Do I need to be worried?
Here is the text in proper English:
Recently, my doctor, whom I have only been seeing for a short time, called me and told me that my hematocrit and red blood cell count were too high. Two years ago, she had already asked me whether I might have thalassemia. At the time, I told her that I did not know and that I did not really know what thalassemia was. She then asked me where I was from. When I told her that I was from Afghanistan, she said that thalassemia is quite common there.
Because I take sleeping pills, I recently had to have another blood test to check whether everything was okay. When the results came back, she called me and said that I needed to see a hematologist. I asked her why. She said that she did not have any blood results from 2025, only from 2024 and 2026, and according to my table, the values seemed to be increasing.
I immediately became nervous and did not really understand what was going on. So I searched on Google for possible causes. The causes listed included smoking, dehydration, sleep problems, polycythemia vera/PV, and cancer.
Because I thought that the other causes did not really apply to me, I became afraid that it might possibly be PV.
I am now a non-smoker. However, I have had sleep problems for years and I snore loudly, especially when I lie in an unfavorable position. In 2020, I already had a sleep test using a device from an ENT doctor. However, the device seemed somewhat outdated to me, and I do not know whether it was really reliable. At that time, the ENT doctor told me that I snore but that I did not have any breathing pauses. Because of that, I considered the issue settled at first.
Last week, I had my appointment with the hematologist. She basically said to me, “What are you doing here? You are healthy. Why did your doctor send you here?” She also asked me whether I had been diagnosed with thalassemia. I told her again that I did not know.
I showed her my blood results from the last six years, but she was mainly interested in the most recent results from April 27, 2026. I asked her whether it could possibly be PV. She said that she did not think so. She explained that my MCV and MCH were low, but that my iron and ferritin levels were good.
She now wants to arrange a new sleep test. Blood was also taken to check my EPO level and to test for beta-thalassemia.
I also told her that before the blood test on March 31, 2026, I had abdominal pain for about 20 hours the day before. She then asked me whether I had ever had an ultrasound of my spleen. I said no. She also asked whether I had ever had a colonoscopy, which I also said no to.
I also told her that I have been under extreme stress lately and have barely been able to calm down or rest. In addition, my family had a stomach bug about a week before.
I found it unfortunate that she did not look more closely at my blood results from 2021. What especially worries me is that I read on Google that PV can go unnoticed for many years.
My own explanation is that the blood results came from four different laboratories. During the blood tests in 2021, I was also still smoking, smoking shisha, and vaping. In 2023, I stopped all of that and started working out.
From January 2024 to November 2024, I was exercising a lot. In October 2024, I then stopped working out. That is why I suspect that this may be one reason why the values had dropped by November 7, 2024.
Overall, the whole situation worries me, even though the hematologist said that she does not suspect PV. I simply want to understand why my red blood cell count and hematocrit keep being elevated, and whether the cause is more likely something harmless, such as sleep problems, snoring, previous smoking, or possibly thalassemia.