Any nurses out there? My blood test came back and I don't know what some things mean!?

My doctor was on vacation and I had to see his assistant. She didn't have a lot to say though! I'm still somewhat confused.
These are the ones that came back abnormal: I had a very low BUN (7). My potassium level was 3.3. My HCT was 36.2. My RDW was 10.7 and my MPV was 10.3.

I also took a urine test and there was protein in my pee! Huh? What does that mean?

HOPE ALL THIS HELPS. IT TOOK ME JUST A MINUTE TO LOOK ALL THESE UP. ITS A NEAT SITE. I PROVIDED LINK BELOW. TAKE CARE, AND GOOD LUCK.

BUN: Blood urea nitrogen. A measure primarily of the urea level in blood. Urea is cleared by the kidney and diseases which compromises the function of the kidney will frequently lead to increased blood levels. The blood BUN level can also rise in patients who are dehydrated.

Hct (hematocrit): Abbreviation for hematocrit.

The hematocrit is the proportion, by volume, of the blood that consists of red blood cells. The hematocrit (hct) is expressed as a percentage.

For example, an hematocrit of 25% means that there are 25 milliliters of red blood cells in 100 milliliters of blood. A quarter of the blood consists of red cells.

The normal ranges for hematocrit are dependant on age and, after adolescence, the sex of the individual. The normal ranges are:

Newborns: 55-68%
One (1) week of age: 47-65%
One (1) month of age: 37-49%
Three (3) months of age: 30-36%
One (1) year of age: 29-41%
Ten (10) years of age: 36-40%
Adult males: 42-54%
Adult women: 38-46%
These values may vary slightly between laboratories

Red cell distribution width (RDW). A measurement of the variability of red cell size. Higher numbers indicate greater variation in size. Normal range is 11 - 15.


not sure about mpv.

Look here:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/...

Did they prescribe you anything or tell you how to modify your life? You could have severe liver disease. I would call the doc back and tell him you do not feel that you understand your results and want to talk with him.

A low BUN is ok. A high one would be more worrisome (it could indicate kidney failure).
Your potassium is a little bit low (normal is 3.5-5), but it's not dangerously low. Some bananas and orange juice a bit more often can help that!
You hct is ok. The hgb is also important. If they were dangerously low, they would have told you to come in for a blood transfusion. A lot of women have problems with iron deficiency anemia. If you just ended a heavy period, that could effect it also.
Protein in the urine can be a sign of renal failure, but your BUN looked good, and I'm sure they checked other stuff along with it (serum creatinine, which is what will really show kidney damage).

All the labs you mention are within normal limits. The MPV is a calculated result called the mean platelet volume, which is an indication of the size of your platelets, (yours are normal).

It is not uncommon to find a trace of protein in the urine. Higher levels would require additional tests.