Low Anion Gap

Thank you so much for responding~ I really appreciate it. I should mention my Creatinine was .095 (Normal) on Aug.24, and on Sept. 11 it was 1.05, a bit over average. My eGFR was 68 on Aug.24, and dropped to 60 on Sept.11.- On August 24 my Albumin was 3.6(Normal) my Platelets were 227(Normal) My WBC was 3.6(Below Average). My Red Cell Count was 4.1M/ul(Normal). These are my Anion Gap numbers of recent, starting from most recent: 6,11,11,11,8,7,9,12,11,11.
So, too see 6 was shocking. Nothing has changed in my intake of Protein. The only thing I am doing different now is taking vitamin B12 500mcg per day. I should mention on July 26, out of no where, I developed a neuropathy. Two days later, my ankle bones were aching. I was diagnosed with neuropathy. They gave me Gabapentin. I only took it for 3 days. I started taking B12. My B12 labs were in normal but very low at 268 where the normal low range is 213. My neuropathy got better for awhile, feeling hopeful, but now again my hands tingle, my arms, and body sometimes and I do feel bone pain on and off in my lower legs and ankles. It wakes me up at night. I guess that is why I am worried now with the low Anion Gap. I just find it odd with all those Anion Gaps in the normal range, why it dropped so suddenly. ~ Any advise would be great. Thank you.

“These are relatively common diseases that are missed relatively commonly and are associated with significant amounts of harm,” said Dr. David Newman-Toker, a neurologist at Johns Hopkins University. He led the study’s research team from the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute Center for Diagnostic Excellence, in partnership with researchers from the Risk Management Foundation of Harvard Medical Institutions Inc.

So my husband had .5 (point five) anion gap over a course of 6 to 9 months and asked two doctors about it… neither seemed to be worried…. Meanwhile I’m going NOOoo.
All other labs were normal… he’s a bypass patient from 13 years ago, no issues, on thyroid medication and has sleep apnea.

Has an PCP appointment soon and it will be addressed.

Any questions or suggestions to PCP we should know in advance?

Hi Cindy. For 2 months I have been telling her this, the bone pain with neuropathy. I have intentionally leaving all my symptoms on my My Chart, leaving a digital paper trail. I even documented that she told me I do not have cancer, because if I do, it is documented what she said and refused to do a re-check of my BMP. I even told the ER on July 26, they ran all the blood work, said I was fine. Went back to ER on Aug.24 with same complaint, actually started weeping, they ran the blood work, said it all looked great, the only exception was my WBC were lower at 3.6. Sept.11 I went to my clinic for a BMP and my Anion Gap was 6. My Calcium was 10 which is very close to being over the range. I feel at this point I am just in a bad dream. SOMETHING is causing this & they are not concerned, you would think they would be concerned with a patient with bone pain, but, they are not. Just so you know, a new report came out recently and it is scary shocking: 7.4 million patients are misdiagnosed of the 130 million annual visits to ERs. The number translates to about 1 in 18 people receiving a wrong diagnosis. 2.6 million patients receive a harm that could have been prevented. Misdiagnosis of disease or other medical conditions leads to hundreds of thousands of deaths and permanent disabilities each year in the United States, according to a report published this week.

About 371,000 people die and 424,000 sustain permanent disabilities – such as brain damage, blindness, loss of limbs or organs or metastasized cancer – each year as a result.
Look at those numbers! This is just the USA alone!
With misdiagnosis that touched my Family memebers personally, and now with my current situation, it is very east to mistrust and second guess a doctor.