Hello. I have a doctor appointment this coming Thursday and I would like to know which blood tests to ask for .... I would like to have the one that checks on the Fibrinogen.. and the Free T4... The test from five years ago was very high Fibrinogen.. ( 514 ) and the Free T4 was low ( 0.7 ) .. I had been having some Tia's and very sticky phlegm which was coating my airways and causing me moments on being able to breath.... In spite of the facts that I have most symptoms of Hughs syndrome the doctor said that because a few of the other tests were not high or low that nothing was wrong with me.... My saving grace was the internet and finding a few products that thin the blood.... but I still have the headaches.. or stuffy head... dizziness among other symptoms... I'm praying that this new doctor will listen to me ... So I only want the basic tests to begin with... doctors seem to hate when I have my own ideas of what I need... So I'm hoping that if a fewtests show a problem then they will be more open to more tests..
I live with this body and know whats working and what isn't ... So I have a lot of trouble with the doctors
not wanting to listen to me / us....... Wonder why the doctors have a problem with us researching solutions to symptoms our systems are having.
.... PLease help.... and bless you all for hanging in there with us newbies..... For many of us you are our only lifeline.......... hugs France
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France1944
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Hi there, the T4 is a test for your thyroid and you should also get T3 tested as well as TSH. The fibrinogen test is not the test that will help diagnose APS. your fibrinogen levels would have been high after suffering TIAs. Fibrinogen is a factor inhibitor which your body creates in response to trauma such as stroke, TIA, or even inflammation. The fibrinogen test is not specific and so cannot diagnose, rather it just says that's something is going on in your body but it cannot say exactly what. This test is usually ordered alongside other blood tests and not on its own.
For APS diagnosis you need to have the following 3 tests done: Lupus Anticoagulant (LA) Beta2glycoprotein (Beta2) and AntiCardiolipin (aCl). If one of these tests comes back positive then you will need to have the tests repeated 12 weeks later to confirm diagnosis. This is because healthy individuals can have raised levels at times in response to inflammation, so you must have it confirmed that your levels are consistently high.
Be firm but pleasant with your doctor - explain that you believe you could have APS and list the reasons why, then ask to be referred for the tests above. MaryF will tell you that you also need to get the proper thyroid tests done as well as testing for Sjorjens as these three diseases often work together and some APS patients have all 3.
Do you know what tests you had done 5 years ago apart from the fibrinogen and T4?
Thank you for your lenghy reply.. I am so confused... the first info about Hughs syndrome I read said that high Fibrinogin was indicative of sticky blood .. then Read some info from a man named Tim Smith MD.. He has a long article about how dangerous Fibrinogen is in large amounts,, and large amounts to him is only half the amounts my blood stats used for high and low.. IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN READING THIS GO TO ..
timsmithmd.com/fibrinogen-c... -inflammatory-protein/ Their is also some great info on natural blood thinners and two that acually eat the clots. and bruise tissue... very interesting reading.... I will go to the Hughes page as suggested and record the tests listed in your mail .. As far as other tests that i have had... their is one that says my kidneys may be compromised... and the doctor didn't mention it to me.. So I feel I need to have new tests to see what they read now.. The tests I mentioned were taken 5 years ago... Thank you again... France
Hi there. Figuring out what is going on with your body can be frustrating. Hang in there and be persistent in being your own advocate. I feel like I have TIA's also. How do you know you are having one? What does it feel like for you?
The hanging in there and being persistent is the hard part but not hanging in there is to. possibly. sign my death certificate... Thanks much for the answers and the kick in the tush.... About the Tia's... For me it happens or rather did happen after I have gone to bed... It would start with a loud banging sound... The first time it happened it was so loud that I thought someone was outside my bedroom window hammering a metal stake into the ground.. When I opened my eyes it was like fireworks.. all kinds of lights flashing, mostly seemed like circles of light exploding.. once I got sat up ( my intent was to get to the window to see what was causing the pounding noise... and it was at point that I realized the sound was coming from my head.... I didn't know anything about TIA's.. never even heard of them.. So once I got myself settled down I thought it was weird and scary but I didn't know I had a stroke.. I do these TV exercises every weekday morning and I noticed my right side wouldn't respond as well as it had been... In a couple of weeks I had another eposode.. a lot like the first one but this time the sound woke me sooner and sitting up seemed to be the trigger to stop them.. When I told my GP about them he told me I was having TIA's .. from research I found out a high fibrin in the blood was indicative of a heart attack or a stroke... Also I started having eposodes of waking in the night and not being able to take a breath.. Lucky for me my airways would clear and I could breath... At first I didn't realize what was happening to me but one evening the sticky phlegm coated my airways before I went to bed.. and it scared the crap out of me... but then I knew what was causing the night time eposodes.. Again research gave me the information that the Chinese put sticky blood hand in hand with sticky phlegm ... So that was when I went to the Hemotologist.... He just called me a hypochondriac sp.. and told me to go take muscinex... I was so upset but if it would stop the sticky phlegn I was willing to try anything.. little did I know that Muscinex is made with Guaifenisin, a natural blood thinner. Well it worked pretty good... From there I found Nattokenase and Serrapeptase..... both of these supplements will dessolve and eat blood clots..... I believe this is the only reason I'm alive today... So maybe that creep of a doctor did me a favor after all.. So as much as it pains me, I do bless him... I also take Ginko Biloba and Chinese Salvia, both natural blood thinners... So much of my chronic pain has disappeared and the major part of my vertigo.. also the nuropathy is much better....... all of which I had been blaming on polio when I was six years old. Also I had been diognoised with Fibromyalgia.... Something I'm wondering if any of you had experienced or know about is the test they call a Live Blood Test ??? Years ago, about 1999 I had a test where the Naturapath used a blood sample to put in this machine to look at my blood... When my blood just moved slow and stacked up on itself in places.. very few of the blood cells were moving along smoothly and consistantly... I asked if that was normal behavior and the Doc. said no.. And that she had seen it before but it was rare and she didn't know what it meant.... It really made an impact on me which is why I remember it so vividly . Now I have to think it was a sign of my future problems.... Anybody know anything about this test ? Thanks again for being available and so open to help.. hugs France
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