Question about lab results

[Guest guest]

Hey guys,

Well, I saw the rheumatologist for the first time about a week ago,

and suffice to say I didn't like him. He kind of half listened to

me, and then pretty much patted me on the head, told me I just

needed more sleep, gave me a prescription for an anti-depressant

to " help " me sleep, and sent me out the door. When I was

persistant, he finally said he'd run some more tests to rule out

lupus. He didn't even look at my ankles, which are quite swollen

just around the joint. He looked at my hands, manipulated my knees

and wrists (which hurt a little, but not bad), and told me I didn't

have rheumatoid arthritis.

In any case, I have a question about the lab results. I got them

from my REGULAR doctor, who apologized for suggesting this guy and

is having me go to Loma University for an evaluation. Anyway,

this is what I got.

On 3-15, the original test, my ESR was 40 and my RF was 64. On 4-8,

about 3 weeks later, my ESR was 50 (up 10 points), and my RF was 133

(more than doubled in 2 weeks). My lupus analyzer was all negative

EXCEPT for the DS DNA AutoABS (what is that, can someone tell me?)

which was just over the normal limit at 5 (normal is <5).

The one that is really confusing, to both myself and my doctor, is

my CRP. It is marked as normal at 1.33, however, this is in

the " Very High " range for cardiovascular chart, and, on top of

that, the " normal range " is indicated to be between 0.00-0.70.

Either way, this is high. Could someone have hit the wrong button,

or are we both reading this wrong? The cardio chart is completely

different than the reference range, as well, so I'm assuming that is

for generalized inflammation, as opposed to checking it from a

cardiological standpoint.

My next question is this. If my ESR went up 10 points in 3 weeks,

why would my CRP be normal? What could cause this? I would assume

that if my ESR is rising, there would be at least a somewhat

elevated CRP, even if my sed rate was leveling off or even in the

process of dropping from a peak.

Oh, and I'd like to mention that my REGULAR doctor did look at my

ankles, and she said it looks an awful lot like RA, though she can't

be sure. It looks, and feels, like a water balloon was partially

inflated right below the ankle bone, and some swelling just behind

it between the bone and achilles tendon, though it isn't bad there

at all. No redness, and only pain if you start pressing on the

joint itself, or if I'm walking or standing. Sometimes I have mild

discomfort even resting it, but not bad, and it gets better if I put

it up. This is on both ankles, but my right is definitely worse

than the left. Does this sound familiar to anyone?