Blood test for inflammation

[TedTheMaineCoon]

Hi

I have PMR

I’ve received my blood test results for cpr and esr.

I was told they are satisfactory! But I’m in so much pain !

Which I can’t understand why if the levels are ok ?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Up to 20% of PMR patients have ESR and CRP values that remain "within normal range". That may be that they have a VERY low normal (like me) and they are raised for them but still lower than the top of the range. My CRP never budged except a day I probably had an unrecognised severe atrial fibrillation episode. My personal normal ESR is low single figures. During a really bad flare over several weeks it bumbled along at 16-18, 20 is top of the normal range. The normal range isn't what is acceptable for a single person, it is the range of results found in 95% of a large population (10,000 is a common number) of nominally healthy person.

Having low blood markers does NOT rule out having PMR. Too many doctors ignore that.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl....

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

”Satisfactory” covers a multitude of sins.. I was told that at outset - but it was wrong -unfortunately I didn’t realise that at the time.

PMRpro has explained about tests - and symptoms are the key…. always.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to DorsetLady]

That autocorrect again!!!!!!!!

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to PMRpro]

Sorry had to laugh… will amend.. or perhaps there are ’snout’ tests

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to DorsetLady]

I was tempted to say something else!!!!

[TedTheMaineCoon in reply to DorsetLady]

🤣

[TedTheMaineCoon in reply to DorsetLady]

😂

[Body_bonkers]

All my blood work is 'normal' too but the steroids have taken away almost all of the pain - perhaps your dose needs increasing

[PMRnewbie2017]

It would be really helpful to you if you could ask for the test results. Record them in a diary along with Pred dose and how you are feeling. I suspect it was a receptionist? who looked up your results and said they were satisfactory. IMHO you need to know yourself. I have made many errors of judgement over the past 6 years because I've made the wrong call over symptoms and either not increased my dose or increased it unnecessarily. Experience is a great asset for us, and we are all different. PMR is not a one size fits all illness.....it's a shame Drs don't understand that. For me a reliable differentiator is, if pain killers work within 3 hours or so it's not a flare. If they don't it's a flare.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to PMRnewbie2017]

"I suspect it was a receptionist? who looked up your results and said they were satisfactory."

But they should NOT impart results unless signed off by a doctor. Not that that makes them 100% reliable ...

[TedTheMaineCoon in reply to PMRpro]

Yes you’re right there - A receptionist ! And she said the blood tests was all normal .

[PMRnewbie2017 in reply to PMRpro]

But they do and did! We all know that unless the result far exceeds the upper limit of the range it slips by as ok. Ok for you may not be ok for me.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to PMRnewbie2017]

Not OK for me either - which is why I always ask for numbers!! Not a problem here - I get a bit of paper and PIN to be able to access my lab results online on the lab site. And the lab actually plots results on a graph - even the densest doctor can identify a trend!

[YummyBear]

Hi, I had same blood tests; results were way off the normal range. GP didnt mention these results; I asked for a copy and saw the result when I got home? I'm still feeling unwell; next GP Appt is in 3 weeks!

[TedTheMaineCoon in reply to YummyBear]

That’s awful you got to wait 3 weeks , esp while in pain !