equivalent, however this view is changing in recent years. D3 is about 3x as potent as D2, and is, according to some sources, more bioavailable than D2 (D2 is the vegetable form, and not found or produced in the human body).

Vitamin D2 Is Much Less Effective than Vitamin D3 in Humans

Vitamin D3 Vs. Vitamin D | LIVESTRONG.COM

Vitamin D - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Also, Google: vitamin D2 vs D3

As to how much, sources vary on this as well. "Official" recommendations have been raised from 400IU to 600IU, and some experts think this is still not high enough, recommending 1000IU to 4000IU and higher.

Google: vitamin d how much

Borderline glucose levels: R-Lipoic Acid, in addition to being a powerful antioxidant, may lower blood glucose levels by helping the body utilize glucose.

Google: r lipoic acid glucose levels

Tyro

 

[Meadbh]

This just in: stress at work makes women more likely to get diabetes. One more reason to FIRE!

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/08/21/diabetes-work-stress.html?cmp=rss

 

[unclemick]

Now past 65 - I live or die by blood tests. Wellness pep talks every month, my own website entry's and diet/exercise advice.

All kinds of stuff. A whole page worth.

heh heh heh - every 6 month's - I go again tomorrow.

My nemesis - HDL, sometimes vitamin D or iron.