I have just come back from seeing my G.P. and my blood tests from last week are all normal apart from my Iron which is borderline Anemia( i know why i am so tired now) My ESR was normal but i have swellings and lots of pain in my joints. Does the Predsilone injection make a difference to the blood readings. I had an injection a month ago at my rheumys which didnt seem to help and i have been in more pain since then but the ESR results dont seem to match how i am feeling.
Your ESR may not match how you feel, ever. Plus, the pred can make a difference in the blood levels. Hang in there...best of luck
Phats
Lisa,
I heard from someone on another board that the ESR and CRP measures systemic inflammation, but if the inflammation exists only in the joint, those tests won't be elevated.
Has anyone else heard this?
Even at my worst (with the joints swelled up to golf ball size or larger on my feet) my sed rate and CRP are normal. My Rheumy told me that she had many patients that didn't show abnormal inflammation markers. I have never understood this either. My swelling hasn't gone down in 2 years now and my blood rates are only minimally elevated. I think the highest my sed rate was, was in the 30's and my crp was like 15 or something at its highest and my lab uses 7 or 8 as the top marker.