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blood work
2014-Mar-09, Sunday 03:55 pmI had some blood tests run recently, and the results were... interesting. I wish the USA had a first-world healthcare system. I'd pay cash right now for another brain MRI if I could get a fee schedule like this Canadian company, but here it's impossible to even get a straight answer about how much the procedure costs. Go, Team America! But... I'll leave behind the politics for now.
White blood cells develop into 1 of 5 main types. (I found this wikipedia image helpful.) Three related kinds are called basophils, neutrophils, and eosinophils. Together, they are the polymorphonuclear (or PMN) cell family. Their near-cousin is the monocyte. Their distant-cousin is the leukocyte (natural killer cell, T-cells, and B-cells).
I have to mention that background because my latest blood tests muddle the issue slightly. Automated machinery can stain the cells in a blood sample and count the various kinds of these 5 white blood cells. Not-so-good machines are unable to distinguish between all 5, so they end up with only 3 groups: PMN, leukocyte, and monocyte (as a mid-range size cell). My recent blood results use this less-advanced machinery. Here are some blood results over the years. I started complaining of neuropathy in 2006 (I think?) and muscle twitches in 2009.
I see a few trends here. First, the good news is that my B12 climbed significantly after my gut infection was finally cured in 2012. I thought my first blood test in 2007 showed B12 at 285, so it's improved a lot. I appear to be absorbing B12 properly again. Yay! I do periodically show high levels of Bilirubin and Folate. I'm not sure what they mean. My genetic testing with 23andMe shows that I have a predisposition for primary biliary cirrhosis, and the bilirubin could be related to it.
The troublesome data trend is the decreasing leukocyte percentage. The usual culprits are either HIV-infection or leukemia, but I don't think either of those conditions are in my future. (edit 3/17/2014: Blood tests for neuron-related infections show that I do not have Lyme disease, HIV, or syphilis.) A common theme that can tie together the leukocytes, bilirubin, genetic risk, and symptom history, however, is my usual favorite... multiple sclerosis.
My current doctor is in a new healthcare network for me, so he doesn't have any of this history. He wants to wait a month and test me again to see if results hold the same. I'm trying to withhold my impatience and let the American healthcare system work its slow bureaucratic process. What I really want right now is a new brain MRI. I may give up and just self-diagnose myself with MS then see what diet and lifestyle changes I could make that would improve my long-term outcome.
More news next month, I guess.
White blood cells develop into 1 of 5 main types. (I found this wikipedia image helpful.) Three related kinds are called basophils, neutrophils, and eosinophils. Together, they are the polymorphonuclear (or PMN) cell family. Their near-cousin is the monocyte. Their distant-cousin is the leukocyte (natural killer cell, T-cells, and B-cells).
I have to mention that background because my latest blood tests muddle the issue slightly. Automated machinery can stain the cells in a blood sample and count the various kinds of these 5 white blood cells. Not-so-good machines are unable to distinguish between all 5, so they end up with only 3 groups: PMN, leukocyte, and monocyte (as a mid-range size cell). My recent blood results use this less-advanced machinery. Here are some blood results over the years. I started complaining of neuropathy in 2006 (I think?) and muscle twitches in 2009.
| Date: Expected Range | Lymphocytes 24 (or 20)-48 % | Monocytes 0-12 % | Neutrophils 40-75 % | Basophils 0-2 % | Eosinophils 0-6 % | Bilirubin-Total 0.2-1.3 (or 1.0) mg/dL | Bilirubin-Direct 0.05-0.24 mg/dL | B12 211-911 pg/dL | Folate 3-16 ng/dL |
| 2/28/2014 | 20.4 | 12.0 "MID %" | 67.6 "PMN %" | 1.6 | 0.27 | 452 | 18 | ||
| 11/18/2011 | 30.5 | 7.2 | 56.8 | 0.4 | 5.1 | ||||
| 5/20/2010 | 36 | 11 | 47 | 0 | 6 | 0.6 | 334 | 11.9 | |
| 2/2/2010 | 16.5 | ||||||||
| 1/12/2010 | 35 | 9 | 50 | 0 | 6 | 1.6 | |||
| 2007 ? | 285 ? | ||||||||
| 6/6/2003 | 1.0 | ||||||||
I see a few trends here. First, the good news is that my B12 climbed significantly after my gut infection was finally cured in 2012. I thought my first blood test in 2007 showed B12 at 285, so it's improved a lot. I appear to be absorbing B12 properly again. Yay! I do periodically show high levels of Bilirubin and Folate. I'm not sure what they mean. My genetic testing with 23andMe shows that I have a predisposition for primary biliary cirrhosis, and the bilirubin could be related to it.
The troublesome data trend is the decreasing leukocyte percentage. The usual culprits are either HIV-infection or leukemia, but I don't think either of those conditions are in my future. (edit 3/17/2014: Blood tests for neuron-related infections show that I do not have Lyme disease, HIV, or syphilis.) A common theme that can tie together the leukocytes, bilirubin, genetic risk, and symptom history, however, is my usual favorite... multiple sclerosis.
My current doctor is in a new healthcare network for me, so he doesn't have any of this history. He wants to wait a month and test me again to see if results hold the same. I'm trying to withhold my impatience and let the American healthcare system work its slow bureaucratic process. What I really want right now is a new brain MRI. I may give up and just self-diagnose myself with MS then see what diet and lifestyle changes I could make that would improve my long-term outcome.
More news next month, I guess.