tex wrote:Many doctors are apparently bad about overlooking out-of-range test results. When my platelet count showed up way out of range on a test, the lab flagged the result, and required my doctor to call the lab, and read that particular result back to them, to guarantee that he understood what it said, and what the risks were, (stroke). Needless to say, he called me at 8 o'clock the next morning, to ask me to go to the lab, that same day, for another blood draw.
I agree with you that there's probably nothing to be gained by waiting that long. I don't know how your health care system is set up, but it probably has certain recommended intervals for tests such as that, (to save money), so that may be why your doctor scheduled it that way, but whenever test results indicate the possibility of a problem, surely followup tests can be done as needed.
It appears that you may not be metabolizing iron properly, and rather than using it, (and/or eliminating it), your body is storing more of it than it should. Ferritin is a measure of the amount of iron your body has stored, and your ferritin level is only slightly elevated, so I don't believe you're at any significant risk, at the moment, so a retest probably isn't urgent. Still, as you say, it's usually better to check those things out, and have the facts in hand, rather than to simply postpone it, unless there's a good reason to wait.
The kicker here is whether your transferrin result was actually 32, or if there was a decimal error in the result. If it's actually that high, it could be due to an inflammation response, and in that case, both ferritin and transferrin would be high, because an infection, or other inflammatory event, tends to cause the body to make more of the stored ferritin available to help fight the problem. If your ferritin was elevated in response to an infection or inflammation, though, your C-reactive protein level should also have been elevated. If your C-reactive protein was normal, then your ferritin level shouldn't have been elevated.
Normally, even a severe MC flare doesn't tend to cause much of an elevation in C-reactive protein level for most of us. And if you weren't in a severe MC flare when that test sample was drawn, then your C-reactive protein level shouldn't have been elevated, (not due to MC, anyway). Still, if your C-reactive protein level was checked, and it
was high, that could explain why your iron markers were elevated.
On the other hand, if your C-reactive protein level was normal, then there doesn't appear to be a legitimate reason for your iron markers to have been elevated.
Tex
I asked to do new blood tests today, and then again in 2 months
Thursday I will get the results ;)
In the meanwhile I visited friends in Belgium this weekend... Ofcourse I told them about the gf diet, but at those times you realize how difficult it is when you eat at other people's!
Apparently there were some gluten in the food my friend served and I reacted pretty heavily to it! Unbelievable what (wrong) food can do to you...
@ Coryhub.
Thanks for your reply!
I also realize now that getting the right diet is the only way to get better!
I am still figuring out what I can and cannot eat. Maybe I should go a bit easy on the coffee too :(
A year ago I had a lactose intolerance test done and that came out extremely positive, I had extreme D for days because of the test! I found it very strange to hear that when the doctor found out I had LC he told me that I could slowly start using milk products again
I know I am also allergic to soy products, so I should cut all soy products out too (I still use a GF breadmix that has soy in it).
patience is the key..
I just find it strange that my LC problems came from out of the blue. The only cause I can think of what might have offset something is the use of supplements. At the time when I got the LC problems I started to use curcumin/resveratrol and some vitamins (D, B, C with bioflavanoids).
I don't think the vitamins had something to do with it, but maybe the curcumin caused a weird reaction in my gut.
I just remember something... A week after I started using those supplements I moved in with my new gf (to another country). The strangest thing happened the first morning after we moved; I woke up with a HUGE allergic reaction, my face around my eyes was all swollen up.
This was strange to me because this was not something that was happening before.
After that day I didn't get any allergic reactions anymore, but I did get the LC problems then!
In the past (years ago) I used to have allergic reactions like hayfever, but not that insane. I only had one other heavy reaction, that was strangely enough because of eating an apple, which i ate everyday back then. This was many years ago though.
I always had a 'stuffy nose', but that disappeared when the LC problems started... and I have scalp problems, itch an flaky with some hard little bumps and flaky which seems to get worse now.
I just read the post about mast cell is there a connection here, and does the curcumin have something to do with it?
Does anyone have experience with this?
Visit the Microscopic Colitis Foundation Website
) in order to get the same amount of active ingredient as you do in processed curcumin capsules. In larger quantities it has a taste which I for one dislike.