Inconsistent Test Results

During the past three weeks, I had three separate lab tests. The first was for my regular nephrologist, the second was for my endocrinologist, and the third was for the UCLA Transplant Center. All the appointments were scheduled a week from each other. I tried moving the schedule to reduce the number of labs, but was unsuccessful. The first two were done at my local medical group’s labs in Orange, while the tests for UCLA were their Laguna Hills facility.

Each doctor wanted different tests done, but here are some common ones:

Test/Date	Nephrologist 9/24/2021	Endocrinologist 10/4/2021	Transplant Center 10/13/2021
Phosphorus	2.3 (low)		3.8
Glucose	156 (high)	122 (high)	102 (high)
Urea Nitrogen	29 (high)	36 (high)	31 (high)
Creatinine	1.41 (high)	1.52 (high)	1.34 (high)
eGFR	56 (low)	48 (low)	60
Potassium	4.3	4.8	5.5 (high)
Calcium	10.2	10.5 (high)	10.4
RBC Count	5.92 (high)		5.62
Hemoglobin	18.3 (high)		17.6 (high)
Hematocrit	56.1 (high)		54.8 (high)

I do not know if inconsistent is the right word when I do not know the accuracy of the tests. If the results are plus/minus 20%, then maybe the results are consistent within the error bars. My regular nephrologist did up my prescription for Losartan, which can lower hemoglobin but also lower blood pressure and increase potassium. Maybe that did have an effect since my potassium results do trend higher and blood pressure has been lower in the past few weeks.

My endocrinologist did ask for a bunch of other tests, mostly A1C/Fructosamine and a lipid panel. My cholesterol was fine, but from the test results and the readings journal from my glucose meter, she added more insulin: 28 units of Trujeo and 8/8/10 plus sliding scale for Humalog before meals. Good thing I have a large supply of insulin pens in my refrigerator.

Of course, four insulin shots daily means a lot of disposed pen needles. I filled up my first two gallon sharp container and just purchased two more from Amazon. Now I need to find a nearby hazardous waste disposal center.