Long awaited blood tests: Freak out or not freak out??

A little while back I posted the story of how I was supposed to have blood tests done last summer to get baseline numbers for kidney & liver function because I was starting Mezavant and my doctor wanted to monitor any effect from that. However the lab messed up and didn’t do those tests. I finally had them done yesterday. I am not sure how much I should be worrying about the results.

First, CK is out of range. CK = Creatine Kinase. Normal range is <140 and I have 150. I googled this: "This test measures the amount of an enzyme called creatine kinase (CK) in your blood. ... The muscle cells in your body need CK to function. Levels of CK can rise after a heart attack, skeletal muscle injury, strenuous exercise, or drinking too much alcohol, and from taking certain medicines or supplements."

I have not had any alcohol since Valentine’s Day and I am pretty sure I have not had a heart attack. I did arrive at the lab right after a vigorous 9K walk – I thought was going to be late so for the last half hour I was nearly running and it was somewhat uphill – so maybe that was the strenuous exercise mentioned above? OR, it could be from “taking certain medicines” which is the worrisome part.

Next, my ALT is barely out of range. Normal is <36 and I am right on 36. So maybe no big deal, but boy I wish I had those baseline results from last summer. I went back through all my test results, and lo & behold I discovered I had ALT & AST tested in Dec 2015! Totally forgot about that. My results from Dec 2105 compared to yesterday:

ALT Dec2015 = 19 Apr2017 = 36
AST Dec 2015 = 19 Apr2017 = 28

So… worry or not worry??

I'd tend not to worry especially for one test and only being slightly out of range. However I'd consult your doctor as good policy.

Oh wow, 3 votes for not freak out. I guess I was expecting the opposite.

I loved this: "my radar wouldn't budge even if my head was detached and sitting on the desk next to me". I tend to worry when my head first starts to loosen, long before it becomes completely detached.

iPoop, my doctor's office is guaranteed to call, they always call whenever there is any abnormal result on a blood test no matter how insignificant. I think I might as well call them first instead of waiting the 2 or 3 days it takes them to react. If she wants me to be retested, I'd prefer to do it before the last week of April when I have a night out with alcohol planned. As Soy said, I am due!

Hmmm... interesting. Thanks for that.