Aa
GOT ANOTHER E-MAIL FROM DR. BELL
Hope this helps at least one person. I know it's helping me.
He said to get an ANA (anti-nuclear antigen) and sedimentation rate every 6 months. The ANA, or maybe anti double stranded DNA (more accurate) is looking for lupus, and it is a general sign for autoimmune disease. It is positive in CFS in 25% and by itself means little. The sed rate is a sign for inflammation. It is almost always low or normal in CFS. CFS does NOT have autoimmune damage to the kidneys, which is a very important part of lupus. In 25 years I have never seen someone go from standard CFS to standard lupus, but have seen many people diagnosed with "sort of lupus", "atypical lupus", or "almost lupus". As a topper off, CFS people do not respond to steroids and do not have the same type of arthritis as in lupus.
As for the rash on the face, it probably is either flushing, meaning that it comes and goes (and is vascular) or it is connective tissue or inflammatory which can be seen on biopsy. Blood tests for vasculitis rarely help but you should have them if your sed rate is high. Skin biopsy rarely helps. You are caught in the no-mans'-land of CFS. What is important is knowing what to chase. I would not chase the skin rash unless it were quite different from CFS (like psoriasis, etc).
He said to get an ANA (anti-nuclear antigen) and sedimentation rate every 6 months. The ANA, or maybe anti double stranded DNA (more accurate) is looking for lupus, and it is a general sign for autoimmune disease. It is positive in CFS in 25% and by itself means little. The sed rate is a sign for inflammation. It is almost always low or normal in CFS. CFS does NOT have autoimmune damage to the kidneys, which is a very important part of lupus. In 25 years I have never seen someone go from standard CFS to standard lupus, but have seen many people diagnosed with "sort of lupus", "atypical lupus", or "almost lupus". As a topper off, CFS people do not respond to steroids and do not have the same type of arthritis as in lupus.
As for the rash on the face, it probably is either flushing, meaning that it comes and goes (and is vascular) or it is connective tissue or inflammatory which can be seen on biopsy. Blood tests for vasculitis rarely help but you should have them if your sed rate is high. Skin biopsy rarely helps. You are caught in the no-mans'-land of CFS. What is important is knowing what to chase. I would not chase the skin rash unless it were quite different from CFS (like psoriasis, etc).
Do you have chronic infections (yeast, URI's, etc.) ? Also... if you push yourself too hard one day, are you in bed the following day ? If so, then talk to your physician about CFS.
I would also consider making sure that your physician has ordered an ANA on you. (labwork). I would also ask your physician to check your thyroid levels
arthritis is actually autoimmune, as is Hashimotos disease a form of hypotyroidism..which I have ...there are lots more..cant think of em now....erethema nodosum and sarcodosis I believe are also.
i have lots of muscle and joint pain. tired all the time, insomnia. i find some places i have pain have like lumps or knots. a lot of neck stiffness. at first they thought i had lupus and treated me with prednisone for 2 years. After no help they sent me to a specialist and they said fibro was what i have. what other auto immune diseases are there?
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I would recommend having your CRP and cortisol level checked. The CRP measures inflammation, but it is a more sensitive test. The cortisol level, if low, can be responsible for a higher (but usually within normal range) in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients.
Also... have autoimmune diseases been ruled out ? What are your symptoms ?
my sed rate is always high. i have never had it low. I have try and read the info i'm i lil confused. so if mine is high i don't have CFS?
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I checked out those sites. It was very interesting. My sed rates are always low.
I'll be getting bloodwork done again in April so I'll see if things have changed from January's.
I'll be getting bloodwork done again in April so I'll see if things have changed from January's.
Sed rates in CFS patients are within normal range, but usually VERY low. There is a reason for this (can't remember now), but Dr. Paul Cheney explains it. Here's a link on low (but normal) sed rates in CFS patients:
Sed Rate (ESR) --- The most consistent laboratory abnormality in patients with CFS is an extremely low erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), which approaches zero. Typically, patients with CFS have an ESR of 0-3 mm/h. An normal ESR or one that is in the upper reference range suggests another diagnosis.
source: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/235980-diagnosis
Hi postie,
I actually had the link from Dr. Bell's website.... saved and posted in our Health Pages. Scroll down and you can read what Dr. Bell says about autoimmunity:
http://www.davidsbell.com/PrintLynNewsV4N2.htm
I know one thing that CFS physicians are talking about is cytokines. They've also discussed cytokine problems in patients with autoimmune diseases. I'm looking forward to reading this new research and hearing more about it !
http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Fibromyalgia/Diagnostic--Blood-Tests-to-Help-Diagnose-CFS/show/376?cid=39
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