Elevated LDH

smik3333

Hi Kathy and even although you have been around for some time - welcome,

First, well done getting through your treatment and finding remission. Once treatment is complete we all hope that this is it, we can move on, but very often bumps in the road can come along.

We are not medically trained but what I know from my long experience that blood tests can go all over the place and this is indeed can be due to many things.....and a glass or two of alcohol before a test can indeed throw the readings.

My understanding is that high LDH can signify a number of things, one is tissue damage. I regularly have high-ish LDH but my team have always said that my body has been through a lot and this reading is not a problem but we just keep an eye on it.

Good that you are going back for another test and let’s look for this to be ok.

Keep posting as talking with folks who understand can help a lot.

((hugs))

Hi Kathy the quick answer is LDH levels are just one of many indicators and a high reading does not mean relapse its like nodes that can go up and down, so an infection or other issue in the body could be causing this without you being aware, as that's what the body does. So try not to get to stressed and see what the next test result shows as you are only just over the range.

John 

Thank you both for answering so quickly.  We do live on this rollercoaster all the time and I usually have an upbeat attitude all the time, but of course this was scary.  My LDH was very high when all of this began, in the 900’s, so of course I get nervous when there is a bump in the road.  I also had had a cold the week before and was with my grandchildren and took a lot of over the counter medicines so that I would feel up to par to keep up with them.  So Dr. is thinking between the medicines and the alcohol, this could be the culprit.  As I said, no swollen lymph nodes nor night sweats, which I had plenty of before diagnosis.  Again thank you and I will keep you all posted.

Kathy

I also failed to mention, I work in a small lab here in the States and of course I have access to checking up on my LDH from time to time...in our lab, my results are always within normal range.  The day after my appointment my LDH was 165, range being 90-243.  But my results are always higher at the cancer center.  Not sometimes a good thing to have all that access and knowledge of what is going on.  All my other counts are great....WBC is 8,000 and before treatment is was 2,000.  So I have come a long way.

Kathy

One more quick question...can anxiety also increase LDH when blood is drawn?

Now that is a very scientific questions and I have no idea....... but I know from experience that anxiety plays havoc with both your head and the good function of our immune system.

That’s true enough!!!

An interesting question and I would guess quite a complex answer way beyond us, I could offer a theory based on flight or fight, but it would have no standing so  certainly one for the haematologist 

If it does then it would be like white coat syndrome with blood pressure and heart rate.

Hey guys just thought I’d let you know, LDH 218, within normal limits!!!!  Yay!!!!!

kathy

Kathy, this is great news. This is just one of the many challenges of living with a blood cancer - blood tests can be all over the place.