So, we all know writing things down can be a pain in the butt, especially when it comes to medication lists that new doctors want, and some things it's just nice to have a reference for as far as definitions. Well, here are some that I use frequently - some are abbreviations, some are lab tests that I have to have on the regular that friends may not know what they are, and some I use journaling just for my own energy savings. Some of these I picked up from med term and pharmacology when I was briefly in college, but most I learned from my mom and from reading prescriptions and lab orders/results and researching them to find out what meant what, and what everything was for.
For meds!
a.c. - before meals
ind. - daily (So for instance as I'm on 10mg lexapro and I only take it once a day, I'd write 10mg ind.) [Note: This is also abbreviated as o.d. but as o.d. also stands for overdose, as well as the right eye, ind. is more often used - q.d. is sometimes also used, but it's easily mistaken for 'q.i.d.']
q.d.a.m. - once daily in the morning (Often seen on thyroid hormone scripts)
q.d.p.m. - once daily in the evening (Often seen on medications with sedating effects)
b.t. - bedtime (Typically for sleeping medications) [Note: Can also be written as q.h.s.]
b.i.d. - twice daily
t.i.d. - three times daily
q.i.d. - four times daily
p.r.n./PRN - as needed (may be paired with any of the above 'daily' abbreviations)
NTE - Not To Exceed (e.g. - 1-2 tablets every 4 hours PRN NTE 8 tablets daily)
QWK - Every week (This one doesn't come up too often, but you'll see it sometimes for high dose D3, for instance; I once had to take 50,000 IU QWK to compensate for a severe D3 insufficiency)
Labs!
ANA - Anti-nuclear antibody; this lab is done to track inflammatory processes in the body, and is one of the first go-to tests for anyone presenting symptoms that are consistent with RA, Lupus, ETC.
TSH - Thyroid Stimulating Hormone; this actually isn't a test for your thyroid itself, but rather a test of how much of the hormone that stimulates your thyroid to release T3 and T4 is in your blood. This is, more precisely, a pituitary test. A low TSH with a normal or high T3 and T4 often points to hyperthyroidism.
Free T3/T4 - This tests how much T3 (Triiodothyronine) and T4 (Thyroxine) are in your blood; these are the two hormones secreted by your thyroid, and while the thyroid is a small and unassuming little organ, the absence, excess or diminished levels of its hormones can wreak havoc with basically every system in the body, including the brain, heart, nervous system, ETC. People with thyroid difficulties are often erroneously diagnosed with mental illnesses if their thyroid condition is untreated, only to find their mental symptoms greatly subsiding if not disappearing entirely upon treatment.
eGFR - Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate; this test measures on pure estimation alone the amount of fluid being filtered through the kidneys. HOWEVER, DO NOT WORRY OR PANIC IF YOUR EGFR IS LOW IF YOUR OTHER RENAL FUNCTION LABS ARE ALRIGHT!!! I was in a full tilt panic once because I thought I was going into kidney failure because my eGFR was only 73 after being 88 just a month or so before, but my Rheumatologist was quick to reassure me: as long as your Creatinine and BUN are a-ok, you're NOT going into kidney failure. You can have 3 different labs read the same blood on the same day and have 3 different eGFR results. And now, let's discuss those two labs.
BUN - Blood Urea Nitrogen test; this is, as I mentioned, a kidney function test and one you'll see regularly during a full blood panel. Urea Nitrogen is what's formed when protein breaks down. High levels can indicate kidney failure or kidney disease, congestive heart failure, GI bleeds, or, for something far less scary, simple dehydration. Low levels can indicate liver failure, malnutrition, low protein in the diet, and over-hydration (yes, there is such a thing, lol!)
Creatinine - Creatinine is, as I understand it, a waste product of a phosphate that's broken down by the muscles in our bodies, and as such is being constantly produced and constantly filtered by our kidneys. High creatinine levels can be caused by a blocked urinary tract, kidney problems, muscle problems, or again, dehydration (water's important peeps!) whereas low levels can be caused by malnutrition and conditions that lead to reduced muscle mass.
Anion Gap - This one used to confuse the crap out of me. It sounds like a national park, not a lab test! Basically, what the anion gap is, is the measurement between the sum of positively charged ions in your blood, being sodium and potassium, and negatively charged ions (anions), being chloride and bicarbonate. This measures the acidity level in your blood, amongst other things, and can help diagnose conditions like hypercalcemia, hypermagnesmia, and metabolic acidosis, and for patients on Lithium, it can help them get an idea of how much is in your blood, as Lithium is a sodium.
SO I think that covers the list of labs that had confused me when I was just getting into all of this mess, and hopefully I helped you guys out, gave you some info, etc. :)
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