I investigated my blood test results and have more information since my OB visit. Next step will be complaint letter to the rheumatoid doctor!
I was looking over my blood test results. The results show a low red blood cell count and a low hematocrit level. I have done some searching on that and found that the OB doctor was right on with what she told me today. My anemia has nothing to do with this pregnancy. Unless I do not understand what it is that I am reading. (That is very possible LOL!)
I found out there are many types of anemia that a person can have. What I did find out is that the anemia I have is called hemolytic anemia. If the anemia were linked to my pregnancy it would be iron-deficiency anemia, which would be determined by the level of hemoglobin. My hemoglobin is normal as the results show and the OB verified to me today with my appointment.
This is where the confusion sets in for me regarding my blood test results.
Now my MCV, MCH, MCHC and RDW all fall under normal. The MCV is nearly high but not quite. Now as I was searching through some information I found some information on this too.
MCV-mean corpuscular volume- if that was high it would mean one of the following, vitamin b-12 deficiency, iron deficiency, or folic acid deficiency. Lack of iron in the diet, thalassemia (a type of hereditary anemia), and chronic illness are the most common causes of microcytic anemia (low MCV). Normocytic anemia (normal MCV) can be caused by kidney and liver disease, bone marrow disorders, or excessive bleeding or hemolysis of the red blood cells.
MCHC-mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration- Lack of iron in the diet and thalassemia are the most common causes of hypochromic anemia (low MCHC). Normocytic anemias are usually also normochromic and share the same causes (normal MCHC).
RDW-red cell distribution width- The RDW is increased in anemia’s caused by deficiencies of iron, vitamin B12, or folic acid.
I have not found any information that would explain what it means to have my red blood cells and hematocrit below normal and have other aspects of the test normal.
There is also the SED rate that was tested and that was elevated.
The rheumatoid doctor told me that was from pregnancy too. I don’t trust a damn thing he said now because he was WRONG with his assumptions regarding my symptoms. I mean this is the doctor who said my hair loss could be from dandruff!! (Rolls eyes.) He also was the one who said my anemia was from the pregnancy, which my OB doctor confirmed today it is not!
So I have an elevated SED rate, low red blood cell count, low hematocrit, and the other stuff is normal. The white blood cell count- normal, Hemoglobin- normal, MCV- borderline high but not quite, MCH- normal, MCHC- normal, RDW- normal, I am wondering what could this mean? My platelet count was within normal range too.
The OB said that these things were not from pregnancy. OK that is fine but what could these things be from? I wish I could find a doctor to investigate and figure it out. I won’t be seeing Dr. K again, the rheumatoid doctor, in July. I’ll be opting for a new rheumatoid doctor referral from my general practice doctor, Dr. T. I will not waste time or money on someone (Dr. K) who doesn’t seem interested in helping me figure out what the hell is wrong with me, or someone (Dr. K) who doesn’t seem to know shit apparently for him being a “specialist”!
I will finish the complaint letter to him and I’ll be sure to post that here when it is ready.
((I wonder if another doctor figures out what is wrong and it is by chance lupus or another autoimmune disease would it be malpractice on the rheumatoid doctor that pretty much wrote me off since he didn’t care to investigate it?))
Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2007, in health, Journal Pages, Lupus. Bookmark the permalink. 12 Comments.
Just Ordinary 
Did they test your serum iron, ferritin, folate and B12? Deficiencies in these could lead to anemia, plus if you are pregnant you definately need more iron and folate. Anemia however is usually defined by a low hemoglobin count, less than 12mg/dL in females. I’m not sure if a normal hemoglobin but low hematocrit is considered anemia. The most common causes of anemia in women are iron deficiency and blood loss due to menstration. Your normal hemaglobin, MCV, MCH, and MCHC all suggest that you are probably not anemic. I can check more into this for you. However I’m not a doctor yet so take my analysis with a grain of salt.
Yes they checked iron- b12 all that and everything was normal there. That is what is confusing- I have low red blood cells and low hematocrit but my hemoglobin is normal…I asked the OB about it and she said if I were anemic from the pregnancy my hemoglobin would fall with the others..so she told me my anemia isn’t from the baby.
I appreciate your comment- GLAD SOMEONE COMMENTED FINALLY! It is very confusing for me- someone who doesn’t work in the field at all.
Well it is great that your iron and B12 are normal. Pregnant woman can lose up to a gram of iron during the preganacy to support the fetus. We are learning about anemia this week, so I can give you an update when I learn more about it. To clarify hematocrit vs. hemoglobin- hemoglobin is a measure of red blood cell mass while hematocrit is the percentage of red blood cells in your total volume of blood. If your hemoglobin is normal you probably have a normal number of red blood cells. A low hematocrit may be due to a high volume of blood which would bring your percentage down. Does this make sense? I will ask someone about this during our anemia lectures, possibly the extra blood that is made to support the fetus brings your hematocrit down. Since most of your values are normal, especially the iron, it sounds like you are good shape.
Also I noticed there were some postings about lupus. What symptoms are you having and what tests have they done? Also are you taking any medications? I may be able to investigate this for you too, it’s good for my own learning too. If you don’t feel comfortable sharing on the blog you can email me at [email removed].
P.S. I came upon your blog because I really enjoyed the post your wrote to your father. It was very touching.
Well no my red blood cells are not normal- they are low along with my hematocrit.
I am not taking any medicines now I am almost 7 months pregnant. The medicine I was taking before the pregnancy was for a tumor in my back and that was ruled out as the cause of many of my symptoms.
I have journal entries that describe all of my symptoms if you look under Lupus, health, illness, autoimmune diseases, it is all there. I started doing journal entries to keep track for future doctor visits.
A rheumatologist diagnosed me with FMS but said he won’t rule out Lupus due to the few symptoms I have that he doesn’t have answers to. Hair loss, nose and mouth sores are the things he has no answers for.
Oh and not to mention my SED rate was elevated- but that could be normal due to pregnancy- my doctor said they’d check that again after I have the baby.
Thank you for the comment about the post I wrote for my dad- glad it touched you.
just searching for my own symptoms came across yours – my baby is 5 months old and i have been told i have low MCV but also that my thyroid is inflamed and need more tests (am anxious now – only went for tests about carpal tunnel syndrome)…thyroid affected a lot by pregnancy. maybe it needs investigating?
Hi just ordinary,
I was wondering if you could possibly remove my email address from my previous comment on this blog. I want to maintain my identity as anonymous as possible. Thank you!
Go to a hemotologist please. I don’t want to scare you but just do it now.
hello ,iam amit ,im loosing my hair badly ,i think tihs is a commn baldness.will u ps tell me the product (Provillus & minoxidil (brand name: Rogaine)) help me to regrow my hair. does it hav any side effects.ps give me reply soon……….
Well Nickraj, I am not a doctor so I can’t give any sound medical advice only personal advice on what I’ve personally gone through.
Have a doctor check your ferritin level (iron storage), see a dermatologist to rule out any scalp disorders. The only other piece of advice I can give is to see your GP with your concerns and they can guide you to a product that may help with hair growth.
Thank you for stopping by and hope to see you again here in the future!
JO
what could be the acause of low PCV,very high MCH and MCHC and very low RBCs count.other parameters are of normal range
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