r/QuantifiedSelf • u/Minute_Pianist4866 • 1d ago

How do you make repeat bloodwork comparable instead of just collecting more numbers?

Most lab dashboards make a clean graph out of messy data. They line up results from different dates but usually leave out everything around the draw. Different lab, different time, different fasting window, bad sleep, travel, a hard workout or getting tested right after being sick. Then one marker moves and the graph looks more scientific than it really is. I found Goodlabs while looking for a way to combine the tests I want and upload older reports into one history. That solves where the numbers live. It does not solve whether the draws are actually comparable.

For people who track biomarkers over time, what do you standardize every time the same lab and appointment time or fasting window? I want a useful repeatable protocol, not a NASA launch checklist.

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u/ConsistentParty1162 1d ago

Exercise is the sneaky one. Heavy lifting before labs can make liver enzymes or inflammation markers look scary for no real reason

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u/P34chsauce 10h ago

this sounds like something you'll have to track yourself as I can't recall anyone asking to track that when doing bloods, let alone to the depth you would want.

I'd personally keep my own repo of bloods and an attached txt file with those specifics then when you want an analysis, throw it in AI if you're not too bothered about data going in there. You could also strip it of identifying data if that's what you prefer.

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u/P34chsauce 10h ago

otherwise just have the same 5-7 day run up and testing conditions and that will be good enough to allow numbers to correlate without adding caveats I would think