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Date: 23.07.2011
From: willis

Subject: blood tests

hi
does anyone know what the doc means when he says the blood tests contradict condition? every monthly blood test since march has been fine but the letter to doctor (which i got copy of) says the results don't match condition? anyone else had that? i know i've def got RA as the flare ups are amazing and not in a good way obviously.
how bad for me is this methotrexate - what's it do to you? or life span? specialist tells me nothing, have no Rhuemy nurse and GP tells me ask fellow sufferers as they'll know best.
god so down today, sorry, not usually this melodramatic i just get on with it as if nothing wrong with me :) x
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Date: 23.07.2011
From: bsk

Subject: Re: blood tests

hi Willis, there have been quite a few threads about blood tests not showing up severity of condition. Are you on mtx yet? If you are, that is probably why your tests are showing no inflammation. I have been on steroids for the past two years and mine are always completely normal! That is the point of the drugs, I thought.....?

Also, if you check out various arthritis websites, it is well documented that some people have normal tests. I recently had a scan that showed no inflammation, even though my wrists were swollen at the time! These tests are not definitive, they are just guides to diagnosis and how you are doing.

As far as I know, RA is more of a threat to your lifespan than the methotrexate so you are better off on it than off.
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Date: 23.07.2011
From: Dilizjo

Subject: Re: blood tests

Hi Willis
Sorry to hear you seem to have a GP who is not as conversant in the condition, which on personal experience is sadly the majority. Not all people that have RA test positive for the Rheumatoid factor which GP's use for a RA diagnosis, I didn't but on a visit to my consultant he did all the blood tests including one only available to them and was diagnosed with Seropositive Rheumatoid Arthritis and put on Meth, have only been on it for 8 weeks and up to now not seeing any difference in my condition but it can take up to 6 months to show any difference, there are side effects, such as feeling sick, hair loss etc but in my case these have been minimal, as for life span I cannot comment on this as far as I know it is good and long even if at times uncomfortable.
Don't feel you have to apologise for feeling down this is also part of RA and coming on the forum will help with this as you can rant as much as you want to people who can actually empathise with your feelings. There are days where I get up at 3:00am due to not being able to sleep and feel as is everything is negative and I can't see any light at the end of the tunnel... but on the good side... there are days when life seems a bowl of roses:)
Hope that everything starts to level it self out and use these forums as a sounding board:)
take care xx
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Date: 25.07.2011
From: kylee

Subject: Re: blood tests

hi just to let you no im zero negative arthritis meaning the condition has never shown in my bloods my rhummy is amazed as i have been in to hospital in complete agony over a number of huge swollen joints he has took my bloods then taken a good 3-4 siringes of fluid out the joints to ease the pain yet my bloods come bk to say there is no inflammation in my body my rhummy said lood test are just a small percentage of the diagnosis as they dnt show everything on every1
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Date: 25.07.2011
From: Julie

Subject: Re: blood tests

Hi willis, Just wanted to say that I am in middle of being diagnosed, I have been told my my rheumy that she strongly suspects RA, but so far my RF factor is negative and so is my ANA too, all i have is a slightly raised CRP and a slightly raised ESR rate ( whatever that is lol) so I have been started on predisnlone for 12 weel=ks, from 30mg day tapering off to 5mg at end of the 12 weeks, and I have just started planequil from once a day to 2 times day so that is 400mg daily, and in her letter she suggests that she wants me on treatment for the long term with either methetraxate or sulphasite ( or something...cant spell !!) So I think your doc is right when they say it contradicts what is actually going on in your body. I have severley swollen metacarpal joints, sausage fingers and toes, pain in more than 5 joints so she put on letter diagnosis polyarthritis. I have to wait till 28th september to hopefully get officially diagnosed. Hang in there, we are all going through the same thing.
Hugs and take care xx
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Date: 27.07.2011
From: gill

Subject: Re: blood tests

are you ill with a cold or some other ailment,that could be why things are coming up all over the place with your blood test,are you feeling run down ??? I am not a medic and it might be gremlins groving around,hope you get it sorted,it is a worry though for you.hope it works out ok....gill take care....
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