What I learned from my blood test that changed everything
'Everything looks fine' isn't the same as actually fine. How I taught myself to read my own blood test, and what it uncovered.
UNDERSTAND
Sophia Mohammed
10/7/20263 min read
That was the moment I decided: no more being left in the dark about my own body. With my family's support, I started making small changes, the right iron supplement, adjustments to my diet and routine to support it, and I began paying attention again instead of pushing through. I've since lost 15kg and sleep through most nights now. Still a work in progress, but a different one.
The biggest shift wasn't the supplement. It was learning to read my own results well enough to ask the right questions, and trusting what my body was telling me alongside what the numbers said.
When 'fine' stopped adding up
I get a blood test every six to eight months now, just to check in on how my body's going. Getting ready for the next one this week reminded me of the first time I really paid attention to one, a couple of years ago.
It was a routine medical check-up for work. The nurse went through the results: BMI in range, breathing clear, glucose normal. Iron was 'a bit low', so I was told to see the pharmacist about an over-the-counter supplement.
I was sceptical. I still had the last few kilos from my last pregnancy, and I didn't really feel fine. But I didn't know any better, so I went with it. It must just be all in my head. The pharmacist was lovely and found me one on discount. I went home happy.
Teaching myself to read the numbers
Over the following weeks, I got more tired, not less. I was waking at odd hours (being on-call didn't help). One night, staring at the ceiling, I had an uncomfortable realisation: I'd relied on someone else to read every line of that test, and I couldn't have told you what any of it meant. HbA1c, HDL, LDL, liver function. None of it.
As an engineer by background, that bothered me more than the tiredness did. Numbers matter, and I'd handed mine to someone else without question.
Asking better questions
So over a few sleepless nights, I started researching. Not everything, let's be honest, but the common markers: HbA1c (your average blood sugar over the past three months), HDL and LDL (the two types of cholesterol), liver function tests, ferritin and iron studies, TSH (thyroid). Enough to understand roughly what 'in range' meant, and enough to know that 'in range' isn't the same as 'optimal' for you.
That distinction matters more than people realise. A result can sit inside the lab's general reference range and still not be where it should be for your age, your symptoms, or your history. Reference ranges are built from population averages, not from you specifically, which is exactly why the conversation with your GP matters as much as the number itself.
What changed after?
Once I understood the basics, I booked a 30-minute consult with my GP (yes, I paid for the extra time) and walked in with a list of questions instead of just my results. We talked it through properly.
It turned out I needed more than a pill off the shelf. My iron was too low, and it was feeding the fatigue, the low mood and the hair loss I'd been putting down to 'just a busy season.' Add an intense job, full-time mum life and homeschooling on top, and it was a perfect storm.
I cried that day. Not at the number itself, but at how far I'd let it go without really looking.
If you're looking at your own results...
A typical GP visit gives you about fifteen minutes, which isn't much time to understand a page of acronyms and decide what, if anything, needs following up. A few things that help going in:
Write your questions down before the appointment, not during it.
Ask what 'optimal' looks like for each flagged marker, not just whether it's 'in range.'
If something's borderline, ask what would make it worth monitoring versus acting on now.
If you're sitting with a results page that doesn't make sense, or you know something's off even when you're told it's fine, that's exactly the kind of thing a health coach can help you work through, alongside your GP.
Sophia is a PREKURE certified health coach, homeschooling mum, and retired Technical & Engineering Manager. At Nur al fajr she works with homeschooling mums who are ready to Notice, Understand, and Realign, one honest step at a time.
