CRP moving up

[Nap1]

A month ago ESR 1 CRP 0 .61. Very normal. Then had cold and root canal. Last week ESR 29 and CRP 0.94. Not so normal. Today only 5 days later ESR 25 and CRP 1.52.

Feeling tired not unusual for me. On 10.5 prednisone thinking I should go back to 11.5 where I was normal. Don't think CRP should be on the rise at this time. I am one of those that can't seem to get away with 10%. What say you. Go up or wait another week and take again. Would like to nip it in the bud (US expression) and start 11.5 now. Means catch it before it gets worse. Thank you.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Nip it in the bud is also a very UK English expression!

If the markers are rising and you also don't feel as well it probably is worth going back. It doesn't mean you won't get to 10.5, just not yet.

[Nap1 in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you. I took 1 mg tonight. Will go back to 11.5. Obviously I can only do .5. Reductions at a time. So be it. Eye surgery will wait. Thank you again. Don't know where I would be without you.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Nap1]

Have you tried the DSANS approach?

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

You can start half way through to speed it up a bit.

I'd forgotten about the eye surgery - but why not discuss it with the eye surgeon? 11mg is not so different from 10mg. How long had you been on 10.5mg? If you managed to calm it down now and then got back to 10.5mg just as they operate would that be acceptable to them? It really does seem to be the borderline.

[Nap1 in reply to PMRpro]

I am now at 11 1/2 I need to see if this lowers the CRP. I will also try to talk to the cornea surgeon to see if he will operate on one eye at 11 1/2. But cannot be sure 11 1/2 mg will start to bring down CRP I might have to go higher. But as you always say go to the number you were doing OK at. I'm not sure I want to have surgery while my CRP is not going down. It would feel better if I knew from a reliable source that 1.52 was not very high and it was safe to have surgery. Unfortunately no one here knows much about GCA. When my concierge doctor tells me to wait another week and see where my CRP goes when it is moving up quickly I'm afraid I am not a very trusting patient.

I am going to try 1/2 mg at a time when I can start reducing again. I will also check out the dsans method. I have only been on 10.5 mg for 21 days Prior to that I was alternating 10.5 and 11.5 for about eight days. So it hasn't been long.

My previous reduction was from 12.5 to 10 which didn't work so I went back to 12.5 for a month and then 11.5. However, my CRP did not jump like it did now. Then it rose from 0.41 to 0.61. I do believe the root canal has something to do with this as well as the cold. This could have started a chain reaction with GCA. Sorry this is so long. Thank you Pro.

[piglette in reply to Nap1]

My CRP and ESR rocketted when I had a cold. If I remember rightly my CRP had been around .5 and it went up to around 2.0 when I had a cold and it was not a particularly bad cold either.

[Nap1 in reply to piglette]

Thank you Piglette. How long did it stay high?

[piglette in reply to Nap1]

It took three or four weeks if I remember rightly my ESR took even longer.

[Nap1 in reply to piglette]

That's good to know. I expected it to go down in a week. I also had a root canal and Pro says both raise the CRP and ESR. I did go up to 11.5 mg from 10.5. Maybe I'm to anxious but I felt I couldn't do zip, feel out of control when I'm not making progress and especially when I go backwards.. I am scared of GCA because of the lack of knowledge here. You folks seem to have a better handle on it and many more cases than in the US because of where it originated. hanks again.

[piglette in reply to Nap1]

I think we are all worried about GCA in the back of our minds. At least we know about it and can catch it immediately if any of the symptoms occur. My CRP has gone up when I had a bad fall too. I felt fine so did not change my pred dose.

[Patience_1]

I've been managing on 13.5m and recent esr/crp markers very low, but 3 days ago went down with a bad cold - the first one I've had since starting with pmr last spring. Don't know what my markers now are, but I can assure you my muscles have stiffened up! Wouldn't you think the antibodies that are mistakenly attacking our own good tissue would divert to attack the invasive bacteria/viruses instead?!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Patience_1]

That's the point - the immune system is haywire...

[Nap1 in reply to PMRpro]

Hi there PMRpro. so took another blood test CRP is 0.64 and ESR is 18. All back to normal. Most likely this was the cold and root canal. I did however go up from 10.5 to 11.5 in my nervousness. Have been on 11.5 for 10 days. Here is the question. My eye surgery Is scheduled for March 2. Do I go back down now to 10.5 the number I did well at or stay at 11.5 until after surgery... or perhaps split at 11. I Will have to find a way to compensate for the stress and pain of the surgery. It is not cataract surgery. It's a bit more complicated. What do you think? Thank you

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Nap1]

I don't think I would rock the boat if the eye surgeon is happy with 11.5mg! At the very most down to 11mg ...

[Nap1]

so is my brain haywire. .The cornea doc will do the surgery at 11.5. Have some time until March 2nd hope CRP takes a downward turn. I will take no further up also.