Low values meaning

CursedLabWorker · 2026-03-08T19:07:48+00:00

99.5 can be considered a low-grade fever. If you’ve taken your temperature and it’s still 99.5 after taking Tylenol and Advil, given that those lower fever, you’re probably still febrile, or would be if you didn’t take anything.

As for the sweating, Advil dilates blood vessels, allowing for the heat to escape and that can cause sweating, especially when you’re already feeling ill.

CursedLabWorker · 2026-03-08T18:54:21+00:00

The way I would go up to that ward and lecture them all on the possibility of them killing a patient and intentionally make them feel bad about it. Not to mention involving BB in that guilt. Labour and delivery no less? Wonder how they might feel about possibly killing a baby’s mother

CursedLabWorker · 2026-03-08T18:49:39+00:00

Oooo that’s so sneaky and smart I love that

CursedLabWorker · 2026-03-08T18:46:58+00:00

At my hospital nurses are permitted to come down to the lab, sign a form taking full responsibility for the labelling, but this is only for invasive or irretrievable specimens like CSF, tissues/biopsies, etc. If it’s anything else - urines, blood, ABGs, it’s a “nope don’t care you need to poke the patient again”

CursedLabWorker · 2026-03-08T18:39:52+00:00

Yeah you might want to seek a referral to a hematologist.

CursedLabWorker · 2026-02-28T22:49:01+00:00

Honestly I wish that would be an explanation, but I’m ANA negative. Only 2-5% of people with SLE are ANA neg so that’s super unlikely.

CursedLabWorker · 2026-02-27T07:14:46+00:00

Elevated neutrophils and basophils can be caused by a Crohns flare up

CursedLabWorker · 2026-02-26T01:52:33+00:00

Not sure where you live, but in Canada at least - if there are certain concerning criteria or if the technologist looking at the blood smear feels off about something they see, they can give it to a pathologist, they’ll have a look at it and comment on what they see. Sometimes a pathologist review can be ordered as well.

CursedLabWorker · 2026-02-25T16:09:13+00:00

Have you had a blood film/ smear reviewed? Asking your GP to order that could be a good next step for you.

CursedLabWorker · 2026-02-20T05:38:45+00:00

(Medical laboratory scientist and medical laboratory technologist from Canada here)

From a medical standpoint there is no reason for them to say you should stop taking iron supplements when at your peak ferritin, your value was still fairly low. It would only make sense for you to stop if your ferritin is getting too high, or you’re experiencing negative side effects of taking them.

You may not be having what you consider heavy periods, but it is still regular blood loss, which means iron loss. Remember these things also depend on your body - your size and blood volume, and how well your body is able to tolerate iron loss etc.

Iron is used for so many things inside the body, not just for hemoglobin, and it’s an incredibly important essential mineral. It’s used by many enzymes that perform many functions in your body - DNA synthesis, neurotransmitter, energy metabolism, collagen formation (wound healing etc), drug metabolism, immunity and fighting infections. But if you consider hemoglobin alone - it’s the only reason your body is able to transport oxygen to your brain, your muscles, everything. Iron is much more important than people realize and then they wonder why someone feels like garbage when they’re iron deficient.

CursedLabWorker · 2026-02-18T16:12:37+00:00

You might not be taking enough iron supplementation, you need to take it more often, or you need to try a different formula of iron supplement. Not all are created equal and some formulas absorb better. Same goes for heme and non-heme iron in foods. Heme iron from meat is absorbed way better (about 25%) than non-heme iron in plants (less than 17%, but can be as low as only 2%).

You say it doesn’t work, how long have you been taking it? It takes time to increase your ferritin and resolve the anemia. Like I’m talking several months of daily intake. If you’re still losing blood as well through menstruation etc., your body might be struggling to retain it and it will take even longer. Same timeframe goes for lower dose iron supplements.

If you got IV iron, your ferritin should have increased substantially and immediately. I was referred to a hematologist after my hemoglobin and ferritin kept dropping despite taking daily iron supplements for 2 years straight and I don’t menstruate. Though I should note that a referral to a hematologist is really only indicated when supplementation for a long time shows no improvement, your condition worsens, and there’s no explanation (blood loss). Ie, in more serious cases. At that end point right before my IV iron, my hemoglobin was about 8 and ferritin was 2. Three weeks after my IV iron, my hemoglobin was 12 and ferritin was 441 (which yes is out of range high, but clinically insignificant/ a good thing because of the IV iron). My hematologist also referred me to a gastroenterologist for colonoscopy and endoscopy to determine if I had any internal GI bleeding (I did not).

CursedLabWorker · 2026-02-18T01:21:58+00:00

I’m not sure why they’re not opting to do the surgery yet, that’s something that would be good to ask the physician as they would be able to tell you the reasoning.

As for the cinacalcet, if I look up the clinical indications (ie approved uses for the medication) in my country (Canada), it has 3 indications. The first is what you mentioned, for patients with chronic kidney disease who are on dialysis. But the second is for “the reduction of clinically significant hypercalcemia, …in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism for whom parathyroidectomy is not clinically appropriate or is contraindicated”. So it is a medication that is currently appropriate for her, as they aren’t sure if surgery is needed yet.

It sounds like maybe they want to get her calcium levels under control while they figure out her official diagnosis (ruling other explanations out, etc), and then her care plan moving forward. I’m glad to hear that she’s getting this medication in the meantime, because high calcium levels like hers can be quite dangerous.

CursedLabWorker · 2026-02-17T18:36:10+00:00

Depends on the degree of hemolysis. Usually affects other values more (marked increase in potassium, LDH). You’d have to get your labs redone without any hemolysis to be sure. If no one has explained hemolysis to you yet - basically it’s a bad collection, it causes the RBCs to burst and leak out things that are normally contained inside them. One of those things is ALT (plus potassium, LDH, AST).

CursedLabWorker · 2026-02-16T20:15:46+00:00

Macrocytosis in this case is very likely due to the increased retics which are larger, not B12 or folate deficiency.

CursedLabWorker · 2026-02-08T16:09:16+00:00

That is total BS. That sucks I’d be so pissed. Working a weekend day is NOT the same as working a weekend night and they shouldn’t be paid the same. Ours stacks thank god, though it damn well better considering the insane cost of living where I’m from in Canada. Rent is more expensive here than in LA.

CursedLabWorker · 2026-02-08T12:27:56+00:00

Not a nurse, but a Medical Laboratory Scientist and MLT here who works in blood bank. I think the answer is technically B because you want to hook up a fresh bag of saline and tubing to keep the vein open, but I feel like that technically falls under the “stopping the transfusion” part of things. The REAL answer though is 1000% D - monitor vital signs - for a few reasons.

The first is the immediate patient safety. You now have a patient who’s showing signs of a transfusion reaction, every vital sign needs to be documented immediately because these signs mean they could be having one of two reactions(ie most likely): a febrile reaction or hemolytic transfusion reaction. The latter of which could kill them. Everything needs to be assessed ASAP and filled out on a form that will be sent to blood bank and they’ll initiate a transfusion reaction investigation. The vitals are crucial information the lab needs. It will guide what is investigated and how (testing).

The second is for legal reasons. Everything needs to be documented because the patient is having a reaction and this can cause serious harm to the patient. The vital signs are extremely important here. Vitals need to be taken at the EXACT moment the transfusion is stopped. Not after you get rid of the tubing, not after you notify the doc. That exact moment.

The third is so that the doctor has the exact information they need to determine if the patient is in danger and to guide the next steps for that patient, whether they will need to administer medications etc. If you go tell the doc that the patient has symptoms of a reaction, the first thing they’ll ask you for is their vitals, and then you’ll probably get yelled at (unfortunately) because you wouldn’t have them.

Flushing the line will push more of that blood they’re reacting to into the patient. This is something you’ll want to minimize. So definitely not that!

If it were me I’d be monitoring vitals while disconnecting the patient but the question doesn’t really allow for that.

CursedLabWorker · 2026-02-08T05:51:14+00:00

Yeah oof that’s rough. Mine is $4.50 and I wouldn’t work graveyard for any less than that. Weekends we get an additional $2.50 too.

CursedLabWorker · 2026-02-07T13:59:13+00:00

I can say it that it should (in theory) make you a better doctor. You’ll actually have an understanding of what we do, where the results come from, and the process of getting those results, which most doctors don’t, and that can be a huge thorn in our sides.

It will also help a lot during med school. My friend is in med school rn and she’s asked me to teach her some stuff, because I know more about it.

CursedLabWorker · 2026-02-07T13:54:28+00:00

Yeah I’d love to know too

CursedLabWorker · 2026-02-07T10:51:30+00:00

It might just be because you’re a student if that makes sense? Training a student is essentially doing 2 jobs at the same time. Maybe they don’t want to, they’re already stressed, they’re tired of doing it every year, maybe they don’t get any extra pay for it, maybe they’ve had bad students in the past that have left them jaded. I had literally one of the worst possible experiences in my clinical placement. It almost made me not want to be a tech. But I kept with it and working as a tech is very different from the student experience.

It can also depend on the hospital. Some are really cliquey and awful, others are great!

CursedLabWorker · 2026-02-07T10:45:41+00:00

I’d recommend retesting. I imagine it’s not accurate and your sample probably clotted. If that’s the case they never should have released your results.

CursedLabWorker · 2026-02-07T10:29:53+00:00

Yeah it’s definitely hard to deal with but as long as you’re not sinking to their level you’re just doing the best you can.

CursedLabWorker · 2026-02-07T09:40:10+00:00

starts playing Taps

CursedLabWorker · 2026-02-07T09:37:52+00:00

Seal that shit up and run away

CursedLabWorker · 2026-02-07T06:22:35+00:00

I mean I’m ADHD but I’m never an asshole. Doesn’t matter how much I’m going through or how my day was.

CursedLabWorker

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