Every time I get my blood test results, I used to stare at the numbers without really understanding what I was looking at. So I started learning. This is what I know now — and what my own numbers have looked like over the past year.
(Last updated: June 2026)
LDH — The One That Made Me Anxious
LDH (lactate dehydrogenase) is an enzyme found inside every cell in your body. It stays quiet inside healthy cells — but when a cell is damaged or dies, LDH leaks into the bloodstream.
For lymphoma patients, LDH reflects two things: how active the tumor is, and how many cells are dying. That's what makes it complicated.
High LDH doesn't automatically mean bad news. When cancer cells die — whether from treatment or other causes — LDH rises too. The same number can mean very different things depending on context.
It's been above the reference range for a while and has been gradually climbing. I asked my doctor how to interpret this. The answer: at this level, it suggests the cancer is active. My doctor watches it closely but isn't treating it as urgent — the threshold for real concern is above 500. Mine is currently 362.
I also asked whether rising LDH could mean cancer cells are dying rather than growing. The answer was that when cells are destroyed by chemotherapy, LDH spikes sharply and suddenly. My pattern doesn't look like that — it's a gradual rise, not a spike.
A CT scan is scheduled for July. That will give a clearer picture.
(The science behind LDH and the Warburg Effect is covered in more detail [here])
CBC — The Four Numbers I Check Every Time
CBC (Complete Blood Count) looks at four things at once. For blood cancer patients, these are the numbers that show whether the bone marrow is doing its job.
WBC (White Blood Cells) — normal range 4.0–10.0. These are your immune cells. Too low means vulnerability to infection, which can pause chemotherapy. Since lymphoma originates in lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell), this one matters especially.
| Date | WBC |
| Jul 2025 | 4.09 |
| Sep 2025 | 4.51 |
| Oct 2025 | 4.13 |
| Dec 2025 | 4.47 |
| Feb 2026 | 4.51 |
| Apr 2026 | 4.87 |
| Jun 2026 | 4.40 |
Stable throughout. Started near the lower end of normal and has stayed within range.
RBC (Red Blood Cells) — normal range 4.2–5.4. These carry oxygen through your body.
| Date | RBC |
| Jul 2025 | 4.45 |
| Sep 2025 | 4.71 |
| Oct 2025 | 4.81 |
| Dec 2025 | 4.68 |
| Feb 2026 | 4.48 |
| Apr 2026 | 4.71 |
| Jun 2026 | 4.94 |
Consistently within normal range. June 2026 is the highest it's been — a quiet positive trend.
Hemoglobin — normal range 12.0–16.0 g/dL. The protein inside red blood cells that actually carries oxygen.
| Date | Hb |
| Jul 2025 | 12.4 |
| Sep 2025 | 13.4 |
| Oct 2025 | 14.0 |
| Dec 2025 | 13.9 |
| Feb 2026 | 13.4 |
| Apr 2026 | 13.8 |
| Jun 2026 | 14.3 |
My lowest point was 12.4 in July 2025 — I remember that period as unusually exhausting. It's been recovering steadily. June 2026 at 14.3 is the highest in a year.
Platelets — normal range 140–440. These stop bleeding when you're injured.
| Date | Platelets |
| Jul 2025 | 297 |
| Sep 2025 | 238 |
| Oct 2025 | 263 |
| Dec 2025 | 279 |
| Feb 2026 | 277 |
| Apr 2026 | 265 |
| Jun 2026 | 245 |
Solidly within normal range throughout. Slight downward trend recently but well within safe territory.
Albumin — The One I Almost Overlooked
Albumin is a protein made by the liver. It delivers nutrients, hormones, and medications throughout the body and regulates fluid balance. In plain terms: it reflects whether your body is actually being nourished.
Normal range: 3.5–5.2 g/dL. For cancer patients, staying above 4.0 is considered ideal.
| Date | Albumin |
| Jul 2025 | 4.4 |
| Sep 2025 | 4.8 |
| Oct 2025 | 4.8 |
| Dec 2025 | 5.0 |
| Feb 2026 | 4.6 |
| Apr 2026 | 4.9 |
| Jun 2026 | 5.0 |
Stable and strong throughout. June 2026 ties the highest reading. I started LCHF in March 2026 — albumin has held steady since then, which I take as a sign that the diet isn't compromising nutrition.
CRP — Watching for Inflammation
CRP (C-reactive protein) is produced by the liver when inflammation occurs anywhere in the body. It responds fast — levels rise within hours and fall quickly when inflammation resolves.
Normal range: 0.0–0.30 mg/dL.
| Date | CRP |
| Jul 2025 | 0.17 |
| Sep 2025 | 0.13 |
| Oct 2025 | 0.22 |
| Dec 2025 | 0.30 |
| Feb 2026 | 0.20 |
| Apr 2026 | 0.16 |
| Jun 2026 | 0.29 |
June came in at 0.29 — right at the upper limit but still within normal range. I mentioned it to my doctor, who wasn't concerned. To put it in perspective: CRP only becomes worrying when it climbs into the 20–30 range. Mine moving between 0.16 and 0.29 is the kind of minor fluctuation that happens for any number of reasons — a small infection, minor inflammation anywhere in the body.
Liver & Kidney Function — What Processes the Treatment
Chemotherapy drugs are processed by the liver and eliminated by the kidneys. These numbers confirm both organs are doing their job.
ALT — normal range 0–33 U/L. Liver cell damage marker.
| Date | ALT |
| Jul 2025 | 21 |
| Sep 2025 | 23 |
| Oct 2025 | 50 ⚠️ |
| Dec 2025 | 27 |
| Feb 2026 | 18 |
| Apr 2026 | 28 |
| Jun 2026 | 32 |
The spike to 50 in October 2025 happened one month after my last chemotherapy cycle in September. This is a common response — the liver works hard to process chemotherapy drugs and temporarily shows elevated enzymes. It returned to normal by December and has stayed there. June 2026 is at 32, just within range.
AST — normal range 0–32 U/L. Similar to ALT, also found in muscle and heart tissue.
| Date | AST |
| Jul 2025 | 24 |
| Sep 2025 | 23 |
| Oct 2025 | 37 ⚠️ |
| Dec 2025 | 25 |
| Feb 2026 | 23 |
| Apr 2026 | 28 |
| Jun 2026 | 33 |
June came in at 33 — one point above the reference range of 32. Since ALT is still within range and there are no symptoms, this is a minor finding to watch rather than act on. The fact that both ALT and AST moved together in October 2025 confirmed the cause was liver-related, not muscular.
Total Bilirubin — normal range 0–1.20 mg/dL. Reflects how well the liver is processing waste.
| Date | Bilirubin |
| Jul 2025 | 0.27 |
| Sep 2025 | 0.31 |
| Oct 2025 | 0.34 |
| Dec 2025 | 0.54 |
| Feb 2026 | 0.52 |
| Apr 2026 | 0.41 |
| Jun 2026 | 0.52 |
Stable throughout — including during the October spike in ALT and AST. The liver was under stress but kept functioning.
Creatinine — normal range 0.50–0.90 mg/dL. Kidney filtration marker.
| Date | Creatinine |
| Jul 2025 | 0.74 |
| Sep 2025 | 0.70 |
| Oct 2025 | 0.72 |
| Dec 2025 | 0.72 |
| Feb 2026 | 0.69 |
| Apr 2026 | 0.62 |
| Jun 2026 | 0.74 |
Nearly a flat line for an entire year. The kidneys have been remarkably consistent.
BUN — normal range 6–20 mg/dL. Another kidney marker, measuring nitrogen waste from protein breakdown.
| Date | BUN |
| Jul 2025 | 13.7 |
| Sep 2025 | 7.4 |
| Oct 2025 | 12.5 |
| Dec 2025 | 11.4 |
| Feb 2026 | 11.7 |
| Apr 2026 | 13.5 |
| Jun 2026 | 12.3 |
More variation than creatinine but consistently within normal range. Combined with stable creatinine, kidney function looks solid.
Total Cholesterol — came in elevated at 289 (reference: under 200) in June 2026. I started LCHF in March, and cholesterol can rise temporarily during weight loss as fat is mobilized from tissue. A detailed lipid panel has been added for the July blood draw. I'll update once those results are in.
Why I Track All of This
None of these numbers tells the whole story alone. But understanding what each one means changes how I receive the results.
Before I studied this, a number out of range felt like a verdict. Now it's a data point — something to read in context, to watch over time, to bring to my doctor with an actual question.
The most recent thing I've learned: even understanding your numbers doesn't always give you certainty. Follicular lymphoma has a characteristic called waxing and waning — tumors can shrink or disappear without any intervention, then return. That makes it structurally difficult to prove that anything you're doing is working. I'm learning to sit with that uncertainty, and to keep showing up for the next test.
⚠️ I am not a medical professional. Nothing in this blog constitutes medical advice. Please consult your doctor before making any decisions about your treatment or health.
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