Do I need to see a gp with these blood test results?

[Hermitta]

For a bit of background: I hate going to the doctors, and this has been compounded by a bit of depression after my father died last year (he was diagnosed with chronic leukemia a few years ago, but it changed to the more aggressive type). So I tend to avoid it unless absolutely necessary.

Last year I started to feel ‘odd’. Tired and cold all the time, not being able to eat as much as usual, just a general malaise. DH persuaded me to at least get a blood test so I did one in November 24, everything came back normal except my white blood cells and iron levels. Medichecks suggested I did another test so I did one last week. The nurse struggled to get enough blood at the draw, so is coming back again in a few days as they couldn’t test my iron status. They did manage to do the blood count, and something is off again with my white and red blood cells this time.

I know I should probably go to go but want to wait for the iron results first, DH thinks I should go sooner. Could there be a completely innocent explanation for these results?

All those results are in the normal range. Which are you concerned about?

Sorry! Didn't see all the pics.

No, I'd call and make an appt now without waiting, I think.

Did your surgery ring you in November when the first tests came back? Did they suggest any action?

That’s a relief to hear. The GP’s that medichecks get to write a report on the results both said that my monocytes were higher than they should be, and that my iron was low?

If they are incorrect that would save me a GP visit!

Go see gp.

Sorry, I didn’t read the new post before replying!. I didn’t contact my own gp surgery in November, I figured I’d wait for the next blood test. There was a medicheck gp report sent with the November test that said the above.

I know I should get over my fear of the gp and just go. I had to have some medical procedures as a child that were very unpleasant and since then hospitals/gp’s make me very uneasy, I know it’s daft.

You should just go. If there needs to be treatment, waiting won't make it easier. Not a medic so can't comment on results.

Looks like you need to increase your iron , either by diet , supplement or medication and you may have an infection . None of those results look wildly off to me . That said if you are going to bother having bloods it would be much easier to just get them done through your GP surgery so I’d definitely get an appointment to discuss the results / have them retaken .

None of us can comment on your bloods alone without knowing the rest of your history, having examined you, etc (I work in this field). Afraid you really need to go and see your GP, but I can hear that's hard for you. Would it be worth considering counselling or similar to help you get past the fear, if you haven't tried that before? It'll be more of a problem for you as you get older and may have more need to see medical folk.

You certainly seem anaemic so worth getting checked out

@Floralnomad thank you, I have been taking ferrous stuff from the pharmacist since the blood test in November, so hopefully the iron result is back to normal when they redo that.

They did say the high monocytes may be due to an infection in November, is it usual for them to stay up for 7 ish weeks? I haven’t had any obvious infections/fever but if it could be that then it is a relief.

If you find it difficult to go see your GP can they not do a phone consultation?

When I've had blood work done I've often just had a chat with the GP on the phone about the results.

Those results would suggest to me that you are anaemic and potentially trying to fight off an infection , definitely worth a GP appointment to check it out bit more

None of those results look enough out of range to be anything scary. I hope that reassures you.

However, when I was anaemic and deficient in b12, it affected almost every result in my full blood count. So many of the results were out of the normal range and once I got on top of the iron and b12 they've all come back into the norm.

So I would ask for your b12 to be tested as low b12 could cause the symptoms you describe xx

Thank you, I hadn’t even considered a phone appointment.

My B12 was normal at the November blood test, I only redid the test for full blood count and iron status last week.

Thank you everyone for the advice, I will call them tomorrow.

I used to be terrified - but moved to a new practice with kind, patient staff and soon got over it!

Good job really - I went on to get a chronic health condition which means I'm regularly at the GP or Hospital getting prodded and poked. Don't bat an eyelid now lol!

In my non-medical opinion, I'd personally not be concerned about those results. I have blood tests monthly usually, and something is always a little out of range.

Would you be happier speaking to a pharmacist? You'd likely only be told to get some iron tablets in the first instance based on what you've put there anyway, and the pharmacist can tell you the same thing.

If you can bring yourself to speak to the GP, B12 is probably a good call to ask about too.

@TidalShore it’s good to hear that you managed to overcome it. I know logically that the procedures were necessary at the time (I had problems with my bowels) but I found it very distressing as I was too young to really understand why.

It’s daft, and I’m not anxious in any other area of life, but even the idea of going to see a doctor seems to set off a total panic.

Your ferritin is listed as 8 which means you are very anaemic and might be needing an infusion. Call your GP for an appointment.

Ferritin is 29, bit on the low side so worth taking an iron tablet but no need for an infusion x

I did call the doctors this morning but I failed to get through, there was quite a queue.

I'll probably just wait as there doesn't seem to be anything that concerning or urgent about these results.

Go online and load the results to e consult

You are right. It was the Iron that was 8 and very low. However Ferritin should be around 70 so that is very low too. Both of these can cause very serious symptoms such as breathlessness and heart palpitations etc. They really do need some form of treatment even if only an otc tablet.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/iron-deficiency-anaemia/

Unfortunately I've just checked and my surgery doesn't offer eConsult.

I work in blood labs and high monocytes and white blood cell counts can be a sign of infection, chronic disease, inflammation to name a few. That coupled with low iron and ferritin whilst taking supplements for these would suggest to me you should see your doctor.