Labs are Back.... Finally

Okay, so I just downloaded my lab results and reviewing them. Overall, things look pretty good. CBC with Differential all are in range, meaning no infections or anything along those lines. I knew that already, but they always test this for some reason.

On to the more important things, The Metabolic Panel. This is where the mal-absorption issues could start to rear their heads. I have a couple of flags on that for being below the normal range and one was high. I'm going to start with the low flags, Potassium and Chloride. My sodium was close to low, but not there.

Potassium is pretty important in regulating your heart and keeping your body going, so being low on it can cause some major issues. A deficiency in potassium can cause fatigue, insomnia, depression, muscular weakness, and many cardiovascular issues. Oh, hmmm... I am experiencing those highlighted symptoms right now! *insert light bulb here* 

I am supposed to be increasing the variety of foods I eat, so I did some research on foods that are high in potassium. Beans, spinach, yogurt, salmon, and avocado were all on the list and are things I can eat.

Chloride works with potassium and helps regulate the Ph balance in your system. Being low on this is pretty darn rare. Basically, I need to eat more salt and saltier foods. Odd, isn't it?

I was high on the BUN/Creatinine Ratio basically meaning I was dehydrated. My level was 21, normal range is 8 to 20. This could be the reason for the low Potassium and Chloride or the the low Potassium and Chloride could be causing the dehydration. The 3 flags are definitely linked. So, time for some beans and spinach with a good pinch of salt!

Only one more flag on the report and I suspected this was coming. My Iron saturation is at 14. Normal range is 15 to 55. All my other Iron measurements were in range, but on the lower side. I think I just need to eat some more iron rich foods to bump things up a bit and everything should be fine. Fortunately, many of the foods that are high in potassium are also high in Iron. So, adding some beans, spinach, and more seafood to my diet should help balance everything out.

Not a bad report at all!