Real People Stories – Diane
What to do if you have a very bad CBC Profile blood test? Don’t panic!
Twice a year, usually in autumn and spring, I undergo some examinations: I have a kidney ultrasound, take general urine and Anaemia exam, and visit a nephrologist and a gynaecologist.
Regardless of my well-being and general condition, I have some chronic kidney and female diseases. Since the end of summer, my temperature has been constantly at 37 – 37.2. It could be like this for days on end. I was constantly hot and cold as usual, aching a little with such a nasty temperature. Nothing hurt, no other symptoms or complaints. Maybe it’s my kidneys acting up, my wisdom tooth coming in, or maybe it’s gynaecology again.
I decided to do a CBC test. How should I prepare for a general exam? On the day before the sample, I behaved as usual. There needs to be general preparation. The only thing is that you need to be on an empty stomach in the morning. You can drink only a small amount of water.
How does it work?
When I was assigned to another CBC clinic, a general test was taken simply from a finger. And, it was possible to come not on an empty stomach.
In the clinic where I am being treated now, at one time, everyone took blood only from a vein for all indicators: general analysis, extended analysis, and biochemistry. They always take it from a vein.
Now, a new stage of nonsense: they take blood from a vein and a finger in two different offices at opposite ends of the clinic. That is, you have to stand in 2 lines and get 2 holes in your body, although this can be avoided.
In general, they can be taken from a vein or a finger.
Come and sit down at the lab technician’s table; the necessary place is wiped with alcohol, and either pierced with a needle or it is taken with a syringe or butterfly. It takes a couple of minutes – well, everyone has probably donated blood in this life))
Usually, they take it almost painlessly, but some clumsy people probably end up with their ass on the toilet every other time, let alone with a needle in a vein. Such people leave a “present” – a bruise that does not go away for weeks.
When will it be ready?
You can do an emergency exam in private clinics —it will be ready in 3 hours. Or you can follow the usual schedule: it will be ready in 1 day.
Results
After the appointment for 4 days, I flew to the doctor. The temperature was still at 37.2.
After seeing my CBC test results, the doctor’s eyebrows moved to the back of my head: “Hemoglobin 87! This is stage 2 anaemia! A nightmare! Probably internal bleeding!”
These are the Anaemia test results that came in. Some are in normal condition, and some are on a scrap of paper that is hard to accept as a document. The handwriting is on the back of the referral.
I am a very impressionable person. After all, logically, I felt fine; my head was not spinning, and there were no other signs of low haemoglobin. But I started to throw “ideas” at the doctor: I told him that it seemed like I had heavy periods; maybe that was why.
Doctor’s Diagnosis
“Of course!!” the Anaemia doctor said with delight, ” Either blood loss from menstruation or stomach bleeding!! Or maybe something else! I’ll prescribe some medicine right now! Be sure to take it; buy it right now; otherwise, you could die!”
I was given a referral for a stool exam for hidden bleeding and a prescription for haemoglobin-boosting pills. And I left the doctor’s office feeling like a hedgehog in a fog: my thoughts were all jumbled up, my head was spinning, the exams were just a nightmare… I called my husband and cried into the phone… It seemed to have gotten a little easier.
I stopped by the drugstore and bought the necessary medication.
I crawl home: I think, that’s it, it’s all over. Six months ago, everything was fine. I always have low haemoglobin, somewhere around 117. And here it could be better…
Seeking a Second Opinion
Then, I came across a random private clinic and decided to retake the checkup. Luckily, it was morning, and I hadn’t had anything for breakfast.
The exams were supposed to be ready after 3 p.m. I dragged myself home. And I read reviews about Sorbifer and was horrified by the side effects…
I thought: damn, shouldn’t I have called an ambulance, since my exams were so bad and I had lost so much blood? How can you prescribe an iron-restoring drug and prescribe a check for these hidden faeces if it only has to be taken after 3 days and the results will be unreliable?
Unexpected Results
In short, I was sitting on pins and needles in a semi-faint.
At 3, I saw my results and was just shocked. My hemoglobin is normal and even higher than my standard 117! Can you imagine what would have happened if I had started eating this Sorbifer? The doctor prescribed it to me for 2 months, and it didn’t even occur to her to send me to take an Anaemia test!
I don’t even know who is more brilliant here: the blind laboratory that came up with such results out of some idiot or the idiotic grabber who gives out prescriptions BEFORE confirming the diagnosis or rechecking…
Final Thoughts
After two months, I re-took the exams. In general, everything is normal. I took them to another private online home kit CBC clinic, Diagnostics Plus, to be sure. I like that in almost all private clinics, everything is in an official form, clear and understandable. Secondly, there will be normal indicators next to your parameters, and you will perfectly understand what is good for you and what is not.
My temperature remains at 37.2.
All the results are normal, so the Aneamia doctors don’t see a problem. My husband jokes that I’m just a hot woman. So, a general analysis is, of course, very important and useful. It should be taken periodically, especially for chronic patients, but it can only sometimes help in making a diagnosis.
But the main thing is to double-check all the information given to you by the doctor or laboratory. And even private clinics do not guarantee reliable results.
So before you get scared by the CBC diagnosis or buy expensive drugs you don’t need, protect yourself, retake the exams somewhere else or consult another specialist!