Waiting on Test Results: Anxiety Rising

[mommyLDN]

I'm a smidge nervous about this one too. I hate waiting for test results. Doc ordered this one to check for signs of inflamation. He said if it was decently elevated that I would need further testing, I guess stuff like ANA, CPK, things like that. So I get to play the waiting game for the next 24 hours. Havnt had to do this since my MRI, and man was I a nervous wreck waiting for that one. He told me not to freak out if it was a little elevated because I'm a smoker, he said that can cause it to be elevated sometimes. I'm wondering how much it can elevate it because he put release results to patient on the blood work order so I dont want to be freaking out if its elevated and its just from my smoking. Dont suppose anyone knows anything about Sed Rate do they??

 

[simonw00]

Sedimentation rate (ESR) is a non specific test for inflammation. It goes up during acute illness and with any inflammatory condition. It does NOT go up with ALS, MS, Parksinsons, Huntingdons or any other disease that many people with BFS (unnecessarrily) fear.RegardsSimon

 

[mommyLDN]

Thanks for responding Simon, just got the word a few min ago, sed rate was 5 so I'm good there. Doc said we would only do more testing if it was elevated, so it wasnt so I guess that means I'm out of diseases ayh? LOL

 

[seadragonsovereign]

I had one drawn recently and it was 4, so I got you beat ) ! It is funny he didn't also run C reactive protein, which is another indicator of general inflammation. Not to want to add to your list of tests or anything, but I've had two CRP's done recently and both were very slightly elevated. Neuro not worrying, but just interesting that yours didn't run the test. The first time I had the CRP run it was concurrent with sed rate test. Seems to me that they are looking for various pieces of the puzzle that is bfs, finding some, but not really putting anything together. Sounds like a good research paper for some grad student somewhere

 

[mommyLDN]

Ya Dread, I dont know why he didnt run that one either, he just told me that if I had any real inflamation in my body that my platelet count and white cell count and my sed rate would have all been off, and they where all normal. He said platelets would have been elevated and white cell count would have either been high or low, and sed rate would have been elevated, but none of mine where off so maybe he figured why bother pursueing when all the basics that would point to inflamation were all good. But thanks for responding, and for the record, I hate puzzles, LOL

 

[bfhopeful2]

The best explanation that I have heard is virus related, or something wrong with your potassium channels. There was a big report on BCFS somewhere on the net and they were able to isolate in post patients the potassium channel thing if I remember correctly.