Test for autoimmune dieseases?

[congo74]

Hi,

Sorry I know the topic I chose is wrong but I didn't know what else to choose for this general question:

Is there "one" test that can be done in order to test for autoimmune dieseases?
I have had general (20 different things) blood work done at my primary doctor and everything came back within range.
Lapcorp offers the following test: "Autoimmune Profile", Anti-DNA (double-stranded) antibodies; antinuclear antibodies; complement C3."
Would this test give me a good idea whether or not I have an autoimmune disease?

Thanks so much in advance.

[congo74]

Thanks Wanna!!! All is good. You didn't sound harsh at all regarding the antidepressants. Have a good week. I will "report back" once I get the results from the MRI.

Thanks again,
Congo

[Want to feel well!!!]

There can be some red flags in blood tests which can lead to more specific testing...i.e. combination of low WBC and low RBC or low vit-D...along with symptoms.  It is a complicated mess that a good rheumy can figure out.

I used to get my blood tests results, until the results were getting too difficult to understand, and scary.  I had to trust my doctor and he finally sorted it out after enough testing.  I am an advocate of having one's medical records, and when searching for a diagnosis it is valuable, but it was becoming too complicated for me.

And back on the comment about antidepressants, I didn't mean to sound like I was against them under any circumstances, as they do help many.  Sorry if I sound harsh.  I object when they are used as a band aid and nothing more is done.  

In my case I was prescribed antidepressants when my first symptoms were extreme fatigue and muscle weakness.  Years later (after this disease had completely stopped my in my tracks and symptoms exploded) I got my old medical records and test results from this previous doctor, showed them to my current rheumy, and he read through them and said, "Well, you had this then."

The good news is, the right medications can help one's quality of life and make living much better.

Good luck to you on Thursday and hope you get this all sorted out.

Wishing you wellness,
Wanna :o)

[congo74]

Thank you!
I will take a look at the site. My plan is to get the brain MRI done this Thursday. Depending on the results the next step might be a rheumatologist. I just got the name of a really good one. Hopefully I can get in to see her if needed.

Thanks again!

[AireScottie]

Wow, that's a long list!  Some of these I did not have, which makes me think a rheumatologist can rule some out based on symptoms, or the website is trying to take your money.  Are you going to a rheumatologist?  Otherwise my list may be just as overwhelming.  These are just the lab abbreviations.  www.labtestsonline.org is a good place to look up the tests.  It's a peer-reviewed, not-for-profit site.  
ACE/angiotensin, ANA, anti neutro cyto ab, CBC + PLT (which you've had), comp metabolic panel (which you've had), cryoglobulin, folate serum, Lyme ab IGG + IGM, methylmalonic acid, monoclonal prot blood, rheumatoid factor, RPR scrn, sed rate Westergren (aka ESR, which you've had), vitamin B12, monoclonal prot urine, paraneoplast autoabs, sensory neuropath XP, gliadin IGA + IGG ab, anti ENA ID, microsomal ab.  
All mine were normal, so I also had a lip biopsy for Sjogren's, which was positive.

[congo74]

Thanks AireScottie. I know that none of them are specific to autoimmune diseases but I was wondering/hoping that several of them would be out of range if you had an autoimmune.

If would be great if you could post the list! Also I have looked at this test site and they appear to have a fairly extensive autoimmune test list:

http://www.privatemdlabs.com/lab_tests.php?view=search

If you have time please take a look and choose "Browse by category". The list is long and if I have to start from the top and work myself down through it I would be ruined half way down :-)
Let me know if they are any of these you would recommend that i start with.

thanks,

[AireScottie]

Hate to break it to you, but NONE of those are autoimmune tests.  Low B12 can indicate a problem, as can a high ESR, but there's a whole different list for autoimmune.  I'm short on time tonight, but tomorrow morning I'll post all the tests I recently had run for autoimmune.

[congo74]

one more question/comment: I gather that based on what you guys have shared so far (i.e. difficulty diag. an autoimmune disease etc.) it is very possible to have a completely normal "extensive" blood test results and still have an autoimmune disease? Here is the list of blood work that I've got done so far:

CBC (WBC, RBC, HGB, HCT, MCV, MCH, MCHC, RDW-CV, POLYS AUTOMATED
LYMPH ABS, MONO ABS, EOS ABS, BASO ABS)

ADDITIONAL TESTS:

SODIUM, POTASSIUM, CHLORIDE, CO2, CREATINE, GLUCOSE, CALCIUM, BUN
PROTEIN TOTAL SERUM, ALBUMIN, BILIRUBIN TOTAL, ALT (GPT), AST (SGOT)
ALK PTASE, EGFR, TSH (Ultrasensitive), VIT B12, ESR.

Thank you,
Congo

[congo74]

Thanks Wanna :) Trust I'm not a fan of meds either especially not that type. However I really felt that I had no other option. I was a wreck and was not able to function as a dad, husband or employee. I went through a good month or so where I barely slept at nigth. Maybe 2-3 hours at best. I was soooo emotional and cried pretty much every day.
Now with the meds I feel much better and I sleep (yeah!) and I'm able to function.
Also it is somewhat strange by my pins and needs have somewhat subsided since I first noticed them on March 28. I still feel them but compare to back in March it is definitly better.
Any way thanks for all your support and encouragement. I go in for the brain MRI following the MS protocol next Thursday and should hear something back the following day.

Thanks again,
Congo

[Want to feel well!!!]

It really irritates me when doctors are too quick to prescribe antidepressants and anti anxiety medications before trying to rule out a physical cause for symptoms.  That's my personal pet peeve.  My rheumatologist/immunologist believes that type of medication should be used only when all else has been ruled out.

Are you worried?  Yes.  Does the thought of having a chronic illness make you anxious?  Yes.  That's just part of being human...we have emotions for a reason...but it doesn't mean a pill has to be taken to mask it.

You know your body better than anyone and if something is wrong and you know it, keep trying to find an answer.  Life can be great and you can feel wonderful if you have the proper treatment.  I am proof of that.

You have to be your own best advocate.  I know what you mean about family and friends.  Unless someone has been through this diagnosis process it is hard to understand.  If you are a long distance runner, you have the ability to endure and you need to bring that energy into finding and answer.  

Good luck with your MRI.  Keep us posted as to your progress.

Keep up the optimism and look up...

Wanna :o)
      

[Rubiegem8280]

I have a question that stems from this....  Is there any test consistant in all autoimmune processes? I am in the process of dx myself.  Is there a list somewhere of what autoimmune processes present with a negative ANA? I have a long list of what it is not.. but I know there are so many more things out there....

[AireScottie]

A lot of people get pins and needles feelings because they have a peripheral neuropathy.  There are a lot of causes for that, one being an autoimmune disease.  Wanna is right that a rheumatologist is a good next step.  If you feel there's something wrong, stick with it!  I also was very fit, but it took more than a decade for me to be diagnosed with Sjogren's, and I have pretty severe neuropathy because it wasn't treated for so long.  I'm totally not a worrywart, and my mom really is, and in the end, we both have the same symptoms, and she's going to get tested for Sjogren's as well.  Sometimes I think the generalized worrying is because you know something is wrong but can't figure out what it is.  Here's some info you might like to read about peripheral neuropathy:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000593.htm

[congo74]

Thank you! It does help. I'm so frustrated that no one including my family, friends and doctors will accept my weird symptoms. Though on the other I probably can't blame. This all started out with me thinking that I had HIV and was freak out about that. I can see how it is some what "logical" to use anxiety as the explanation. However I know what I feel and it doesn't feel right. It is just the coincidence that it came about in connection with the fear hiv. Any way I have almost come to terms with that something really is wrong but I have adopted the Michael j fox attitude: happiness is a choice.
Thank you,

[Want to feel well!!!]

Hi...sorry you are going through this.  You are on the right path now, being checked for MS, which seems to be the first thing doctors check for with symptoms like yours.  If MS is ruled out, your next logical step would be to see a rhuematologist.  Many people with autoimmune diseases experience a long process of testing before receiving a diagnosis.

A good rhuematologist will know the correct testing, will take vials and vials of blood, perhaps need a biopsy (for instance a salivary gland biopsy for Sjogren's), and will put the pieces of the puzzle together.  It's a process, so hang in there.

Like you, I had a very active lifestyle (long distance cycling) and for a time it seemed I would never return to cycling.  When I finally was properly diagnosed last year I was given my life back and with proper medication I feel like a strong 20 year old...and I am on the cusp of 50.

Hope this helps you.  Good luck to you.

Wanna :o)

[congo74]

Thank you! So what would be a logical next step if I "think" that I have an autoimmune disease? Do I see my primary doc. again? She already did an extensive list of blood work for me. Everything came back within range.
Here is some back ground that might explain why I'm asking this:

I'm a 34 year old husband and father. I live a very active lifestyle with long distance running. I have a "light" feeling of pins and needles almost every other minute of the day. It is primarily in my feet but it can appear everywhere: hands, face, thighs, back - you name it. I also have a little bit of muscular spasm.
It started about a month and a half ago. During a VERY stressful period of my life where I thought that I had contracted HIV (from a low risk encounter). Here almost 10 1/2 weeks later and after numerous tests I know now that I don't have it. However, I still experience the pins and needles even though I am on antidepressant Celexa 60mg. I also take Lisinopril 20mg (for high blood pressure). Note that I started with Celexa after the pins and needles started.    

Could this be an autoimmune disease?
I'm thinking that if it was related to anxiety over HIV shouldn't be gone now where I have been told that I don't have it?
Note that I am the worry type of guy, I always think the worst case scenario and I have tendency to be obsessive about my health.

P.s. I'm going in for a brain MRI next week to check for MS.

Thank you,

[AireScottie]

Nope.  At a minimum, Sjogren's often does not show up in bloodwork and must be diagnosed by biopsy.  There are other autoimmune diseases which also don't show up with ANA, but I'll leave that to others who have more experience with those diseases.