autoimmune community!!!

I reived abnormal blood results and having a very hard time getting diagnosis.

TSH 5.93 (HIGH), ESR WESTERGREN 51 (HIGH), IRON SAT 15% (LOW), ASO AB 313 (HIGH) , PROTEIN/CREATININE, URINE .05 (LOW), C-REACTIVE PROTEIN 12.6 (HIGH), RHEUMATOID FACTOR 3 MONTHS AGO 12 (HIGH) NOW IS 9, ANA TITER 1:40 (DOES NOT GIVE A POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE RESULT, GFR (KIDNEY RATE) 63, RBC'S AND HCT SLIGHTLY LOW, VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY ...VITAMIN D, 25-HYRDOXY IS 10 (LOW) NORMAL RANGE 30-100 NG/ML, VITAMIN D 25-HYDROXY D3 IS 10 AND D2 IS <4, TRIGLYCERIDES 165 (HIGH), URINE TEST N MAY, JULY AND SEPTEMBER SHOWS POSITIVE FOR LEUKOCYTE ESTERASE, UA, ....WBC'S UA/HPF  SHOW 10-25 FOR THE PAST 3 TESTS WITH FEW EPITHELIAL CELLS, NO CASTS OR CRYSTALS..high blood pressure with medication...yesterday result was 145/96.

I am very frustrated and continue to tell the doctor I feel something is wrong. I have been loosing my hair, continued aching, sometimes not able to concentrate, not able to have a bowel movement but about every 5-7 days, extremely cold in my hands, beds of nails turn purple at times, very senstive to the sun..HELP!

[karajo]

Hi and welcome to MedHelp.

Has anybody treated your thyroid problem and the bladder infection?

I am going to print your list of labs out and get back with you maybe tomorrow.  

[JenB12]

hi there,

Did you receive a test for thyroid antibodies? cold hands (cold all the time really), constipation, hair falling out etc. were symptoms i experienced with my hashimotos thyroiditis... i had a TSH around about what yours is. I also experience white and red blood cells in my urine but have no kidney problems that they can find. As for the 1:40 ANA that is a low titer, most doctors will not view that as a positive, however mine is 1:320, and they can't figure out why....Doctors seem to tell me that it is not really indicative of too much, unless there are other positive tests to back it up.

Were these the only tests they did on you? No anti- DNA, Anti SSA, Anti- SM etc.??? Based on your kidney results did your doctors order a kidney ultrasound????  I mean it sounds like you could be having your symptoms as a result of your low thyroid right now.... and that will absolutely make you feel like crud.... but without more tests they just wont be able to tell you why your other tests are off.

The SED rate and CRP are non-specific, just mean inflammation, but could be either autoimmune related or infection.

Did they do a Complete Blood Count?... if so, were your WBC high or low? that will help determine if you have something acute or chronic.

If low, could mean chronic... if high, could mean infection. It's not 100% but it does some times help.

I'm sorry you have no clear diagnosis at this time. I feel as though autoimmune conditions are tricky and transient.... they kind of come and go and are difficult to get dx. I would say it seems logical to first pursue your hypothyroidism, and determine is it is autoimmune related (hashimoto's) and then go from there. You would begin by asking your doctor for the TPO Antibodies test and the TG Antibodies test. You might find that after several months on thyroid hormone your symptoms subside... (for me it has taken over a year to feel better on the synthetic hormones, but it is better then being hypo). Also if you are having chronic hematuria and protineuria, it seems 100% necessary to get that kidney ultrasound and also a urine culture (different from a urinalysis, because they will screen your urine and culture it for any thing that might be causing a long term infection.... it's more comprehensive then just dip-sticking it and looking at it in the microscope....  

I really hope this was helpful... i'm not a Doctor by any stretch... but I've gone though the rigamaroll of trying desperately to get a DX and get some answers, and i've faced some of the same positive tests that you have and these were the answers that were given to me.

Good luck and please keep me posted on what you find out.

[dbruce93312]

I had not been treated before last Thursday for my thyroid. I just began taking the medication on Friday. I have tested positive for infection for about a year, and have taken many types of anti-biotics for recurring urinary tract infections..but noone has ever treated me for nor attempted to figure out why I show to have an ongoing infection and inflamation (inflammation) in my body somewhere. My kidney function is now declined, my ESR is high, my C-reactive protein is high, my ASO AB is high and yet my previous doctor chose not to repeat those tests or look any further into the matter. My vitamin D deficiency is at 10 and he said to take a prescribed medication and Oscal. I just demanded to see a new doctor and get a second opinion. I am only 36 years old and have been in very good health. I don't think this is normal to be taking Oscal at 36 and so many other medications. My iron Sat is 15%. My symptoms seem to only get worse. I am having a hard time keeping my concentration, my hair is still falling out, my hands are freezing cold all the time, I cannot use the bathroom, my menstrual cycles are extremely painful and heavy, I cannot have anything touching my stomach right now because it is too painful. Midol does not even touch this pain, and it does not feel like a normal cramping. I want to figure out the problem. Thank you so much for your help.

[karajo]

Sorry I didn't get back with you Sunday.  I have lupus and had a severe flare for the last two days.

Jen and MDadvice had some really good things to say.  I looked up the article on hypothyroidism (which was a very good article), but I didn't see anything about it affecting kidney function.  I know sometimes bladder infections in women can become a vicious cycle.  What I've learned through the years is, to go ahead and treat for a yeast infection or at least take some acidopholus and drink some buttermilk or yogurt to restore your good bacteria.

The lab work is concerning to me and I certainly understand your frustration.

I am not familiar with the ASO AB

Of coarse the elevated sed rate and CRP is an indication that there is inflamation (inflammation).

You would feel better on a vit D prescription med.  
Causes of low vit D:
>It's seen in fibromyalgia, CFS, limited sun exposure, being obese, fat malabsorption (cyctic fibrosis, crohns and irritable bowel)  
>low vit D can cause or increase the risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer and autoimmune diseases.
>The D2 and D3 are added together for a total test result.  But you still have an extremely low level and you need to be treated.  Note that it takes time for the thyroid medicine and vit D to make you feel better.
>vit D reduces inflamation (inflammation).
>symptoms of deficiency is bone pain, fatigue, depression, muscle twitches and poor sleep.

I know I'm jumping around here, but I think a urologist need to review you GFR.  normal is 120-125.  The more it falls the greater the damage to the kidney (but you knew that).  63 means the damage is mild to the kidneys.

It looks like you have some mild anemia per (L) iron sat 15%, (L) RBC and HCT

I think it's great that you are following through with your medical care.  You obviously have something going on.  And I'm not so sure that the chronic bladder infections are not due to something going on in your kidney.  Maybe urine becoming stagnant and becoming infected.  I agree with Jen, you need a kidney ultrasound, urine culture, and possibly a kidney function test (diurectic renal gram)

According to the article on hypothyroidism, the heavy menstral cycle and cramps could be due to that.  But I would like for MDadvice to comment on the kidney issue.  It sounds like he/she has a lot to share with this group.

Praying for you...for God's direction and wisdom
God bless, Kara

[karajo]

I have a few more questions.

What do you mean you are sensitive to the sun?

When your fingers turn purple, do they turn white before they turn purple and are they tingly feeling when that happens?  

[Lori707]

Wondering if it could be raynaurds. If it is, then would this be an overlapping disease of something else?

Regarding the Vit.D: Mine was 8.5 many months ago and I'm still taking 50,000 D2 weekly with 2800 D3 daily along with calcium. You've GOT to get your D up!
I felt better when my D was at 40 but then I was feeling more symtoms (symptoms) and I thought my D dropped, which it did to 24Low.

karajo asks a lot of important good questions.

[JenB12]

Karajo is correct. Thyroid function changes/ interruptions can cause major changes in menstruation. My first month after going on thyroid medicine, I had a very heavy period with clotting and was in such pain that i was vomiting, this was the first time this had happened to me. However, once my thyroid levels were stable, everything was lighter and there was significantly less cramping. I'm not sure why this is the case. I know the body is very sensitive to these hormones (T4, T3) and they play a huge part in metabolism...

It is highly likely your cold hands and feet are related to being hypothyroid. I start feeling symptoms as soon my my TSH climbs above 2 (I know the range is 3.... but each person is different). And by the time i was at 5.60 I felt like death warmed over..... Some Doctors refuse to even treat a subclinical patient until their TSH is 10!!!!!!

[knightshotter]

I am being followed AGAIN by another rheumatologist after being followed since 2002. My ANA was 1:80 with nucleor pattern. Doc was looking for sclerdoma. I have many symptoms of sclerodoma. My CRP is elevated at 12.2. Sed rate is 38. Doc f/u appt is on the 7th of December. Doc said blood work was normal? When I confimed she was looking at blood work from 2 weeks ago, so I faxed her latest but never called back. I called her on that because my white blood count was low at 2.85 and rbc low at 3.1. She said I already have Behcet's Diagnosis. i also have ms. I definitely have reynauds with extremeties going in wierd colors in cold weather. My ANA is often higher than this...just seems to be depending on if flaring. She said my cbc's were normal but not one of the numbers was normal. I have low platelets. low rbcs. I was referred to hematologist who did more blood work. He said this was blood isssue from an autoimmune issue and not bone cancer. My ferritin and iron came back low on his tests. I'm on plaquenil and colchichine. Liver doc said I probably have autoimmune heptatitis but he wants the rheumy to dx for it because imuran is appropriate for several autoimmune issues I have so more waiting.

[gonziiii]

Insecticides/pesticide,air freshners, some perfumes and deodourants give me serious angina and arrhythmia, it seems anything that kills insects can kill me, what could be wrong with me?