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Panic!!!!

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kay19801
kay19801

Hi all

Been having stomach cramps for the last 4 weeks or so, so i decided to do an at home fbc test, the results are as follows

Hb - normal 144

Wcc - normal 6.26

Plt - normal 155

MCV - high 112

I have an FBC in March and all were normal, MCV was 94, what could be the cause of the elevated MCV!?

Just something to bear in mind, i am on warfarin.

I was drinking Friday night, not too excessive but did the saple mid morning Saturday, bloods were only sent Monday and only tested Wed morning by the lab, can this affect a blood test??

Im so afraid i have cancer now of the colon. Im 35 f, smoker and 18.8 stone (i have gained 2 stone in approx 1.5 years)

Sorry for waffling on, any advise please

Thanks

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • anitalou
    anitalou kay19801

    Posted

    Kay - first, take a deep breath. Good. Now another. Great.

    Ok, now, how did you get from slightly elevated MCV (which means only that your rbcs are a little larger than usual) to "I'm so afraid I have cancer now of the colon"?? Easy does it. At 35, unless you have colon cancer in the family or some other major risk factor, you are *very* low risk. Early signs of colon cancer might be blood in the stool (there's an easy test for that) and if suspicious, a colonoscopy. Nothing to do with stomach cramps, warfarin, or MCV.

    Tell the doc who prescribed the warfarin about the stomach cramps and pain, please, and do it soon, if you've been having them for weeks. It can be a side effect of the warfarin or possibly an ulcer.

    Elevated MCV can be just from dietary lacks, particularly folate or viatamin B12, so look to your diet for possible causes. Also high MCV seen in alcoholism, but I think just a drink or two Fri night is not a problem smile

    One elevated reading doth not a diagnosis make, so stay calm, call your GP about the stomach pains on warfarin, and get that looked into.

    be well.

    • kay19801
      kay19801 anitalou

      Posted

      Hello

      Im breathing now!

      Been on warfarin for 16 years due to DVT and PE. this raised MCV is anemia and anemia is the first sign of blood loss which in turn can be caused by bleeding in the colon ie tumor for which i have stomach pains OMG so scared!

      Ive had an endoscopy last month and all normal as i was convinced i had stomach cancer but then all results fell in the normal range however my mcv is now high.

      I have severe Health anxiety sorry

    • anitalou
      anitalou kay19801

      Posted

      Kay, breathing is good! Keep it up smile

      Ok, time for a little technical details - high MCV is *macro*cytic anemia, the anemia caused by blood loss is *micro*cytic anmeia which is reflected by a *low* MCV, which you do not have. A single high MCV is not a crisis. Again, please look to your diet and see that you are eating plenty of folateand B12-rich foods

      If you do have blood test results some time that suggest bleeding, the cause is almost certainly going to be from the warfarin, NOT from a tumor. And your doc needs to know about anything that might be a serious side effefct from the warfarin, there are other "blood thinners" that you can be changed to.

      A clear endoscopy is good! But they were likely looking for ulcers not cancer, so stay calm.

      If your health anxiety is really causing you such distress, please talk to your doc about treatments, like behavioral mod (meditation, exercise) or a mild anti-anxiety drug. You deserve to be well.

    • kay19801
      kay19801 anitalou

      Posted

      Hi again

      Googling all day is not helping me one darn bit either.

      I had the endoscopy and the gastro doc said "no cancer and no significant findings" so i guess no ulcers either.

      Thank you for the MCV meaning making me slightly calmer. I eat loads of salad for lunch every day so i cant understand why there would be a deficiency of some sort, plus I eat meat and fish all week so again not making sense to me. Folic acid is a weird one, where is that derived from? Im trying to self diagnose myself here with google and so not coping.

      Thr belly aches started about 5 weeks again but with looser motions too (sorry for this) and this is a sign of colon cancer too.

      My gp has referred me for CBT therapy but I think I need tablets as i really am struggling to cope right now.

    • anitalou
      anitalou kay19801

      Posted

      Hi again Kay smile you're right about Googling all day, you can make yourself crazy by too much of that rolleyes and I speak from experience! or google something like "relaxation methods" or "beautiful images" or "perfect vacation" or "best knitting project ever"

      Glad your GP is suggesting CBT, that can be *very* effective and no side effects! But sometimes meds + therapy is better than either alone. And, a plug here: knitting or other handcrafts are wonderful for keeping your hands busy and mind occupied when other things are troubling you. Belly aches can be due to anxiety alone, never mind the long list of other causes.

      Salad for lunch is great smile but folate is highest in the dark leafy greens (romaine, baby spinach for your salad!) not the pale iceberg type. In the US, folate is added to flours and other grain products, don't know if that's true in the UK also.

      best wishes, and find a local yarn shop!

    • kay19801
      kay19801 anitalou

      Posted

      Hello again

      Thank you for all your messages. I am just so fearful right now im actually making myself scared ive made an appointment with my GP tomorrow and hopefully he can shed some light on my results too.

      Ill keep you updated.

      Thanks for listening. 🤗

    • anitalou
      anitalou kay19801

      Posted

      Great that you've got an appt tomorrow, that should get you some good information! Beware of fear, like you said, it gets a life of its own and you have take it firmly into a back room and say "ok, thanks for the warning but its going to be okay after all" turn off the light, and shut it into the room. Then get on with that life of yours!

      And yarn wink

      *hug* do let us know how you're getting on.

    • kay19801
      kay19801 anitalou

      Posted

      Hi again

      Dr is not concerned about the raised mcv level. He stated if something was really of concern the hb and wcc would flag either up or down and then he would request another set of bloods including the fact im not losing weight. He said my stomach cramping is down to anxiety and i should calm down BUT if it persists i must go back and they will do a another set of bloods and blood stool test so......

      He said, i need conselling for my anxiety

      All i can do now is relax he is a dr and i should believe what he says.

    • anitalou
      anitalou kay19801

      Posted

      Excellent news all around, sounds like your doc is very sensible and his advice is good! (too bad he didn't mention the yarn shop wink )

      be well,

      Anitalou

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