Why do blood tests keep changing

[jjean]

Do you have a comment on blood tests for autoimmune disease (ANA, CCP, RA), that keep changing each year from normal to abnormal or visa versa?  I am a female.  Age 58.   I have been passed around from doctor to doctor with no diagnosis, for several years.

In 2010 these were my blood test results:
ANA abnormal:  1:40
CCP abnormal:  46
RA normal
SSA normal
SSB abnormal:  1.4
CIC (Circulating Immune Complexes) abnormal: >78
                                                                                                  
But in 2011 my blood tests changed.
ANA by EIA abnormal: 2.9
CCP: normal
RA abnormal:  24.9
SSA abnormal: 136
SSB normal  
CIC: doctor did not order follow up test                                                                                                        
Other abnormal tests were:                                                                                                                             Creatine abnormal: 0.63

SPSP: (slightly increased beta-globulin and slightly decreased albumin)
                                                                                                                                                                      I also had something called monoclonal gammopathy, (IgG Kappa type, in trace amounts), in my blood, that was abnormal in 2009, and normal in 2011.  The doctor wrote me a letter saying my tests were “normal or within normal range.”  So I ordered a copy of my blood test results, and there were lots of abnormal results listed.  Are my tests normal?  What does all this mean?

I feel tired and ill and have stiffness in the mornings and after sitting.  My muscles hurt when I use them, in my legs and upper arms, and I can not stand or walk longer than about 30 minutes.  (I have to sit down.)  My knees are stiff and sore and weak, and I can not kneel down and get up, and it is hard to climb 5 steps.  I also get rashes that come and go, bruises, and the hair has stopped growing on my legs.  My x-rays showed Osteoarthritis in my whole spine, hands and knees and ankles.  (My neck and sacroiliac are very stiff and sore.)  I also have coughing and itching in my throat and stomach pain.  (I had H. Pylori in 2009).

Is this indicative of a systemic or autoimmune disease, or infection?  Why do my blood tests keep changing?  The only diagnosis I have is osteoarthritis, and Sjogrens Syndrome.  My doctor said there is no treatment for Sjogrens Syndrome, and referred me to physical therapy. But my muscles hurt when I do stretching or movement.  My symptoms got worse and I feel exhausted.  What is causing all my other symptoms and disability in my legs?

What other tests do I need?

[jjean]

cudagirl, and ewford, I think both of you could be right...I suspect Lyme and some other autoimmune disease secondary to Sjogrens...

But my symptoms started when I had a whole body rash and a bite on my left ankle (but it was not a bulls eye). I found a tiny black shiny bug in my sock... At that time I felt ill, like the flu, and then my muscles started hurting and I went to the doctor.  (She was apathetic and did not seem to be able to diagnose me, except for Sjopgrens...)  She is supposed to be a TOP DOC, listed in Cleveland Magazine, and  she did nothing...I had to call her office TWICE to get a referral to a rheumatologist..who took the autoantibody tests.  

I am trying to find a Lyme doctor now...thank you ewford...you know more than the doctor I went to...I feel SO tired and sick today...

[ewford]

  There is more recent evidence that alot of these autoimmune diseases are in actuality Lyme disease manifesting the symptoms at different times.  Recent cadaver brain samples of ALS, Lupus, MS, some dementia, Hashimotos, Sjogrens  were tested for the Borrelia Burgdeferi bacteria.  80% were positive.  She needs to rule out Lymes disease first instead of wasting her time with missdiagnosis'.

JJEAN

You need to contact ILADS (www.ilads.org) to locate a dr near you.  No standard medical doc is gonna be able to diagnose this as your symptoms will be all over the place.  IGENEX has the most sensative test utilizing the Q-Ribb method.   Come to the Lymes page and you will get as much info as you need in a short time.

[cudagirl]

Sjogren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease...It can affect your joints and make you feel tired. Sjogren's usually comes as a piggy-back disease to other autoimmune diseases, but you can also have primary SS.  Have you been to a rheumatologist?  Maybe you need to be on steriods for a while. You should at least be monitored for Lupus or something like that. Autoimmune disease can take years to diagnose, and the symptoms can also come and go. Your blood test during that time will fluctuate with how your body is handling it.  If you flare your numbers will change and if you are feeling ok, vice versa.  The fact that you have high protein and low albumin is also a marker for autoimmune problems. The best thing to do is see a specialist.

[jjean]

I will search IMMED for information.  Can I order a test Lyme test or mycoplasma test through IMMED?  
I will ask my doctor, for a Lytme test, but I think she will ignore my request.  She seems indifferent and does not know what is wrong.  Thank you so much.

[ewford]

I bet you have Lymes disease w/ coinfections.  Mycoplasmas play a part in chronic infections.    search www.immed.org and look at Autoimmune Illnesses.  Dr Garth Nicolson is an expert here and he is the CEO/ head researcher of IMMED