Flags in CBC-when do you worry?

I just got a copy of my labs in the mail today. I called my dr to ask to be tapered from Prednisone earlier this week and she said lets wait until I see you because I don't think we should begin the taper for a while. Normally, my creatinine and my protein from a urine test are flagged and sometimes potassium but not always. Anyways, I was surprised to see the following flagged: wbc-h, rbc-h, mcv-l, mch-l, mchc-l, rdw-h, neutrophils-h, lymphs-l, monocytes-l, absolute neutrophils-h, serum glucose-h, serum creatinine-h, eGFR-l, protein (total & 24 hr-h)

The only things more +/- 5 points of the range given was wbc, mcv, neutrophils, lymphs, serum glucose, eGFR, & protein. The only thing that makes me twice on wasting any time with worrying is because I know a platelet count between 30-50 is usually safe, but yet the ref range is 140-415. I really want to go off the prednisone so bad and I wonder if this could be causing the changes in my bloodwork. I do see the dr in 2 weeks so I can ask her more questions then. I just know some drs blow off the "flags" while others pay attention.

Pauline:

I worry when the doctor tells me it's something to worry about. I almost always have flags and you're right, most of the time they mean nothing, just a number out of the reference range.

I remember once my lymphocytes were really high and flagged as atypical. I looked it up and the results were pretty serious. I did call the doctor and ask about it, and he blew it off. It continued for a few weeks and I kept worrying, but it eventually returned to normal. Worried for nothing.

The best thing to do is ask the doctor. Call if you don't want to wait the two weeks. What dose of Prednisone are you on?

Prednisone certainly messes with the white count and with glucose. Probably other things too but I wouldn't know. I'm the same as Sandi, I don't worry unless the doctor tells me to otherwise I'm in danger of wasting a worry.

Thank you so much for your replies. I won't waste any worry on this. I just don't like my glucose levels being high and I did suspect this was from the Prednisone. I used to be hypoglycemic and now it's above normal.

My nephrologist is going to go over the pros and cons of tapering the Prednisone when I see her on the 20th. I think I'm going to tell her that the physical side effects of this is just too much for me and it is really impacting my emotional well-being. I am usually so laid back and I accept who I am, being a little overweight as long as it doesn't put me in the "obese" range. I feel like I'm heading in that direction and my mind is constantly obsessed with how much I am gaining (not necessarily in pounds) so I think about exercising all the time. (I don't act on it as much as I should, unfortunately.) I do swim almost everyday and I do water aerobics as well as trying to do sit ups to get rid of the fat I'm gaining in my lower abdomen and I even do chin exercises daily to try to help with the fat I've gained either under my chin or around my face. This is all happening on alternate day therapy of 20 mg and I was on 40, dropped down to 30. Been at 20 since April. All I can say, is that I'm tired of thinking about weight gain all the time. I weigh the least between my mom and sisters, but I probably look the worst because my fat is so unevenly distributed.