How long does it take in order to improve blood test results?

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lionkingbg
lionkingbg Posts: 33 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I had my blood tested 2 months ago. Since my results weren't nice (higher tryglicerides and lower HDL holesterol) I started healthy diet in order to improve results. When should I test my blood, again?

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  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    Why not? See if you are on the right track.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,028 Member
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    I started on MFP because of blood test results from a wellness screening at work that scared me (glucose, mainly, but cholesterol wasn't great, and blood pressure was high). I had a home BP monitor and kept track of that as it improved with weight loss and exercise, but I didn't go for new blood tests until my next doctor's appointment, about six months later, and things were much better. Do you have easy options for getting tested without seeing a doctor? Will your insurance pay for a doctor's visit and/or blood tests again so soon? (I don't think mine would, without a doctor's order and a medical reason.)
  • socioseguro
    socioseguro Posts: 1,679 Member
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    I do my blood test once a year. My insurance has 100% coverage of an annual physical, anything else I will have a copay.
    I measure my health by other metrics like: I can sleep 7 hours most nights, I am full of energy after a workout, my body has an improved shape with weightlifting. Usually, the annual test is more like a confirmation of the other metrics.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited December 2015
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    i started all of this a few years ago due to some really bad blood work...out of this world triglycerides, low HDL, and very high LDL. my doctor advised me to very conscientious of my diet and exercise and give it at least three months. after three months there were improvements, but it took me about a year to get everything normal and a couple of years to get everything in the "optimal" range.

    to that end, it's something i just have to pay close attention to at all times. i'm predisposed to these issues so i'm fighting an uphill battle all the way and even though i'm at a healthy BF%, if my diet gets a little off track, it shows up in my blood work.

    now that i have everything pretty much under control, i get my blood work done every six months...when i was actively trying to fix things, i went every 3 months.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    Pretty much all depends on what kind of test and if insurance will pay for it or not. I have been diagnosed T2Dm so my insurance will cover an A1C every 3 months and once daily glucose tests. Cholesterol will only be covered once a year. I also had severe anemia so they would cover a CBC every 3 months but I don't get one that often. My numbers have stayed up and I donate blood every 2 months so I get my hemoglobin tested then.

    As far as how long it takes for numbers to improve, it really depends on so many factors. I was able to reduce my A1C from 7.3 to 5.5 in 9 months. Haven't had a cholesterol or triglyceride issue so I can't help you there.
  • lionkingbg
    lionkingbg Posts: 33 Member
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    There is no problem for me to check my blood. I can do it without seeing my doctor and it doesn't cost much. I've just asked if it is short period of time or not. Coz, I don't want to be disappointed if my results don't show any improvement!
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,028 Member
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    lionkingbg wrote: »
    There is no problem for me to check my blood. I can do it without seeing my doctor and it doesn't cost much. I've just asked if it is short period of time or not. Coz, I don't want to be disappointed if my results don't show any improvement!

    Well, it's hard to know. I expect different people have different outcomes. If it were me, I'd wait until I'd lost about 10% of my starting weight, and/or had at least two months of getting regular exercise that was significantly more than what I'd started at.

    What are you going to do if you're disappointed in the results? Quit your efforts to improve your health? If that's the case, maybe you shouldn't get tested any sooner than you have to.
  • lionkingbg
    lionkingbg Posts: 33 Member
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    No. I'm not going to quit my efforts. No way! :)
    Do you know how much results can be improved? I've read somewhere that there are limits when it comes to improving results. For instance, HDL, LDL or tryglicerides cannot go on better more than 10%.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,445 Member
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    I very highly suggest you do some research on cholesterol and these blood tests. You may be surprised how meaningless they really are. Here's a good place to start - http://drmalcolmkendrick.org/books-by-dr-malcolm-kendrick/the-great-cholesterol-con/ - look around for more sites (both pro and con). If nothing else it will give you some questions to ask next time you get your blood tested...
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,244 Member
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    I had bloodwork done almost exactly one year ago, and there were some borderline high results.

    In Feb, I started here with MFP and began losing weight.

    By the time I had lost 10 kg in about early May, I had the bloodwork done again, and my results had improved significantly.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,244 Member
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    lionkingbg wrote: »
    I had my blood tested 2 months ago. Since my results weren't nice (higher tryglicerides and lower HDL holesterol) I started healthy diet in order to improve results. When should I test my blood, again?

    I'd recommend getting checked again after you've lost somewhere around 10 kg. :)

  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,028 Member
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    lionkingbg wrote: »
    No. I'm not going to quit my efforts. No way! :)
    Do you know how much results can be improved? I've read somewhere that there are limits when it comes to improving results. For instance, HDL, LDL or tryglicerides cannot go on better more than 10%.

    I haven't seen any studies on that. What I have read suggests that we're not getting the right info from standard blood tests, and that the crucial figure is the breakdown of two different types of LDLs, but I just deal with the info my doctor has me tested for.

    Anyway, in my case, my LDL (which really wasn't that high to begin with) came down by something like 30%, and I'd say my triglycerides (which were high) came down by about 15%--all from diet and exercise, no meds. I would assume results would vary depending on how bad off you are in the first place, as well as depending on how much a given individual's problem is driven by genetics and how much by their weight/nutrition/exercise issues (I'm not sure if that's clear -- I'm saying I think behavior doesn't carry the same weight in all cases, and that for some people genetics is more of an influence that it is in others). Sadly, not much luck in bringing my HDLs up at my last check-up.
  • lionkingbg
    lionkingbg Posts: 33 Member
    edited December 2015
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    Thanks lynn. Did you have problems with BP? Actually, first warning signs that my health was ruined came from my check-up when I got BP checked. After that I have been constanltly checking it so as to monitor improvement. I could say that I succeeded in lowering BP by 5mmHg (from 130/90 to 125/85) in 15 days! Is it possible or my first result wasn't accurate (white coat effect or smth like that)? During those 2 weeks I only didn't eat white bread, sweets and sparkling drinks, avoiding also food that contains LDL, trans fats, salt...
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    lionkingbg wrote: »
    Thanks lynn. Did you have problems with BP? Actually, first warning signs that my health was ruined came from my check-up when I got BP checked. After that I have been constanltly checking it so as to monitor improvement. I could say that I succeeded in lowering BP by 5mmHg (from 130/90 to 125/85) in 15 days! Is it possible or my first result wasn't accurate (white coat effect or smth like that)? During those 2 weeks I only didn't eat white bread, sweets and sparkling drinks, avoiding also food that contains LDL, trans fats, salt...

    Lowering the salt probably helped with the BP but the other changes you made take longer to show.
    Tryglicerides and HDL -- those can show a difference after three months. Or wait a little longer.
  • Tinawood40
    Tinawood40 Posts: 65 Member
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    My doc says 3 mos to see changes.
  • roobar323
    roobar323 Posts: 8 Member
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    I did a test in September which had low "Good" Cholesterol and high "Bad". I retested two weeks ago and, while I haven't get the results (I was told that if it was ok they wouldn't call me) on the phone the nurse just said that it was amazing looking at the records and I can pick them up tomorrow.
    During that time I've dropped 8-10kg (I only started tracking in mid October) so it might appear as a positive already.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,028 Member
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    roobar323 wrote: »
    I did a test in September which had low "Good" Cholesterol and high "Bad". I retested two weeks ago and, while I haven't get the results (I was told that if it was ok they wouldn't call me) on the phone the nurse just said that it was amazing looking at the records and I can pick them up tomorrow.
    During that time I've dropped 8-10kg (I only started tracking in mid October) so it might appear as a positive already.

    Congrats on that!
    You say you are constantly monitoring your BP. If you have a monitor at home, you might want to bring it with you to the doctor's, so you can take your BP with your monitor and see if it's in the same ballpark as the reading with the doctor's equipment. I take my monitor with me every time I go to the doctor's, so I can be sure it's still properly calibrated. (I do have the white coat effect, so I can't just take it at home and assume it will be the same at the office. Plus, I have practically never had my BP taken "properly" in a doctor's office. They always take it as soon as I walk back to the examining room, sitting on that raised examination couch or whatever you want to call it, asking me questions as they inflate the cuff, with my feet dangling in the air and my arm held out in the air. At home I take it according to the instructions that came with the BP monitors, and which match the guidance I've found from various medical organizations online: after several minutes of sitting quietly, with my feet flat on the floor, and my arm supported on a table or other surface. So, I guess part of the "white coat effect" for me is that they're just not doing it right. :)

    Anyway, in answer to your earlier question, mine had gotten to be higher than it should be just before I started on MFP, when I had hit the highest weight of my life and was getting very little exercise (it averaged around 140/90 at home and 160/100 if someone wearing a white coat was anywhere around), and it came down to around 122/75 in my first six weeks on MFP, which also coincided with an increase in walking. But that's just my n=1, so your mileage may vary.

    As you're probably aware, you can't just take it once and say "that's my BP." So if you weren't monitoring your BP before, and you just have that one data point of 130/90, it's difficult to say for certain that you've really improved, but hey, if you're consistently at a lower number now, that's good, and hopefully you'll see some more improvement.
  • lionkingbg
    lionkingbg Posts: 33 Member
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    Thanks lynn.
    I got my BP checked two times in doctor's office within few days. (Results are 130/95 and 130/90). Those days I had a cold with high temperature. Doctor wanted to check BP as part of his routine. As I know, cold couldn't affect BP or maybe could?
    Now, after 2 and a half months while I lost 10kg (22 pounds) my BP is within 115/75 - 122/82 range (depends on time of day)!

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