I think it’s helpful, for patients with complicated illnesses, especially, to keep track of their own lab test results.
I find that in this day and age, patients have so many tests that pages are scattered between doctors and charts, electronic medical records do not order them in a way that allows finding trends.
A spreadsheet of your tests over the years makes the job of your doctor easier, and that goes a long way. I suggest that all patients take ownership of their own results, and take the time to record the results on a spreadsheet.
That way numbers that do not necessarily seem striking in themselves can be interpreted in light of what is normal for YOU. Seeing your PSA, thyroid tests, and glucose, for instance, move from the low normal range to the high normal range is important information, even though the numbers themselves aren’t startling.
Patients with complicated diseases get so many tests that keeping track is hard for everyone.
To help with this issue, I’ve made an array of downloadable spreadsheets which you can use as a template. Many of them may not apply to you, for instance tests for neuropathy or Lyme. But others are general, for everyone.
Happy charting!