Tests - don’t understand

I have had issues with liver and kidney function tests. I was sent repeatedly around my work hours to get the blood tests. It was never done at a time, when it was a baseline.
So if early morning it would probably be a fasting blood test. Midday, afternoon and evening, I would not say a lot more was I hydrated enough to again get a baseline. Which should be around normal levels. For me, since diagnosis and weight loss, my texts would be up for one test and down for another. Then another test, which would be in the middle.
I found out if you hydrate sufficiently before a test, miraculously it is always a truer reading. Which means that drinking water is always something that can be a solution to someone with function tests issues.

Soph895 said:

hi, I’ve recently been diagnosed T2, the nurse did some more blood tests and urine sample. I’ve got some tests back and need to go for another blood test. But confused by some of the results. The results came abnormal:

My triglycerides are 6.4 when should be no more than 2.

My serum creatinine level is 53 and should be between 60 and 120 (anyone good at explaining this and what I need to do?)

Then the last thing I wanted to check was does on everyone’s tests they have mention acute kidney injury? Regardless of it’s normal or abnormal?
On my results on the app it just says ‘acute kidney staging not applicable, AKI stage NA - flag low alert. ; does this mean I have some sort damage? Or it’s all ok?

On a separate document they tested egfr with creatinine and it came back normal….

So I’m unsure if I have little damage but function is normal? Or if kidneys are damage free and it’s on the results as that’s what they test when doing a review?


So I panicked a bit when getting result as they need another blood test but wondered if it is to do with kidneys or more the fact my cholesterol, triglycerides are high and creatinine levels are low.

Thanks

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Hi @Soph895

Can't answer as to kidneys, but can respond re trigs.

Here's my post re the early results for me .

Back tracked blood tests circa 2018 up to 2010.

Not mentioned by docs, but my trigs up at 6 iirc

The 8 years from 2010 to 2018 DX was low cal low fat, very little difference.

2018-to end of chart was LCHF

Dramatic improvement.

I believe trigs (could be wrong) are a major help in transporting sugar around body .

Made sense, "more sugar, more trigs", to me.

Cut back on carbs matches, but doesn't confirm.

Just another piece of the individual puzzle we all have to get to fit, for the full picture.

Good luck on tests .

High cholesterol and triglycerides are common at diagnosis as it’s all part of the metabolic dysfunction that type 2 is part of. (As is high blood pressure and belly fat). As you modify your diet and regain blood glucose control it’s highly likely these other issues improve too. What are you doing about the type 2? Have you discovered low carb as the single most effective self treatment that beats medication hands down for results when applied properly? There’s links in my signature in red below if you can see them (website shows them but I think the app doesn’t).

My creatinine has been consistently a little below range for years. I’ve asked several drs about it and none of them seem at all worried and my own research only turns up issues with high levels. It seems to be linked to muscles and perhaps not being as active as I could be as my best guess.

The kidney thing on the face of it appears unconcerning (not applicable (n/a) meaning not tested or not relevant) to you and ok, but I’m guessing this rather than sure. Ask the nurse rather than worry though. Same goes re asking what extra tests are being done and why

Soph895 said:

My triglycerides are 6.4 when should be no more than 2.

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Did you fast before they took your blood sample? triglyceride levels can be raised for several hours after a high carb/fat meal.

Soph895 said:

My serum creatinine level is 53 and should be between 60 and 120 (

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Low creatinine levels can indicate an underlying health problem, such as liver disease, but if this is the case, it will usually present alongside other symptoms. In these instances, the condition will be best tested by a doctor.

More often, low levels of creatinine are a normal part of aging or a temporary issue that can be resolved with changes to diet. Copy & pasted from here https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319892#treatment

Soph895 said:

On a separate document they tested egfr with creatinine and it came back normal

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The Estimated Glomerular filtration rate(eGFR) measures how good a job your kidneys are doing at filtering out creatinine, so normal is just what you would hope to see.

Soph895 said:

On my results on the app it just says ‘acute kidney staging not applicable, AKI stage NA - flag low alert

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AKI stands for acute kidney injury, AKI stages are to do with high creatinine levels, ie warning stage 1 is 1.5 times the baseline levels, warning stage 2 is 2 times the baseline levels and so on.
So again I would think that "not applicable" and NA for the stage, are just the results you would want

Soph895 said:

Thankyou for the info….luckily I have a good friend who is a dietician, so she’s making a plan up for me. She’s focused more on high fiber and low fat and has had many clients who’s reversed their type 2 this way. I’ve just joined the gym too

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Oh dear.

No issue with the fibre but this with the low fat will come with carbs, too many of them. Standard nhs advice based on a highly simplified low calorie count and a (misplaced) terror of saturated fats which has had historically poor results. Some fats are essential. No carbs are.

Sorry i think you missed the un out there.

Soph895 said:

Of course low fat doesn’t mean no fat, she’s focused on healthy fats like avocados, olive oil. It’s also eating unrefined carbs like beans, pulses, whole grains which hold nutrients She has her own private clinic and has had great results from her clients so I do really trust what’s she’s doing, I know there’s been controversies about low carb/high fat high carb/low fat but surely everyone is different

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Are you testing your blood glucose (BG) levels?
This is the main way that you can tell if your chosen eating style is working for you.
We are all different so eating has to be tailored to how your body reacts to what you eat.

Soph895 said:

I am going to see my doctor and see if I can get a glucose monitor so I can check and see what foods work best for me….I have a friend who reversed her type 2 and she just eats a balanced diet, and includes exercise. She’s reversed it now for 4 years

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Hi, @Soph895 ,
You are correct that everyone is different and needs a balanced dietary regime tailored to their bodies requirements.
I have seen many doctors, dsns, nutritionists and even seen a couple of endocrinologist. All of whom were giving the same advice.
I was to follow a healthy dietary regime.
It would have killed me .
I was advised healthy porridge, baked spud with beans, meat without fat, more spuds, more vegetsbles.
I was also told to eat complex carbs, Wholewheat, lots of fruit and veg.
The only good food on that list was the veg, not enough protein, and far too many carbs

Ask about how diabetics are susceptible to an intolerance to certain foods, which means how your blood glucose levels react to how much carb is processed into glucose which will spike your blood glucose levels too high for your level of diabetes, your insulin resistance, your insulin response, your continuous high levels of glucose and insulin, which may lead to your diabetes hba1c levels raise more than you want.

Ask about a very low carb diet, which will continually control your blood glucose levels.

My balanced diet has nothing to do with calories, my experience with discovering what is my limit of carb intake has given me, a knowledge of my body, that no nutritionist is trained to understand.

I have been on a very low carb diet for most of the last decade. My last blood test was normal and I was told that I was healthy for my age. Despite the list below!!!

Do be aware, that your friend is a professional.

My best wishes.

Soph895 said:

Of course low fat doesn’t mean no fat, she’s focused on healthy fats like avocados, olive oil. It’s also eating unrefined carbs like beans, pulses, whole grains which hold nutrients She has her own private clinic and has had great results from her clients so I do really trust what’s she’s doing, I know there’s been controversies about low carb/high fat high carb/low fat but surely everyone is different

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i didn’t suggest it would be no fat. Whilst this all sounds the “better” end of standard advice and is a whole lot better than refined carbs, sugar and processed foods it only gets you so far. And as you say we type 2 do vary on our sensitivity to carbs and insulin. But also we are all working on the same biological system which fundamentally works the same in us all. Carbs raise glucose. All of them except fibre. The extent and speed may vary though.

Soph895 said:

I am going to see my doctor and see if I can get a glucose monitor so I can check and see what foods work best for me….I have a friend who reversed her type 2 and she just eats a balanced diet, and includes exercise. She’s reversed it now for 4 years

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Good luck with that request. Very few succeed and have to provide their own. We can help with links to the more affordable options if need be.

Some seem to respond extremely positively to weight loss (often those with a lot to lose in the first place) or this sort or more moderate diet plan (often those with the worst diets to begin with). Suggesting indeed that lifestyle choices have a lot to do with their diabetes onset and matching the popular mantra. These people seem to do well on carb intakes in the realm of 100 to 150g a day and find maintaining remission comparatively easier. However many many others find that these same unrefined carbs still cause significant rises, overall weight loss does less to reduce blood glucose on its own and they need significantly fewer carbs perhaps 50g or even under 20g a day to achieve normal bgl. You friend seems to be in the former group. Let’s hope you are too. A meter will help a lot deciding where on the scale you fall.

Well done for getting a monitor and strips. But if you suffer from anxiety please do not go mad testing all the time, have structured regime, before and 2 hours after eating this way your results actually mean something.

Soph895 said:

Thankyou for that….doctor phoned me today regarding medication, and I asked for a monitor and strips, he did suggest I didn’t need to test with the medication I’ll be on, however due to me suffering with anxiety and depression he agreed if it helps me feel in control and not cause more anxiety then he’d happily do me a subscription….there’s just so much to learn it’s overwhelming

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You are lucky. Now you need to learn how to test and what the results mean so they are useful ad reassuring nor anxiety provoking.

test meals before and 2 hrs later. A normal reaction is to be back close to pre meal levels. A 2mmol buffer is acceptable. More than that it’s too many carbs for you right now.

meters are not perfect. They have a tolerance level. Take numbers after the decimal point with a pinch of salt. Look at overall trends not precise numbers. If it’s unexpected then wash your hands and retest. Even tiny traces of contaminants can make a big difference.

if you aren’t getting actionable data (continue as you are or change things and understand what caused the numbers) ask yourself why you are testing.

Soph895 said:

Thankyou for that….doctor phoned me today regarding medication, and I asked for a monitor and strips, he did suggest I didn’t need to test with the medication I’ll be on, however due to me suffering with anxiety and depression he agreed if it helps me feel in control and not cause more anxiety then he’d happily do me a subscription….there’s just so much to learn it’s overwhelming

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What meds did your doctor prescrbe?
I have gone through the mill with severe depression and anxiety. But not because of my condition or monitoring my BG levels.
I can understand your situation, as long as you understand the necessity of BG monitoring.
Keep a food diary to go along with the monitoring.

keep safe.

Soph895 said:

I’m on Metformin for diabetes. I was currently taking a beta blocker for anxiety but doctors don’t want me on anti depressants yet and so I’m having councelling. My anxiety and depression was mainly from losing my mum at 13 and having an abusive dad. And being diagnosed with this had made feel horrible, blaming myself….why can’t I be normal

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No one is normal!
I hope you have a really good counsellor who can give you the tools to prepare yourself for each day. I think that you are doing well, looking for help and advice with your physical and mental health.
I am aware of how difficult it can be to control your feelings. And it can seem, that it is one thing after another, that is upsetting, then another, another, and it can be too much. So you have to have a place, a plan, to be yourself.

Now I'm retired, my garden, reading, and my music, the odd footie on television, but my role in life now is to be the wife's carer. I've (hate the word) lost too much, my life has been hard, but a lot of good things have happened.

I was diagnosed with a rare condition a decade ago.
I produce too much insulin.
I was lucky to find my endocrinologist.
Why am I weird?
I'm not anywhere near normal!
99.999999% of the world, does not have this!!!
Why me?

So don't think that you are normal. Think of yourself as an individual, who has their own issues, their own brand of anxiety and depression. And your own personal style of Type 2. Which, although is a bit of a worry, but having the great people on here guiding your good self. Be assured, you will get through this.

I learned to ask for help when I needed it. I also found, that with the help from counselling and talking to real friends and my close family. My counselling was great. I am getting there, it is still hard at times. But I can now do things now which was totally impossible three years ago!

Keep asking, keep being positive, keep learning!

My very best wishes.

Take care.