Blood test .....

[kittykat]

Hi as some of you will know from a previous post i had a terrible easter weekend and was admitted to hospital.....i had some blood and urine samples taken and had to have a follow up done from my own doctor.
So seen him this morning and he said that my blood was fine apart from one that showed inflammation....and he had to re-check that, the thing is i asked him what causes it and he said it can range from an ingrown toenail to full blown cancer, well as soon as the C word was mentioned that's it , i do have arthritis in my back but thats not the usual kind that causes inflammation, so now im thinking that i have cancer somewhere in my body that caused the bad rib and breathing pain that i had,im thinking ovarian now as ive put loads of weight on round my tummy but dont know if thts with just plain overeating or the citalopram that ive been on or even bowel cancer but i did hand a stool sample in and that came back clear , im off the citalopram now and i think that's why im feeling panicky, any words of advice to keep me calm and im sorry for this long post xx

[Onwards & Upwards]

So is that all he said or is he arranging another blood test? He wouldn't just leave you hanging with that, surely? x

[kittykat]

yes im going back in to the docs on thursday to get another follow up blood test for the inflammation as he tried to take blood this morning but couldn't get any after trying arm, back of hand and side of wrist ...he gave up and is letting the nurse do it ..lol x

[Onwards & Upwards]

It's the waiting that's the worst part isn't it?

I've literally just got off the phone to arrange a doctors appointment cause I need to discuss blood test results and something else too and the earliest appointment I could get was a week tomorrow! Soooooooo long! :scared15:

An emergency appointment wouldn't be any good cos you only get five mins and there's so much to discuss!

[Peter_Scott]

Hi OP,

Sorry to hear that you are so worried, trust me I know what it is like for I have my scan results in the next few weeks and already fear the worse. The thing is we are all bound to worry we are human, don't fight it, we can not change the outcome only how we cope with it.

There are 100s of reasons for a blood result to be a bit off, one blood test alone can not give you a diagnosis of cancer, so try not to panic.

What exactly are the numbers, and what tests have been done?

I had an elevated LFT for months again they said it could be something simple or the cancer, it turned out to be nothing. I never see the point in doctors giving the C word without being sure.

If you are worried and want the test done today, phone your gp and ask them for a blood test form and take it to your local hospital, they are far better drawing blood there than in the doctors office, and ask them to phone the results through as soon as they get them, mosts tests are done in a matter of hours, good luck,

Peter

[kittykat]

hi Peter ,

It was the blood test for inflammation tht showed a raised level, i think its called a D-Dimer it was 0.59. ( well thts the only one i have at the moment) whatever it is
I am not googling as i know it will freak me , i get my other follow up blood taken on Thursday. He did say it could be a number of things but im just such a worrier xx

[Onwards & Upwards]

Hey Kittykat

I just googled D-dimer and there can be false positives for the following reasons:

"D-dimer concentrations may rise in the elderly, and false positives may be seen with high levels of rheumatoid factor (a protein seen in patients with rheumatoid arthritis). Substances such as lipaemia (a large amount of fats in the blood that can be caused by consuming a greasy meal prior to testing), and raised bilirubin can also cause false positives as can haemolysis(rupturing of red blood cells) caused by improper collection and handling."

So the fact that you can get false positives might help to put your mind at rest.

x

[kittykat]

thanks for that , i was too scared to google but now youve got me wondering what bilirubin is and if thats serious or liver related...lol cant win wth me xx

[Onwards & Upwards]

No, it isn't serious, it's what gives your wee and bruises their yellow colour.

The fact that it's mentioned in the quote about "false positives" means that it's nothing to worry about!

x

[kittykat]

okay thanks for that x

[Peter_Scott]

There are 100s of things that can cause this, you should have a clearer picture when your next blood tests come back. If you have no other symptoms I wouldn't worry,Peter

[kittykat]

Thanks Peter , i have no symptoms that would suggest anything liver related, no stomach pain , jaundice etc but i just worry about things and the pain has gotten a lot better just a wee niggle at the back of my lower right ribcage now x

[countrygirl]

I'm a bit confused as the D Dimer test is done for blood clots and the ESR and CRP test are done for inflammation. Normally if your d dimer was raised yo would be sent for tests to rule out a blood clot but ESR and CRP both show raised inflammation and as Dr said can be from something very simple like a water infection to rheumatiod disease etc etc.

Did he possibly confuse you with all the tests and its actually the ESR thats raised as this is incredibly common result and is why they repeat it as even having a bit of a cold or a sore finger will raise it.

Sorry if I have got it wrong I don't mean to confuse you further honest

[kittykat]

Hiya ,

I did get a test for the d dimer as that was borderline and because of that was sent for tests to rule out the blood clot which thankfully was clear , and also a host of other blood tests that were all clear but when at the doctors yesterday he said that one of my blood tests showed signs of inflammation now im not sure if that was a different test that was done or off of the same one, but i have to get that redone on thursday......quite honestly im confused by it all already so i wouldn't worry bout confusing me more lol.....just hoping its nothing serious causing the inflammation my urine did test positive for protein and i think for keytones or something but the actual test results that came back were clear i was hoping it was that, but they do say the sticks that they test you with are hyper sensitive but then there must still have been something there, anyways I dont know lol xx And I do have arthritis in the spine but i dont think thats the kind that shows any inflammation....sorry if i'm repeating myself its just that im a right worrier about anything like this doesn,t help when the doc mentions the big C word as a possibility especially as he knows i worry and am currently off my anti anxiety medication now xx