June 2006 Lab Report

Well, it is time once again for lab reports. This month, everything sounds like good news, so be glad (and thank you for all of your prayers).

Albumin – 4.6 (goal is 3.8 to 4.5)

enPCR – 0.59 (goal is greater than or equal to 0.8)
Your protein catabolic rate (protein intake) is low. Eat more: fish, seafood, chicken, turkey, lean red meat, lean fresh pork, eggs, or cottage cheese.

eKdrt/V – 1.28 (goal is greater than or equal to 1.2)
Your eKdrt/V is adequate. You are receiving enough dialysis.

Potassium – 4.7 (goal is 3.5 to 6)
Your potassium level is normal. You are doing a good job with the potassium in your diet!

Corrected Calcium – 9.4 (goal is 8.4 to 9.5)
Your corrected calcium is normal.

Phosphorus – 5.0 (goal is 3.5 to 5.5)
Your phosphorus is normal. Great job limiting high phosphorus foods and taking your binders with meals and snacks!

Hemoglobin – 13.3 (goal is 11 to 12)

Average Fluid Weight Gain – 2.23 kg or 3.2% (goal is 3 – 5% of dry weight unless you have signs and symptoms of fluid overload).
Your nurse will discuss this with you. (Acceptable)

So, as you can see, my lab reports all looking great this month. My phosphorus went down from over 7 last month to 5.0 this month. This is a good thing, as I do not want to have squishy bones when I grow up. So, I will keep watching my phosphorus levels, and I’ll try and keep them low. I want to watch all of my labs, but that is the one that I’ve had the most trouble with.

Fistula update: my arm is still quite bruised and sore. I cannot straighten my arm out fully, yet, due to the pain. My bicep is bruised from the elbow to the clavicle (all the way over the bicep muscle). I’ve been using a heating pad and an ice pack (though not at the same time) to try and reduce the bruising and swelling. My arm has gone from a very dark patch to a big brown area of pain. I did not let them stick me on Tuesday, and I do not plan to let them stick me until my arm feels better. Thankfully, my catheter worked fairly well Tuesday night, and I was able to have a treatment at about 270 ml/min (which is not fast enough, but it’s better than the machine stopping every two minutes).

I guess that’s all for today. Keep praying that my arm will heal quickly so that I can go back to using my fistula. And, pray that when I do go back to using the fistula that it will work properly and not have any problems with the needles. Also, keep praying that we will get the payments for the transplant testing worked out with the insurance company so that I can get some more people tested. Thanks for coming by to read!