So my results came back from my physical and they had to call me in to take more blood because my level of Albumin was high and that they wanted to make sure the test wasn’t a mistake. When I asked what Albumin was and what it did all I got was “It has something to do with your liver”. So I assume one of two things: 1. They aren’t giving me all the scientific info because it really isn’t that important and they don’t want to scare me…or 2. They aren’t giving me all the information because they don’t want to scare me because it is important. So, being the upstanding academic individual I am I of course wikipedia’d it upon returning home. From wikipedia I discovered that my high levels were most likely indicated by dehydration – which makes since considering that I often feel dehydrated. But no, my curiosity did not end there. I decided to disregard the practical knowledge that wikipedia offers and upgraded to WebMD, “the leading source for trustworthy and timely health and medical news and information” according to google. So, after perusing through the databases I came across info that told me that Albumin is a protein in the blood (good to know) and varying levels could indicated possible liver-failure, liver-disease, kidney-disease (not good to know). I then decided to google search high Albumin levels, discovering obscure websites with explanations of links to leukemia, heart disease, and hyper-tension. Although almost every ‘normal’ site explained dehydration as the main cause, those few obscure ones can make a difference. Thus, I have concluded that the internet is a hypochondriac’s best friend, providing an outrageous and life-threatening disorder for anyone desiring one. In conclusion, I have decided that for my next adventure into the world of self-diagnosis, I’m using only one source – wikipedia.