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Thread: Blood Tests - what to check

  1. #11
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    Above post, I believe is a centrifuge spin for urine. A special urine spin that is done within minutes. I will look into it, can't remember the original article, as it was back in 2012. This man's diagnosis was based on this alone, with symptoms. Negative biopsy, negative Canca. Kidney doc, spun his urine, listened to the patient aand treated. Ignore that extra a. Good kidney doctor! I saw one in 2012, and when I mentioned wegeners, she wrapped things up, stating its to rare! Rare my a**!!! Birdie, I think any med change, in dosage or med itself, will cause more symptoms until you're body adjusts to the change, or you're doctor goes back to the other regime. I mean simple stree can effect ya, so you can imagine what a med change can do? It's such a weird sucky sickness, with a mind of its own! Deb.

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    Well, for what it's worth my husband's blood pressure goes up and the neuropathy/neuritis (depends on the doctor what they call it) in his right foot starts acting up worse than usual. With him the better the blood work, WBC, Creatinine and BUN particularly, the worse he feels. When those tests start to go into the abnormal ranges the better he feels. Go figure. Sed rate, CRP and ANCA don't seem to track the disease activity. Mostly we and the rheumatologist and PCP rely on how he feels and what his blood pressure is.

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    Hey girl... Same here, for blood. The exact opposite of what it should be! Plus no Canca, plus no real doctor! Would be nice to have a doctor just listen.. And look! So crazy, this wegeners... 3800, you're lucky he,has a doctor paying attention, good for you guys... Oh, someday... DDeb. Ignore the double d! Again! Yes, men, being. A double d, isn't all its cracked up to be... And it rhymed....

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    Quote Originally Posted by Pete View Post
    I have labs done monthly: CBC, metabolic panel (includes creatinine, etc.), sed rate, CRP, and urinalysis. My doc looks at a urine sample with a microscope as blood in the urine presents with unique casts indicating the dog is going after the kidneys. Haven't had a c-ANCA or p-ANCA done since my first visit to Cleveland in 2012. Metabolic panel is probably next most scrutinized. My creatinine always runs just a little above normal, but it's been stable for a couple of years, so we don't worry about it. I think someone on here posed a hypothesis about absolute granulocytes to see if a rising level was concurrent with a flare. In my case, it was, so that's on the question list for my rheumy in April. Sed rate and CRP as we all know are general indicators of inflammation. If they go up quickly, it's probably worth a conversation with the doc.

    As always, how you feel is probably your best indicator of wegs activity.
    Mine are similar to above except when I go to Mayo where they do extra tests for the research project. These include ANCA tests and some other things that my usual monthly tests do not do. Tests are generally to monitor kidney, lung, liver function, any signs of infections and my general health to check against any bad side effects from treating meds or Weg activity. I also have extra tests to monitor the diabetes like A1C and glucose levels. During physicals or whenever symptoms warrant some concern extra tests are often added. These might be things like checking Vitamin D or Calcium levels and other things to make sure I am in safe range. I learned yesterday that the routine urine tests should help check for any early signs of bladder cancer too from the CTX meds.

    It might be fluke, but yesterday the tests available in office during my appointment were all in normal range for first time since I was diagnosed with GPA. No inflammation, normal kidney function for first time ever, and nothing out of normal range. This puzzled me since I am pain now and needing a double hernia repair in a few days.

    Again the lab tests are weighed against symptoms like increase in blood in nasal rinses, more fatigue, joint pain. These residual symptoms of Wegs often wax and wane, especially during any infections, even when I am considered in a drug induced remission.
    Last edited by drz; 01-15-2016 at 03:46 PM.
    Knowledge is power! Wisdom is using it to make good decisions!

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    Drz, hi... Drz, you're posts are always helpful... Good seeing you, Drz. Deb.

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    Hello! My experience has been a creeping up CRP with persistent or worsening symptoms over a few months. An elevated CRP isn't a big concern for me alone however if it's up 2 months in a row I pay extra attention to how I'm feeling. Last 'big one' I watched it slightly go up each month but not too high to be overly concerned, as I ignored my symptoms my body soon just gave in. And of course numbers were skyrocketed. My C-anca does correlate to my disease activity however I only have it tested every few months and it's more for my own info than any treatment changes etc.

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    here is a data point for Sed/CRP difference just as I was getting a massive asthma attack: SED- 30 (top end of normal at my lab) CRP 2.6 (normal less than .8). This shows that the SED rate had not caught up with the CRP yet. the CRP is short half life meaning it reflects more current situation. The SED rate would probably take a few days or more? to catch up and appear abnormal. This is the first lab work I have had that shows this so clearly. Just a point of interest.

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    For me the standard tests are ESR (sed rate), CRP, complete metabolic panel, and complete blood count. ANCA has only been checked once since initial diagnosis. I think Pete is right, that the best indicator of possible disease activity is how you are feeling, since there are no truly definitive tests. Increased inflammation can have many causes.

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    Do most doc treat based on sx like joint pain , fatigue , mild rash or do they seem to look for sx like coughing up blood, bloody noses, significant skin issues and lab work and diagnostic testing being abnormal before they treat I know there is a lot of variety but just trying to get a sense of what's usually done for milder symptoms vs what can be thought of as more severe sx.

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    My docs treat based on blood & numbers. They watch the lesser symptoms closely, but usually won't make a move unless my numbers are up. My internist treats milder symptoms if the numbers are normal...otherwise, the WG team does it. Best to you.
    Knowing how to think empowers you far beyond those who only know what to think. -NdT


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