Skip to main content

Too much information???

Just received the results of my most recent blood test, and they included results for IGA, IGG, and IGM. I went back and reviewed all my past test results, in order to compare, and couldn't find any indication of that being checked before.

My CBC, Beta2 Microglobulin, LDH etc. were basically where they've been for the past few years, and even my IGG was normal - 1458 (694-1618 ref range). The problem is my IGA is low - 68 (81-463 ref range), and my IGM is high - 332 (48-271 ref range).

I've been going along just fine without knowing this information, and I don't feel any different than before, so I'd hate to become alarmed by something that isn't so unusual for someone in my situation.

It's as if I don't have enough to worry about, now I have another reason to be concerned.

I guess it truly can be said, too much information isn't always a good thing. At this point I almost wish I didn't know the results. I think I'd be feeling a lot better about now.

It used to be I could write to Dr. Hamblin, and he would put me at ease, but that era has sadly passed. :(

Oh well, such is life. [BIG SIGH]
Labels:

Comments

Alan Posner said…
From what I remember (and its been a while) IgA isproduced in mucosal linings and plasma cells, not lymphatic tissue. Stop worrying.
3:06 AM
Marc said…
I knew I could count on you to respond.

It's the "produced in the plasma cells" that concerns me. Seems low or high values for those three are common manifestations of Multiple Myeloma.

As far as worrying, I'll at least wait till my next blood test in May before I decide whether I need to worry.

Fortunately they're not too far out of line.
3:18 AM
Alan Posner said…
So now you're worried you have multiple myeloma? MM is characterized by a spike in the gamma G fraction of immunoglobulins. In advanced disease the rest of the globulins decrease.

If you keep on worrying you'll get an ulcer, than I can give you real advice. (Just kidding, worrying doesn't cause ulcers).
3:24 AM
Marc said…
Good to know! Thanks :)
3:35 AM
Mike Foxworth said…
Play some golf or ride the bike. The weather is great for both. Clear out the clouds in your mind!
9:17 AM
Marc said…
or something.

I gave up golf a long time ago. Much to frustrating. Bowling sounds good though!

Thanks John
9:48 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The results are in

And I am iron deficient, big time. [Which would account for my low hemoglobin] Test Result Ref Range IRON 30 59-158 mcg/dL TOTAL IRON BINDING CAPACITY 231 250-420 mcg/dL IRON SAT 13 20-50 % My Ferritin levels were good, but that could be because Ferritin is also an "acute phase reactant", that is sometimes increased with acute or chronic disease. Folate and B12 levels were also within the normal range. The only problem now is determining what is causing the iron deficiency, which in the case of men, is [very] rare. My oncologist has given me a Globin Fecal test to perform, and has scheduled me for a consultation with a colorectal surgeon to discuss performing a colonoscopy, which could be problematic because of my large spleen. In the mean time, I've decided to start taking an iron supplement, it's only the quantity that is causing me some consternation. I've been told by a very knowledgeable person that to overcome an iron deficiency, I need to be taking 300 mg o...
5 comments
Read more

This is just one of those days

It's one of those days you just want to sit around the house and do absolutely nothing, or watch some movies you have recorded. It might even be a good day to read a book, if you were so inclined, which I am not. As you should be able to see from the view out my bedroom window, it is raining outside. The rain started last night, and hasn't let up since. I can't complain too much though, as this is the rainy season, and we do need the rain. Plus Monday's are typically my day off from exercise, so I will surprise everyone, and not complain. I just feel sorry for anyone who might be visiting from, say Argentina, like a friend of mine (fellow MCLer), who happens to be in Cambria today. He might be a little disappointed. Fortunately the rest of the week, when he will be in LA, will be nice, and the real intent of his trip was to visit his son in Tahoe, who works at one of the ski resorts, and ski, so I know he's not complaining too much either. This weather will actually...
6 comments
Read more

When is enough, enough?

Today I learned, Lance Armstrong, the most drug tested athlete in the history of sport, is being accused of doping, again . This time by the US Anti Doping Agency (USADA), who claim they have collected blood samples from him in 2009 and 2010 that were “fully consistent with blood manipulation including EPO use and/or blood transfusions.” Really! What took them so long? The French have been trying to make allegations of drug doping stick for years, ever since he won his first Tour d'France, but to no avail. And now the USADA claims to have evidence to support that claim, and they've waited almost 3 years before releasing this evidence. Needless to say, I am skeptical. Then there's this from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO): Increasing the federal excise tax on cigarettes by 50 cents per pack eventually would increase Medicare and Social Security spending, slightly. Eventually? What is the CBO suggesting here? That we should encourage smoking, because if we don't, in...
11 comments
Read more