How do I read lab results?
Last updated September 3, 2026.
Every lab report has the same skeleton: marker name, your value with units, the reference range, and a flag (H or L) when you fall outside it. Then the sanity rules, per MedlinePlus: ranges are not verdicts - they vary by lab and method, so compare against the range on YOUR report, and a value barely outside the line can be normal for you; one flag is not a diagnosis - hydration, meals, exercise, illness, and medications all move numbers, and abnormal results earn repeats before names; trends beat snapshots - keep your old results. And the three questions that turn numbers into a plan: what does this measure, how far out am I, what happens next. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, and can walk any result line by line.
What to do
- Read against YOUR report's range: labs differ.
- One flag, no panic: repeats come before diagnoses.
- Keep every result: the trend is the truth.
- Ask the three questions: what, how far, what next.
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