An Absence Seizure StoryHarvey's Journey

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10 July 2026

Looking Closer — Blood Testing

10 July 2026

Alongside the HTMA, we also arranged a full blood panel for Harvey — a real-time snapshot to compare against the hair analysis.

Minerals & Trace Elements

TestResultReference Range
Plasma Copper17.0 umol/L13.2 – 21.4
Plasma Zinc11.6 umol/L10.0 – 17.0
Magnesium (RBC)2.37 mmol/L1.88 – 2.44
Calcium2.37 mmol/L2.10 – 2.55
Calcium (albumin adjusted)2.38 mmol/L2.10 – 2.55
Phosphate1.70 mmol/L0.90 – 2.00
Sodium143 mmol/L135 – 145
Potassium4.8 mmol/L3.5 – 5.2

Iron Studies

TestResultReference Range
Iron24 umol/L6 – 25
Ferritin76 ug/L15 – 150
Transferrin3.2 g/L2.0 – 3.5
Transferrin saturation30 %11 – 45

Thyroid & Glucose

TestResultReference Range
TSH2.5 mIU/L0.40 – 4.00
HbA1c36 mmol/mol< 42

Liver Function

TestResultReference Range
Bilirubin8 umol/L2 – 20
Alkaline phosphatase207 U/L80 – 450
GGT8 U/L< 60
ALT17 U/L< 45
Protein67 g/L66 – 84
Albumin39 g/L32 – 48
Globulin28 g/L25 – 41

Kidney & Inflammation

TestResultReference Range
Creatinine34 umol/L25 – 70
CRP< 1 mg/L< 8

Full Blood Count

TestResultReference Range
Haemoglobin134 g/L115 – 145
Haematocrit0.39 L/L0.35 – 0.43
MCV86 fL75 – 90
MCH29 pg24 – 30
Platelets288 x10⁹/L150 – 425
WBC5.6 x10⁹/L4.3 – 12.0
Neutrophils2.4 x10⁹/L1.5 – 7.0
Lymphocytes2.2 x10⁹/L1.4 – 4.5
Monocytes0.5 x10⁹/L0.3 – 0.9
Eosinophils0.5 x10⁹/L0.0 – 0.9
Basophils0.0 x10⁹/L0.0 – 0.2

Vitamins

TestResultReference Range
Vitamin D193 nmol/L50 – 150

Interestingly, the low levels of minerals that showed up clearly on the hair test were not reflected in the blood results.

Hair vs Blood — A Comparison

MarkerHair Tissue (HTMA)Blood
Calcium17.0 — Very Low2.37 mmol/L — Normal
Magnesium3.0 — Low2.37 mmol/L (RBC) — Normal
Copper1.4 — Low17.0 umol/L (Plasma) — Normal
Chromium0.058 — Low
Zinc11.6 umol/L (Plasma) — Normal
Vitamin D193 nmol/L — High

We found this contrast particularly interesting. It is often discussed that the body works hard to keep blood levels of essential minerals within a tight range, even if that means drawing them from tissues, bones, or cells. In other words, blood levels can appear normal while tissue or intracellular levels may still be low.

The only clear outlier on the blood tests was Vitamin D, which came back high at 193 nmol/L (reference range 50–150). Everything else — full blood count, iron studies, thyroid, liver, kidney, and inflammatory markers — sat comfortably within normal limits.