did anyone have normal levels of these when they were first diagnosed?
I did and still do most of the timedid anyone give you a reason for this?
I've got a completely normal sed rate and crp. The nurse just told me not to
worry, sometimes it just doesn't show up. My labs have all been in the normal range for 20+ years. In my case, it's called sero-negative RA.
My levels are normal. Doc says not to put "too much" into blood work. He believes me when I explain my symptoms.
Mike
Julie; I totally agree with Mike; you are far too concerned with this matter.
Refocus you energy elsewhere.
No, its not that, its because I am going to see a new rd on Wednesday.Julie, I see your point. There is a big difference in health care systems across the Atlantic. I have one suggetions to help you when you visit your doc: Research on the net. It make take some time, but there's nothing like hard copy "in your face" to back up your story. I'll be looking for articles for you.
Mike
thank you so much - i know, i'm a nightmare just now, i'm never like this - it's just the not knowing and the battling all the time - takes it right out of you.Julie, "(and try not to scare myself up a tree while i'm at it
Mike julie. just wanted to say i've been reading all your posts and know how you feel and hope that maybe this new rd will suprise you and give you a dx on symptoms...surely he(she) will know that 20-30% of dx'd with ra are seronegative.. I wonder if the ones fresh from med school are more likely to be agressive? maybe you should try to find a young one
mary Julie, you are not alone with this. I went for the first time to an RA doctor in August. She got my blood work done and tell's me I dont have RA. Hell I don't, she took me off every single med I have been Humira as well. I am very stiff my hands sometimes can hardly do what I am thinking they should do. I go thursday so she can see how I am doing without the drugs. She also told me I had Hepatitis and my doctor did blood work and said there was no sign of it. I read that immuno suppressant drugs can cause a false positive with hep. I feel this RA should have taken this into account. She sent my results to the state. I get a letter that I need to do this stuff. The only thing I did was tell them I do not have one sympton and I have had another blood test which is negative. I am not going there. My thought was maybe Humira might give the test a false negative. I have been positive for RA for 10 years almost. The RA said she did a kind of more extensive test to see if I did. I know what I feel like and If I do not have RA then I have some God awful other disease. When the RA and the nurse talk to me I kind of feel like they are looking at me saying yeah yeah! but your test say there is no RA. You feel like a dang liar. So know you are not alone. Good luck though Unbelieveable! How awful for you Franny I know this subject has been covered a lot lately. (negative tests) Many of us are posting at the new board. You might want to copy and paste your post over there, too. . . . to get the most replies you can. Ok I don't mean to sound like a moron but can ya please tell me what CRP and ANA is?
As for bloodwork all I know is I have an RA Factor of 189 and my last sed rate was 30. Peace & Love...Neasy Thanks Julie....appreciate it. Peace & Love...Neasy
just curoius because my CRP levels are highly sensitive to my disease.
Anything above normal indicates activity. For example my last CRP was 27.
Have you tested your ANA?
Cheers
Cathy
Julie, if you're ever planning a trip to Australia you're covered by the
reciprocal healthcare agreement here I'm pretty sure. :oP I got a diagnosis
with no positive bloodwork, just based on symptoms.
I am also seronegative. My sedrate is normal, while my CRP is
elevated. I also have had from time to time a titer on my ANA. But the
titer is considered negative, because of the speckled pattern. But
still no postive RA factor. But my RD feels this is RA. Good luck to
you!
Hi everyone, thanks for getting back to me. Hiphop, the reason i
think i have ra is because i started getting excrutiating migrating
pain in my joints and its now settled in my feet (toes and balls of
feet), the back of my ankles (the tendons, I have to walk flat footed
and it hurts to crunch my toes), my knees, sore to kneel, stand, sit,
my right elbow, two knuckles on my left hand, sometimes red when they
are very sore, and the left side of my jaw. There are all really
painful for a good few hours in the morning and ease of a bit through
the day. I also have days, especially in the morning, where i
feel shivery and ill, like i'm going to come down with the flu, but i
don't and i always feel exhausted. I just can't think of anything
else it possibly could be, when the rd told me to ignore my rf because
it was weak, that's when i went and got the anti ccp test done
privately at an independent GP service and it came back strong
positive, but the rd's here will not take that into consideration even
though it is over 95% specific for ra and is likely to be an indicator
of more erosive disease. My ANA's are negative. I have a
weird theory - because my white blood cells are low, (maybe due to an
old infection or something) i think that this is why there is no
swelling just now. once they build back up again maybe then it
will be more obvious. I agree Mary, the doc that dx'd me with ra
and said he couldn't treat me because i went to him privatley
practically admitted himself that he was 'old school' and didn't keep
up to date with the latest developments. it's so
frustrating.
ANA is anti nuclear antibodies - folk with lupus usually test postive for them and about 30% of ra folks do too.
Copyright ArthritisInsight.com