I need advice badly

[vercetti2021]

My mom got blood results back in today. Her B12 is over 900, like even over 1500. Of course the idiot I am decided to go onto Google and look around. A lot of it is pointing to cancer or liver disease. I'm beyond scare, like this is my biggest fear and I feel I'm about to live it fully.

Please tell me or talk me down that B12 spikes can be from something that isn't life threatening

[Karadeniz]

1. Is she seeing a hemotologist... most oncologists are also hemotologists.

[MyMission]

2. Calm down and "don't borrow trouble"

Modern medicine can work wonders, as you know. Be positive!
Cancer and liver disease are scary, but not a death sentence. And there's no diagnosis yet.
They are a health challenge. Positive thoughts are important for both the patient and their loved ones. Wait for the diagnosis and then research treatments and offer love and support.
Try to do something for yourself that will calm you, like music or yoga or a bubble bath.
Send positive thoughts out to the universe if you can.

[LoisB]

3. This.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. How about asking her doctor?

That one piece of information is probably not the whole story.

[TNNurse]

5. Medical advice online is NOT the best idea.

Talk to her doctor, talk to your doctor.

Lab results need interpretation and explanation.

Stay away from Google for medical info, please.

[LiberalLoner]

6. +1 99% of the things I was horribly worried over, never ended up being true

Or happening.

And medical stuff…my goodness, test results can be wrong (that’s why lab tests that seem alarming are pretty much always repeated) and also without having that medical degree, we are going to be mistaken 99% of the time when we look things up.

I totally understand that urge to look things up though.

From my experience, and this is just anecdotal so it’s worthless, but for me, when a lab result or test has been troubling, the doctor calls immediately and discusses results with you.

For example, when my biopsy showed cancer, the doctor called me at home before she even posted the results to my chart.

Even with something less worrisome like my cholesterol being higher than recommended, the doc has staff call me to come in asap and discuss the results.

So in my experience, that is what doctors do when stuff is a little or a lot worrisome.

If no panicky sounding doctor has called, I wouldn’t worry until I got told by the doctor to worry.

[peggysue2]

7. LOL. I'm constantly riding my husband and younger son to . . .

Stay away from Dr. Google. It can drive you crazy and just add to stressful situations.

My husband had his nose pressed to the screen reading every dire warning about his recent liver surgery. All it did was scare the bejesus out of him. Same thing with my son reading everything he could about his baby girl's condition. The online information is all over place and you can't ask Dr. Google for clarification on worst case scenarios or if those worst case scenarios and/or particulars apply specifically to you or a loved one.

Same thing with interpreting test results.

Asking a trusted physician or a good PA is a better route in the long term. Better for your mental health, too.