ESR up despite feeling better. So so confused.

[Bon1]

Hi everyone hope you all had a good Christmas.

I am feeling hugely deflated right now. Just got my blood results through. Had been smugly anticipating ESR and CRP of not in the green at least moving strongly in the right direction because the last couple of weeks I have been feeling pretty good ( well you know - the new version of good that emerges once you get this thing.)

Imagine my dismay that ESRis significantly up, although crp is down a bit ( significantly outside normal range however)

Can anyone shed any light? Is this a common event? I had begun to dare to dream... now feel those dreams trampled on the floor. Again!

[Leonwp]

What was esr and crp actual levels?

[Bon1 in reply to Leonwp]

Just gonna check - will post them in a sec

[Bon1 in reply to Bon1]

Ok ESR 20mm and CRP 9.2 mg. no clue what those mean

[Leonwp in reply to Bon1]

Ok well those are quite reasonable readings in my opinion, not all that high for someone with RA. What was the reading you had before please?

[Leonwp in reply to Bon1]

Anything below 20 is considered normal range for a woman over 50 with active RA i would have expected it to be higher. Your crp is higher but really only indicates that its still there and active but i would think your meds are coping pretty well which is why you are feeling better.

[Bon1]

Ooh well that's encouraging . I am on 12 mg of pred per day too. Desperate to come off it but the consultant said I am. It allowed to reduce it at all until I see him again on 10th Jan. I guess that's part of the reason I am frustrated - I am wondering if I will be able to reduce pred while still with out of range inflammation.

Last bloods were two weeks ago and were 16mm ESR and 11.2 mg CRP.

At my worst last spring I was at 66.4 crp and 50mm esr.

Can you shed any light on this numbers? Really appreciate this...

[Bon1]

By the way I'm 46! 😀😀😀

[helixhelix]

Both ESR & CRP can go into the hundreds when you have (e.g.) a really bad infection, so your starting point was high'ish but not awful. And it's heading in the right direction, so that's good. And what's described as "normal" levels are quite rough and ready, a few points either way may not be significant if you are someone with easily fluctuating levels. And you probably have no idea what your natural ESR/CRP levels are, and some people have naturally higher levels. I'm the reverse and my levels are normally very low and rock solid, and if they budge by one point I know about it.

They are a useful indicator, so keep an eye on them. But generally go by how you feel, not how the test tube feels.

[Bon1]

Thanks helix. So bloody confusing all this rubbish! I Kia assumed that they would correlate pretty closely with how I feel. X

[Elmo333]

Mine very rarely correlate. I have steady ESR 50/60 and CRP 30 regardless of pain. I've just come off MTX so we'll see if they go up. My GP is very adamant that whilst the numbers are indicators, they are a tiny element and how you feel is the key

[Hidden in reply to Elmo333]

Agreed there - It seems like the pain and the exhaustion are probably most important indicators

[nomoreheels]

Had my drug monitoring bloods done yesterday & my normally fine ESR is raised too at 28 (my norm is around 6 or 7), though my CRP remains at 2 (norm 2 or 3). As for my probable reason.... I've only recently had my NSAID dose reduced (as per new guidelines) so it will be interesting to see what my next fortnight's bloods are, I suspect raised again as my feet are quite swollen & they are my indicator of inflammation grumbling away elsewhere normally. Have you had a reduction in dose of one of your meds perhaps Bon?

[Bon1 in reply to nomoreheels]

Thanks NMH. Actually I am currently on an increasing dose of MTX after latest flare. That's one of the reasons why I am confused. Although to be honest confusion is my normal state!

It's good to get a sense that the bloods aren't the be all and end all in this game.

Hope you had a good chrimbo despite the increase in pain and inflammation.

[nomoreheels in reply to Bon1]

Maybe because there's need for a dose increase (a blip & not in good control) & the increase hasn't yet kicked in so the inflammation is showing in your bloods? I agree bloods definitely aren't the be all & end all, in some anyway, though our Rheumy's may try to convince us they are. No, I'm sure that my body can tell me when something's not right yet it sometimes doesn't show in my bloods.

We had a lovely Christmas thanks, hope you did too?