How to keep track of your blood test results over time
A result on its own is one point. Kept together, your results become a record you can read.
Why it is worth doing
Most of us get a result, hear that it is fine or that it needs watching, and file the page somewhere. A year later there is another page, from a different lab, in a different layout. The question that matters most, “has this changed?”, is the one nobody can answer quickly, because the earlier numbers are in a drawer, an inbox or a patient portal you have forgotten the password for.
Keeping your own running record fixes that. It takes a few minutes per test, and it means that at your next appointment the history is in your hand.
What to write down, every time
Four things are enough to start. They take a minute.
- The date. The day the sample was taken, if the report shows it.
- The name of the test. Use the same name each time, so the results line up.
- The value.
- The unit. The same test can be reported in different units by different labs, so the unit is what lets you compare one result with the next.
If the report gives them, two more are worth a few seconds:
- The range printed beside your number. Not every report has one. When it does, keep it with the value, because ranges differ between labs.
- Whether you were fasting. Only where it applies, and only if you remember.
That is all. A record with just the four is far more useful than no record.
How to keep it
Any of these works. The best one is the one you will still be using in three years.
- Paper. One page per test, a new line for each date. Simple, and it never needs a password.
- A spreadsheet. One row per result, with the date, name, value and unit as columns. Easy to sort by test and see the dates in order.
- An app. Worth it if it keeps the range with each value and shows you the values in order.
Whichever you choose, keep the original report as well. A photo or the PDF, filed by date. Your record is the index; the report is the source.
Three habits that make the record useful
- Enter it the day it arrives. A backlog of five reports is the reason most people stop.
- Look at the line, not the dot. When you have three or four values of the same test, read them in order. That is what the record is for.
- Take it with you. Bring the record, or a summary of it, to the appointment. It is far easier to have a useful conversation when the history is on the table.
How Sanomi does this
Sanomi has a place for lab results as part of your health record.
- You enter a result with its date, and the low and high from your own report, so each value is read against the range it came with.
- Once a marker has two or more values, you can open it as a chart and see it over time.
- Your results sit beside your conditions, medication and supplements, vitals and journal, so the picture is in one place.
- When an appointment is coming, a “preparing for a visit” report gathers what has changed since last time, as a PDF you can take with you.
Questions users ask
Do I need every result I have ever had?
No. Start with the most recent report and add older ones when you come across them. A record that begins today is still a record.
What if two labs use different units?
Write down the unit each time, exactly as printed. Do not convert it yourself unless you are sure of the conversion; a note saying “different unit” is safer than a wrong number.
Can Sanomi tell me what my results mean?
Sanomi helps you understand your own record: it shows your values in order and against the range on your report, and you can ask it about them in plain words. It does not diagnose medical conditions and it does not give medical advice. For what a result means for your care, talk to the health professional who ordered the test.
Last reviewed: October 2026. More on this: Your health record · Specific to you.
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