Blood Test Result translation

[GnomeDePlume]

Hello

I had some blood tests run about 3 weeks ago and they have come back with the following:

ALT - 81
LDL - 8
HBA1C - 51

I have googled them and come back with the understanding that my liver is knackered, I have high cholesterol and I am diabetic. Does that sound about right?

The receptionist has given me a phone appointment with the doctor for the end of the month. Should I push to have it sooner?

Sorry, I forgot to say 'Please'!

You certainly have some significant digestive issues going on. Do you have any symptoms? That is what might drive the urgency

A hba1c over 48 is usually diagnostic of diabetes.
LDL of 8 is odd. That's bad cholesterol made in the liver IME and is extremely high if true. ? Genetic. Surely all these readings aren't in isolation?
ALT is liver. Not sure of that without googling. Speak to the GP.

The blood tests were ordered at my annual haematologist review. I have a blood clotting disorder which means that I take warfarin permanently.

My doctors surgery does tend to be a bit poor at general admin. I had to push to actually get the results as they had gone to the surgery with a letter from the haematologist to say I needed to be seen by a GP but that had somehow been overlooked. It was only by me pushing and telling them I knew they had the results that they got dug out and read out to me.

The administrator I spoke to didnt know what the tests were so just put me on a list to be spoken to at a later date.

I dont know if these sorts of results need to be followed up urgently or that I have already waited 3 weeks so another couple of weeks or so will be fine.

Without any context (or units/normal ranges for that lab) these numbers are pretty meaningless and no one on here can really advise you how significant they are. The person who ordered the tests should follow them up.

Greybeardy the haematologist has followed up in the sense that she wrote to my GP but then the whole thing disappeared until I chased the GPs surgery.

The surgery does have form for not keeping on top of admin - they were in special measures until a few months ago for being poor at managing patients on riskier drugs (like warfarin).

So now you have said you take warfarin, you need to be seen very soon.

Rarely warfarin can cause significant damage to the kidneys. That could be causing the constellation of blood test results you are seeing. If you are on warfarin to reduce the risk of blood clots, you probably should be assessed immediately for whether you need to stay on it at all, whether you can switch to an alternative (yes there are alternatives, so make them consider them as they might not want to because they are alot more expensive) or whether the risk is acceptable in which case you need very regular monitoring of your blood glucose and liver funtions

SeaToSki thank you, I will give the surgery a call today.

Well, I spoke to the surgery and as my haematologist hadn't said it was urgent (probably hadn't realised my surgery would sit on the results for 3 weeks) end of the month for a phone appointment is apparently fine.

Call your haemotologist and explain, ask them to call the GP and insist on urgency (or explain to you that it isnt urgent)

I have tried but the department is closed until Monday - unfortunately where I live is a bit of a medical black hole.

Someone will have seen your results before the appointment was made, an appropriate time scale for the appointment will have be given.

Stop googling and don't ask strangers on the internet - let a medical professional explain it to you properly otherwise you are likely to be given misinformation, particularly with such a complex medical history.

Pandamanium - I am not sure the letter had been seen by a doctor at my GP surgery. The appointment was only made because I chased.

At the surgery I was told that they hadnt had the results. It was only when I went back to the hospital who confirmed that they had sent the letter that I went back to the surgery who then dug around and found the letter. The surgery had had the letter for 3 weeks.

If they had said they had had the letter and an appointment in 5 weeks time was fine then I would be confidant of your assertion. Unfortunately that isnt the case.

The letter will have been seen, honestly, please do not get advice off the internet for something this complex.

If the haematologist has got as far as writing to your GP they will have seen the results and adjusted the warfarin if they thought it was appropriate.

As PP said, random people on the internet cannot advise you about how significant/urgent they are - context is everything.

As a general rule it should be the person who organised tests that follows them up and advises about further action and timescale - they must have had a reason for ordering a whole bunch of stuff that doesn’t immediately relate to warfarin dosing. Of all the problems that warfarin can cause, kidney damage is not significant as suggested by someone else and none of those tests relate in anyway to kidneys.

Did people miss that the surgery was in special measures until recently?

There's no guarantee the GP had seen the letter.

TurquoiseDragon exactly!

The surgery is staffed with a succession of doctors none of whom stay long. In the 14 years I have been at that surgery I have seen the same doctor more than once on fewer than a handful of occasions. I have never seen my own doctor. I'm not a regular at the surgery as the only thing wrong with me (at least up 'til now) is my sludgy blood.

Thankfully my blood clotting disorder is managed by the warfarin unit at the hospital. My blood's clotability is monitored closely and warfarin dosage managed by them.

These blood tests were ordered as part of my annual general review by the haematologist. Kidney and liver function are reviewed with the cholesterol and diabetes checks added probably because of my age (mid 50s).

Finally had my telephone appointment yesterday. As ever it was with a GP I have never spoken with before and will probably never speak with again but the appointment went fine as he did have the letter from the consultant with test results in front of him.

Results were as I thought so I am now officially diabetic (starting metformin today). More blood tests scheduled for a full check of my liver to see if it is up to the excitement of taking statins.

Also a referral for dietician advice on what to eat with competing demands of warfarin and metformin. Lots of healthy variety for diabetes but lots of restrictions for warfarin.