High Red blood cell count

[SleepyTinker]

Hi, hope you all are doing well and staying safe.

Please be patient with me, it's a little long post. Please see it as a really worried mum, trying to sooth herself,maybe you can share something similar with me to help me here. Thank you.

My boy is 6 and he had 3 blood tests till now altogether (2018,2019,2020) he was having frequent nosebleeds when he was asked to go for his first blood test in 2018. His results came low haemoglobin which he got a prescription for and really high rbc 5.8 but the GP didn't mention in to me at all!!! Last year he went for a routine blood test in October due to his history of anemia, tests again showed him anaemic but rbc was 5.4,this time the gp mentioned it but went on prescribing him another iron supplement. I asked them about the high rbc count because I googled and came really bad stuff, the gp ruled out by saying that he probably his dehydration caused it because my boy doesn't like drinking water and re booked him for another blood test in 6 months time. He had his blood test done this Friday and results came in Monday morning that his iron levels are fine but rbc is raised again 5.6 but this time I made my child drink around 700ml of water before test and upon mentioning my Google searches to the GP, they aren't taking it seriously at all. I don't know if it's due to the covid pressure on them, they must've been really overwhelmed or I am panicking alot..?? but I am really lost here.

Has anybody experienced anything like this? It would be really reassuring till my GP can do something about it for me.

In general the RBC isn't a useful number in isolation and haemoglobin is more useful except in a few specialist circumstances. If he has normal haemoglobin and iron, and no symptoms at all, I really don't think there is a reason to be worried. Unfortunately doing any test throws up the possibility of numbers that are outside the reference ranges but they don't always mean something that needs any action at all.

Hope that is helpful and your doctors are able to reassure, or get advice if there is ongoing concern.

@Iesugrist

In general the RBC isn't a useful number in isolation and haemoglobin is more useful except in a few specialist circumstances. If he has normal haemoglobin and iron, and no symptoms at all, I really don't think there is a reason to be worried. Unfortunately doing any test throws up the possibility of numbers that are outside the reference ranges but they don't always mean something that needs any action at all.

Hope that is helpful and your doctors are able to reassure, or get advice if there is ongoing concern.

Thank you deary, I am still waiting for gp to contact me.