I just got my bloodwork back and my sed rate is 30. Out of 11 years, my sed rate has always been around a 2 or a 4--very low. I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Why would it be a 30?
CindyLou,
I'm not sure if your doctor has fully explained the test to you, but what happens is the test tube of your blood is monitored for an hour to see how quickly your red blood cells fall to the bottom. If the blood cells fall quickly, that means you have a high sed rate. If they fall slowly, you have a low sed rate. This test is used to measure the amount of inflammation you have. A high sed rate indicates a higher than normal amount of inflammation which could point to either a recent/current infection or an autoimmune disease. Did your doctor mention why he was running the test? My guess would be because he has an inclination that you may have an Autoimmune disease. I hope this was of some help. Have a great day!
-Erica
A normal sed rate is considered to be between 10 and 20. So yes, your sed rate is high and warrants further investigation as to what's causing the sudden onset of excess inflammation, however a 30 is on the lower end of the spectrum, some people have sed rates of 130+
-Erica
Fibro wouldn't cause your sed rate to be elevated. Fibro happens when the nervous system causes you to feel pain when you shouldn't and makes you excessively tender. In Fibro there isn't any inflammation to accompany the aches and pains. Has your rhemmy considered the possibility of lupus? I'm not a doctor obviously but considering your fatigue, rashes, and elevated sed rate it seems like it may be a likely possibility.
-Erica
I didn't know that fibro doesn't cause a high sed rate. I thought it did because there was pain. I learned something new. Thanks!!!
Sometimes I've been getting pain on top of my shoulder and I never had that before.
My doctor told me that my rash on my face and neck is pointing more towards Lupus rash. He said it doesn't look like rosacea. Plus it's smooth and there's no bumps. So I see him in about another week and we can go over this labwork.
I've been having another problem with neutrophils. I don't have enough. I can't get up to normal range. He's concerned about that. My ANA is 320.
The new pain in your shoulder is probably due to your new elevated sed rate. If there's inflammation it's usually always accompanied by pain. It sounds like your doctor knows what he's doing and I hope your appointment goes well
-Erica
In most cases yes there is inflammation when there is pain. Inflammation is part of your bodies healing process. It's kind of like if you get a cut how it becomes red and swollen before it scabs and heals. The inflammation signals a response in your body to let cells travel to the area that needs to be healed. That's why in most cases you get pain, then your body inflames the area to signal it to be healed. They usually go hand in hand.
-Erica
CindyLou,
I forgot to ask you about your neutrophils. Has your doctor said whether or not you have neutropenia? I wasn't sure if you knew but people with an autoimmune disease can make specialized antibodies that destroy neutrophils. Did your neutrophil count drop suddenly or did it slowly drop over a period of time? Also have you had any unusual and frequent infections?
-Erica
Out of 11 years I have never had any infections. When I first got sick, I was diagnosed with neutropenia.
I also have leukopenia. Over the past year my neutrophils have dropped everytime I've gotten bloodwork. Sometimes in 3 months and others it would be 6 months.
Hi CindyLou,
Chronic neutropenia and leukopenia are often found in people with lupus. It is somewhat uncommon but there are many people with SLE that have those conditions. Maybe this will get you a step closer to a diagnosis. I sure hope so
-Erica
I've been seeing my rheumy for 4 years this month. I saw another rheumy 5 times and I quit going to him. First he said I had lupus and then another time he said I have Mixed Connective Tissue. I quit going.
But both times that I've had the testing done for lupus--the Sm and the anti-DNA have both been negative.
CindyLou,
There are people with lupus that don't test positive for it. There is no specific test that can say whether or not you have it. A positive result does help with the diagnosis but isn't a definitive answer. There are alot of people with positive results that don't have disease. When I first got sick my results were negative and the doctors chalked my symptoms up to several things(hypochondriac, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, MCTD, etc.) but when my symptoms began to worsen my test results came back positive and finally a lupus diagnosis was made. I know how difficult the process of finding a definitive diagnosis can be. I wish you all the best
-Erica
Yeah after my gp figured out that my symptoms were actually real she referred me to a rheumatologist. The first thing he diagnosed me with was chronic fatigue. Then I began having pain all over my body and ached all the time and he added fibromyalgia to the diagnosis. Then I began to get so tired that I was sleeping 22 hours a day and couldn't ever feel like I wasn't tired. Next my joints became so inflamed and painful (especially my knees) to the point where i couldn't hold a pencil or walk by myself. That's when the fibro was ruled out because I had so much inflammation. Then I began getting these horrible ulcer like sores in my nose and mouth and all my hair starting falling out. Then the rashes came. That's when the chronic fatigue diagnosis was retracted and I was diagnosed with mixed connective tissue disease. After that I got migraines so terrible that I had to go be hospitalized. A couple of weeks later I had a stroke. That's when I finally was told that I had lupus.
-Erica
A CFS specilaist diagnosed me with CFS. But ever since I've been sick, I have severe fatigue. In fact, I'm on disability now. I had to quit work back about 4 years ago.
I don't have pain all over my body. I don't have any ulcers or joint pain.
I've always had the rash on my face and neck. In fact when I first got sick, the first hematologist/oncologist I went to asked me what the rash was.
