I’m sure there are lots of people on here who have been monitoring their blood results for a very long time.
I just wondered if any of you could enlighten us newbies on here.
I appreciate we are all experiencing different blood cancers and are at various stages, I hope you are all progressing well.
I would like to know if the following results/ levels appear normal range:-
Haemoglobin 141
White blood count 6.3
Neutrophils 3.14
Platelets 141
I don’t know anything about them and will ask the consultant but more curious and won’t see him for a week or so. Also I know he is fed up of me asking questions, but it doesn’t put me off!!
Thanks for looking.Take care everyone.
Hi @Olivia I am presuming you just have those numbers and not any other information or previous results to compare them with.
When my GP’s do blood tests I usually ask for a copy of them and the hospital where they are tested notes what is out of the normal range and the normal parameters they work with.
If your test results are just taken from a letter from a hospital consultant then perhaps they are the basis of your questions.
Your whole complex medical history and symptoms will make up your results.
i.e. if you have had a cold, Covid, urine infection etc.
You are within your rights to ask reasonable questions of your consultant within your consultation time, otherwise you cannot make decisions about your health and treatment options. I am glad you are not put off, we are all behind you!!
Please do let us know how you get on next week and be kind to yourself
@Olivia . Hi Olivia.
I managed to register for the NHS app. Using this I managed to find my GPs record of my health. All blood test results are there. On my tests it documents if the various cell levels are above or below the recommended levels. I have Chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML) diagnosed last may after many months of tests. At that time I had ten abnormalities in my various blood cells levels. At my last test in December this had reduced to 4 abnormalities. I am on watch and wait. The doctor was very pleased with my results. Could be a total coincidence but I immediately changed my diet after diagnosis. Berries, fruit and veg, dark chocolate, greek yogurt, blueberries, raisins, bananas, orange juice, pumpkin seeds, figs, several cups of green tea, eggs, ground nutmeg to help me sleep (but only one teaspoon is the recommended dose) chicken, liver, virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon morning and night. I spoke to my GP and the only supplement I use is Vitd D. OF COURSE ASK YOUR DOCTOR AND TAKE ADVICE AND DO SOME RESEARCH. I also eat 2 portions of mackerel every week oily fish is very good for you. Brazil nuts and walnuts I have recently added to my diet recently. Strangely my cholesterol has fallen to 2! I have increased my weight to 12 stone. And me and the wife do long walks and I spend 45 minutes every day on my exercise bike. I thought as I am not on medication for Chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML) and treatment is very limited anyway I’d give diet a go. BUT DO TAKE ADVICE FROM THE MEDICS.
BEST WISHES
unclejack.
@unclejack , firstly Thankyou for taking the time to share.
We really appreciate all the information you have provided. I was enquiring for my hubby who has myeloma. He was diagnosed in October 23.I will definitely try the nhs app as it’s good to keep up to date on the blood tests. I find it’s good to have a marker, then something to compare and aim for. This forum has already been invaluable. I am saddened by the number of people touched by blood cancer , but also amazed by the number of lovely people on here, who engage, provide advice and share their stories. I wish there was something I could do to help others as well as my hubby.
With regards to diet, this is the one thing I have tinkered with, to help both of us.
I will definitely take some of the golden nuggets you suggest and let you know how we get on.
Take care uncle Jack, keep in touch and let us know how you are doing. Once again, a big Thankyou….x
@Olivia
Hi, I certainly will keep in touch. One thing I think everyone should be interested in is vit D levels. So for last blood test I asked my haematologist if I could have my Vit D levels checked. He readily agreed. Vit D is tremendously important for the immune system. He said most people on the northern hemisphere have low Vit D. My GP also said Vit D was extremely important yet we never carry out routine tests. It is very difficult to achieve decent levels of Vit D via diet alone so supplements can be important. Ask the GP for advice or haematologist. I research many globally famous medical web sites for information, including the Mayo clinic, the Harvard medical school and many others. Unfortunately seems a postcode lottery the standard of care we receive. My journey has been one of ups and downs. On two occasions I needed an emergency ambulance not long after diagnosis due to a couple of bleeds. On neither occasion could I obtain an ambulance. My wife was laughed at by the call centre and told a ten hour wait. This at 2 .O clock in the morning ! Even though it was explained I had low platelets thrombocytopenia. At the time I had low neutrophils and vulnerable to infection. Luckily taxi was prompt and didn’t mind I was quite bloody when picked up. Since then I have managed to double my platelet count and my neutrophils are now normal at last blood test.
Hopefully your husband will receive good service. Sorry for going on. Just one more thing when you view bloodtest results and other documents can be a bit of a eye opener. When I read the paragraph from my consultant to GP that I was at high risk of cell mutations I gulped.
High risk or not I couldn’t get a ambulance.
Sorry for moaning.But when you are fighting this dreadful disease it does focus the mind
Best wishes
Uncle Jack.
@uncle Jack, so sorry to hear about your diagnosis and the emergency visits to hospital. I hope you are in a much better place now. Hubby has a few support meds, one of which is Adcal. This is a calcium & vitamin D tablet. The myeloma blood cancer he has is prone to attacking the bones. I do agree that people should get it checked though as most are low and don’t realise. I think it’s important to check all our levels, so that we have all the facts. If we are fully informed we can also do something about high or low levels. Thanks again for your useful advice, will take it on board.Take care.x
@Olivia
Hi Olivia
I am suffering from osteoarthritis in both shoulders and a bone spur on my right shoulder.
Hopefully physio will help . I was concerned it could be linked to my leukemia thankfully it wasn’t. The problem is every ache or pain you automatically think the worst. I’m still pushing my diet. The extra virgin olive oil is apparently excellent for everyone’s health. But to be sure you get the genuine stuff it must be in a glass bottle, and it gives you a slight sensation in the throat after you swallow it. Always check the crop date on the bottle olive oil does not improve with age like wine. I also drink a lot of green tea it has a excellent health reputation.
I watch doctor li on u.tube who is a well respected medic who is Harvard medical school trained I believe, he always recommends foods that may be useful in this battle. Of course if your husband is being treated always consult your medics. SOME FOODS CAN REACT AGAINST VARIOUS MEDICATIONS. My strategy is to tackle my bone marrow problem with antioxidants from various foods, spices, seeds etc. I have had some improvements with this approach but I do not believe everything I read without some evidence. Anyway hope your husband is bearing up in this battle and you are as well, it can be very stressful. I have a telephone appointment tomorrow to discuss my latest blood test hopefully it’s stable. I totally dread these appointments, always think things are going the wrong way.
Best wishes
Uncle Jack.
Hi @Unclejack yes, any ache or pain, lump or bump and I panic too.
As for the extra virgin olive oil and green tea and that personally turned my stomach.
You raise a really good point that some foods and drinks can react with various medications.
Please do let us know how your telephone appointment goes tomorrow, I also hate the waiting for that call.
Look after yourself
@unclejack , so nice to hear back from you. Sorry to hear you suffer so much, life is cruel. I hope you are managing it all ok. Not sure I can convince hubby with the olive oil, green tea maybe……
I hope your appointment went as you hoped, fingers crossed.Tinkering with the diet is a good idea.Keep the faith., take care.x
@Olivia@Erica@ChrissyD
Hi, just had my telephone appointment, my platelets level have fallen from 80 to 50. Consultant not concerned at the moment. My Monocytes count has fallen to 170 which I believe is a improvement as this leukemia tends to increase monocytes. Seems swings and roundabouts on this test. At least neutrophils are little changed thankfully. I did have what they call neutropenia which can be serious but I am now back to normal levels. I am quite concerned about my platelets as they were on a upward trend for 10 months. Now back to square one.
Chrissy do you have fluctuating low platelets?
The lowest mine have been is 46. I have been told platelets can fluctuate in a short time and have a short lifespan. Anyway at least tings ain’t to bad , still on watch and wait.
Best wishes to everyone
Unclejack.
Hi @Unclejack
My platelets are definitely on a downward trend since I was first diagnosed - nearly 16 years ago! but seem to hover around 60 at the moment and relatively stable. I cannot make out your monocyte count of 170 as I think they must be using a different unit from mine which are around 1.0– 1.2 so not very high at all really. Good news about your neutrophils though!
Take care
Chrissy
@unclejack, so glad your markers are falling or stable. Really good to hear good news!! Look after yourself. Keep tinkering with your diet and let us have anymore tips…
@Erica@ChrissyD@Olivia
Hi everyone, thanks for the support. Chrissy I think my monocytes are 1.7 on the basis of your readings. I have read that the high normal for monocytes is 100 on my blood test results. So that seems whoever prints out the data is using data that is about 10 times your readings. My results have yet to be uploaded onto the GPs website. Neutrophils look very stable and monocytes are improving I read a article today that some people with thrombocytopenia can have even lower platelet levels if taking atorvastin statins and should stop taking them! I asked that question and was told by consultant no statins did not affect platelets. I have now posted the same question to my GP. I must be honest after my dreadful experience of vaccine side effects I have very little confidence in some medics. Seems if you ask any questions about vaccine side effects you meet a wall of silence.
I have studied every scrap of information about everything leukemia and mRNA technology and I found out that thrombocytopenia is a side effect of mRNA vaccines in some people. My journey started after my third COVID shot a Pfizer booster. Firstly a blinding migraine headache which badly affected my vision followed a couple of weeks later by strange red pinprick type marks on my lower legs. Basically I took no notice until a large red graze like patch appeared. I was referred to dermatology who diagnosed skin cancer. I requested a biopsy which revealed it was not skin cancer but broken capillaries leaking into skin. Then eventually I had a full blood count. I contacted reception for the result and was told everything was fine! 48 hours later my GP contacted me and told me I was NOT fine and she was referring me to haematology immediately. My suspicions may be proved to be absolute rubbish but that is what happened at the start of this journey. Also my wife had the third shot the same day as me and 48 hours later her blood pressure hit 194/94. Now on two medications to control it.
Quite possibly a total coincidence who knows.
Sorry for going on about this. But I feel very bitter about the situation.
Best wishes to all
Unclejack.
