Addendum to numbness in foot below

  Sorry, but I perhaps I should mention I had a full blood work up a few months ago which was negative for everything including thyroid problems.  I don't smoke or drink and have normal blood pressure even tho I'm obese.  I also have had two SED(?) tests by two different doctors who didn't know the other was ordering one.  The first one was by an allergist because I had had andioedema, presumably from using Prilosec for my GERD.  He wanted to rule out Lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, but did say my white count was elevated a little.  The other one was because a nurse practioner thought the pain in the muscle in my upper chest was due to muscle inflammation (polymositis, perhaps?).   Thanks, again.    Pam
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Sorry about the late response. We're trying to catch up on answering. I couldn't find the other post to which you referred - perhaps another CCF MD answered the question.
A "sed rate" is also called ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) or a Westergren test. It is a simple blood test whose function is a little like a canary in the mine shaft. That is, it tells you something is wrong, but doesn't say quite what. Generally, inflammatory diseases of any sort cause the ESR to rise.
Lupus and polymyositis are two completely different diseases, and I couldn't begin to tell you how they might fit into your picture, because the data are not all before me. However, they share the common feature that inflammation is involved. One could expect the ESR to be elevated in either disease, but specific diagnosis requires other tests.
I hope this helps. CCF MD mdf.