Blood tests

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/16/01 2:05:04 AM Pacific Daylight Time,

SkyfireRanch@... writes:

<< , What type of blood test did they do? A standard CBC won't show

electrolytes.

R.

>>

, they ran a comprehensive metabolic panel, this included glucose,

sodium, potassium, chloride, BUN, Biitubin, albumin, Creatinine, Protein,

Sgot/Ast, Sgpt/alt, CO2, Calcium and Phosphatase, alkaline.

Think they covered it all. LOL There was also a CBC, Lipid Panel, CRP, Sed

rate, CPK, Thyroid Panel, Lupus Panel and another one to rule out Mixed

Connective Tissue Disease, I can't remember what that was.

Suprised I'm not anemic. LOL Only thing that came back abnormal was my

cholesterol. So... guess I'm in pretty good shape.

C

[Guest guest]

Hi :-)

It was good to hear that your blood work came out normal....and

that's always a good thing. Just remember that in 20% (or so) of RA

patients the bloods are normal even though they do have RA....I would

assume that this correlates with RP, too, even though there isn't a

definitive blood test just for RP there are things that can be out of

normal, as well.

I'm glad your doctor ran so many tests, though...and very glad to

hear that you've been doing well :-)

Hope you find some cool temps to plant some flowers...take care, too,

Connie H.

> , they ran a comprehensive metabolic panel, this included

glucose,

> sodium, potassium, chloride, BUN, Biitubin, albumin, Creatinine,

Protein,

> Sgot/Ast, Sgpt/alt, CO2, Calcium and Phosphatase, alkaline.

>

> Think they covered it all. LOL There was also a CBC, Lipid Panel,

CRP, Sed

> rate, CPK, Thyroid Panel, Lupus Panel and another one to rule out

Mixed

> Connective Tissue Disease, I can't remember what that was.

>

> Suprised I'm not anemic. LOL Only thing that came back abnormal

was my

> cholesterol. So... guess I'm in pretty good shape.

>

> C

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/30/2002 4:15:49 PM Eastern Standard Time,

fbayuk@... writes:

> Does anyone know how often we are supposed to have our bloodwork done

> if we are feeling fine. I know to do it if I am having problems, I

> also know to do it before I have problems, so how often is everyone

> getting it done.

> *****************************************

I believe the standard for proximals is every year, if no probs. It may be

different for distals or DS'ers, tho.

in NJ

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/30/2002 12:35:14 PM Pacific Standard Time,

fbayuk@... writes:

> Does anyone know how often we are supposed to have our bloodwork done

> if we are feeling fine. I know to do it if I am having problems, I

> also know to do it before I have problems, so how often is everyone

> getting it done.

>

>

Faye,

If you are anything like me (lol) you might " think " you feel " fine " but have

your lab work done and find out how crappy you really feel. I waited about

18 mo between my labs, and crashed and didn't realize how bad I felt until I

felt good. My surgeon wants q 6 month labs, and so my last ones were done in

October, although I'm getting them done every three months until they get all

the way normal. Still getting IV vitamins, although I " played hookey " last

week and didn't go - after all, I " feel fine " :-)

When did you have them done last?

B

Distal RNY 12/27/95

275/155

[Guest guest]

Does anyone know how often we are supposed to have our bloodwork done

if we are feeling fine. I know to do it if I am having problems, I

also know to do it before I have problems, so how often is everyone

getting it done.

[Guest guest]

I am a little over 2 yrs post-op and get them about every six months.

Chrissie

shihtzumom@...

http://users.snip.net/~shihtzumom

My WLS Journey:

http://millennium.fortunecity.com/doddington/691/WLS/this_is_me.htm

Blood tests

Does anyone know how often we are supposed to have our bloodwork done

if we are feeling fine. I know to do it if I am having problems, I

also know to do it before I have problems, so how often is everyone

getting it done.

Homepage: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Graduate-OSSG

Unsubscribe: mailto:Graduate-OSSG-unsubscribe

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/30/2002 12:35:24 PM Pacific Standard Time,

fbayuk@... writes:

> Does anyone know how often we are supposed to have our bloodwork done

> if we are feeling fine.

I have mine done every six months if no problems, every three months or every

month if something is way out of whack.

Kate

DS Surgery

6/19/00

[Guest guest]

The only reading that is varried is the liver. It has been steadily

normalizing. I was doing labs 3 months and wanted to know if I still had to

do every 3 months. Thanks for everyone's help. Fay Bayuk

[Guest guest]

Oh. And I can prepare you for another test you'll have to take, too,

if you're female.

I was 56 when I had surgery, almost 57.

For more reasons than one, I knew that there was no way I could be

pregnant, but my surgeon ordered a pregnancy test, anyhow. " The

hospital's gonna insist on it, and I don't want it to hold us up,

waiting for the result. "

I told him that was fine, but if it came back positive, we'd all

better start looking for a star in the east. He grinned and

replied, " Just let me know if three guys wearing crowns and carrying

presents show up in a few months. "

I haven't heard that they've made any guys go through this test, but

it wouldn't surprise me, after that experience.

Cammie

[Guest guest]

Hey. I'm a guy, so I hopefully won't be taking any pregnancy tests!

I went by the blood donation center. My results came back negative.

I was worrying for no reason, as I am a bit of a hyperchondriac.

I can't believe I'm less than a month from my surgery! I am soooo

excited. I feel that my upper jaw deficiency has robbed me of self

confidence since I became aware of my looks. (high school) I am 25

now, and I hope this surgery will give fix my jaws and my

confidence. Right now, I have an underbite, and a sunken in midface

caused by lack of upper jaw growth. I think it may have been caused

by the fact that I was hit by a baseball bat in the mouth when I was

a kid. I had a bunch of root canals, 1 of my front teeth is barely

alive, and will probably all out in a couple years.

> Oh. And I can prepare you for another test you'll have to take,

too,

> if you're female.

>

> I was 56 when I had surgery, almost 57.

>

> For more reasons than one, I knew that there was no way I could be

> pregnant, but my surgeon ordered a pregnancy test, anyhow. " The

> hospital's gonna insist on it, and I don't want it to hold us up,

> waiting for the result. "

>

> I told him that was fine, but if it came back positive, we'd all

> better start looking for a star in the east. He grinned and

> replied, " Just let me know if three guys wearing crowns and

carrying

> presents show up in a few months. "

>

> I haven't heard that they've made any guys go through this test,

but

> it wouldn't surprise me, after that experience.

>

> Cammie

[Guest guest]

I never heard of a Sar-panel?

Many Blessings and Hugs Abouhamama

I finally had a follow up with my neurologist, and he sent me for some blood test, a "sarc panel". I think one test was a ACE test... does anyone know how reliable these tests are for diagnosis? Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used cars.

[Guest guest]

Well, that's interesting-- I've never heard of a "sarc-panel."

ACE is a general inflammation marker test-- it means Angio-tensin converting enzyme and if ANY form of inflammation is going on-- your ACE levels go up.

I imagine he did a ESR also-- E?? sedimention rate-- and again, it's a general for systemic inflammation and would be high if you have arthritis-- and there are over 200 kinds of arthritis.

Sadly, we don't hae any specific tests that are "sarc-tests."

What he is doing is running a general blood panel-- and ruling out that it isn't something other than sarcoidosis, and then they go from there.

Eventually, they will start doing the studies that can tell them if you have high levels of TNF-a or TNF-b. I know we have a list of blood tests that are recommended-- in our ARCHIVES-- and www.sarcoidosissharma also has a recommended test list.

Like Marla said, we don't have specific tests for sarcoidosis-- and they have to eliminate all the other stuff, Lupus, MS, Rheumatoid Arthritis etc (all the auto-immune diseases) before they come to the conclusion that you have neurosarcoidosis.

Mly brain is in serious fog right now, with all the fires around us, I've been hit with an upper respiratory infllammation on top of my Stage 4 pulm sarc-- so I am really struggling to even think right now. i'm sorry, as I can't pull the info off the "top": so to speak.

Do you have biopsy proven sarc anywhere-- lungs, lymphs, muscles? If so, then that gives them at least a place to start-- and when they have run all the tests and they come back negative then they will hedge on telling you that it's NS.

Neuropsych testing is excellant for determining if you have neuro involvement. You can have perfectly clear CT's and MRI's of your brain and still have NS. Many times it presents as vasculitis-- and if a specific part of the brain is being pressured by an inflammed blood vessel, then that part won't work right as long as the inflammation blocks the flow-- and it can be intermittent. So if the inflamation is better the next day-- and the problem is lessened or sporadic, you can bet that it's vasculitis.

Neuropsych tests require specific parts of the brain to complete each test-- and if you can do part but not all-- or have short-term memory loss, or can't problem solve, or have lost the ability to multi-task-- these things come up in the tests.

Muscle tests, EMG's, can show if your brain is not getting the signal from the brain to the muscle to react the way it should.

EEG's-- brain wave study, show if there is a signal disruption between the brain waves.

EKG's --show heartbeat.

If you are on prednisone or anti-inflammatories, then the blood tests to show inflamation can be falsely lowered.

A spinal tap can show if you have specific proteins in your spinal fluid that would tell them if you have MS-but it wouldn't show if you have NS. Yet both conditions have the same symptoms. This is why we are so much the orphan child-- we can all show different effects, and no single specific test has been developed to show that what causes sarc. And to date, since we don't know the root cause, we can only treat symptoms.

I know I'm rambling, so bear with me--

I do hope this helps,

Tracie

NS Co-owner/moderator

Blood testsI finally had a follow up with my neurologist, and he sent me for some blood test, a "sarc panel". I think one test was a ACE test... does anyone know how reliable these tests are for diagnosis?------------------------------------~~~~ *** ~~~ *** ~~~ *** ~~~~The Neurosarcoidosis CommunityNS CHAT:- FAITH CHAT: SUNDAY 4PM-5PM EASTERN TIME CHATROOM LINK: http://www.sarcbuddies.com/chat Message Archives:-http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Neurosarcoidosis/messagesMembers Database:-Listings

of locations, phone numbers, and instant messengers.http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Neurosarcoidosis/database

[Guest guest]

Wow, Tracie, you do well with brain fog, I couldn't even remember the exact tests. I'm sorry you're having trouble breathing, I hope you can get out to some cleaner air soon! Do take care, Marla

Well, that's interesting-- I've never heard of a " sarc-panel. "

ACE is a general inflammation marker test-- it means Angio-tensin converting enzyme and if ANY form of inflammation is going on-- your ACE levels go up.

I imagine he did a ESR also-- E?? sedimention rate-- and again, it's a general for systemic inflammation and would be high if you have arthritis-- and there are over 200 kinds of arthritis.

Sadly, we don't hae any specific tests that are " sarc-tests. "

What he is doing is running a general blood panel-- and ruling out that it isn't something other than sarcoidosis, and then they go from there.

Eventually, they will start doing the studies that can tell them if you have high levels of TNF-a or TNF-b. I know we have a list of blood tests that are recommended-- in our ARCHIVES-- and www.sarcoidosissharma also has a recommended test list.

Like Marla said, we don't have specific tests for sarcoidosis-- and they have to eliminate all the other stuff, Lupus, MS, Rheumatoid Arthritis etc (all the auto-immune diseases) before they come to the conclusion that you have neurosarcoidosis.

Mly brain is in serious fog right now, with all the fires around us, I've been hit with an upper respiratory infllammation on top of my Stage 4 pulm sarc-- so I am really struggling to even think right now. i'm sorry, as I can't pull the info off the " top " : so to speak.

Do you have biopsy proven sarc anywhere-- lungs, lymphs, muscles? If so, then that gives them at least a place to start-- and when they have run all the tests and they come back negative then they will hedge on telling you that it's NS.

Neuropsych testing is excellant for determining if you have neuro involvement. You can have perfectly clear CT's and MRI's of your brain and still have NS. Many times it presents as vasculitis-- and if a specific part of the brain is being pressured by an inflammed blood vessel, then that part won't work right as long as the inflammation blocks the flow-- and it can be intermittent. So if the inflamation is better the next day-- and the problem is lessened or sporadic, you can bet that it's vasculitis.

Neuropsych tests require specific parts of the brain to complete each test-- and if you can do part but not all-- or have short-term memory loss, or can't problem solve, or have lost the ability to multi-task-- these things come up in the tests.

Muscle tests, EMG's, can show if your brain is not getting the signal from the brain to the muscle to react the way it should.

EEG's-- brain wave study, show if there is a signal disruption between the brain waves.

EKG's --show heartbeat.

If you are on prednisone or anti-inflammatories, then the blood tests to show inflamation can be falsely lowered.

A spinal tap can show if you have specific proteins in your spinal fluid that would tell them if you have MS-but it wouldn't show if you have NS. Yet both conditions have the same symptoms. This is why we are so much the orphan child-- we can all show different effects, and no single specific test has been developed to show that what causes sarc. And to date, since we don't know the root cause, we can only treat symptoms.

I know I'm rambling, so bear with me--

I do hope this helps,

Tracie

NS Co-owner/moderator

Blood testsI finally had a follow up with my neurologist, and he sent me for some blood test, a " sarc panel " . I think one test was a ACE test... does

anyone know how reliable these tests are for diagnosis?------------------------------------~~~~ *** ~~~ *** ~~~ *** ~~~~The Neurosarcoidosis CommunityNS CHAT:- FAITH CHAT: SUNDAY 4PM-5PM EASTERN TIME

CHATROOM LINK: http://www.sarcbuddies.com/chat Message Archives:-http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Neurosarcoidosis/messages

Members Database:-Listings

of locations, phone numbers, and instant messengers.http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Neurosarcoidosis/database

[Guest guest]

Wow, thank you for all the info. I'm sorry you are feeling so bad,

but you gave lots of good information for being foggy!! And don't

feel bad about rambling - I do it all the time, LOL.

I have not been diagnosed yet, but sarc was something that was

brought up to me because of my symptoms, and I have been seeing Drs.

since Feb. and no one can figure out what is wrong with me. I

mentioned sarc to the Neuro, so he ran the tests. I've had a CT and

MRI of my brain, and that came back clean, and the neuro said that if

I had it it more than likely would have showed up in the MRI. But

after reading what you said, I'm wondering if I should get a 2nd

opinion. The thing that is hard is there is a limited selection of

Drs. where I am

I also had an EMG tests of my legs because of numb areas that have

developed, and I was on a Lifewatch heart monitor for 30 days - that

came back that I have a " benign arrythmia " ... ummm... benign? I

know benign is good, but anything off with my heart makes me nervous,

and I had no problems with my heart before this started... at least,

not to my knowledge anyways.

For the blood tests, on top of whatever he was using for the " sarc

panel " , I know they are also doing a CBC, a Vitamin D test, a

Pernicious anemia/B12 test, and a Lyme test - only the 8th one I've

had... every doctor I see that hears my symptoms tests me for Lyme,

and they have all come back negative.

Now he wants to try me on a drug called Diamox to see if I have

benign intracranial hypertension ... but he doesn't want to do a

spinal tap for fear of making my headaches worse. I hate taking meds

when they don't even know if that is what I have

>

> Well, that's interesting-- I've never heard of a " sarc-panel. "  

> ACE is a general inflammation marker test-- it means Angio-tensin

converting enzyme and if ANY form of inflammation is going on-- your

ACE levels go up. 

> I imagine he did a ESR also-- E?? sedimention rate-- and again,

it's a general for systemic inflammation and would be high if you

have arthritis-- and there are over 200 kinds of arthritis.

> Sadly, we don't hae any specific tests that are " sarc-tests. "   

> What he is doing is running a general blood panel-- and ruling out

that it isn't something other than sarcoidosis, and then they go from

there.

> Eventually, they will start doing the studies that can tell them if

you have high levels of TNF-a or TNF-b. I know we have a list of

blood tests that are recommended-- in our ARCHIVES-- and

www.sarcoidosissharma also has a recommended test list. 

> Like Marla said, we don't have specific tests for sarcoidosis-- and

they have to eliminate all the other stuff, Lupus, MS, Rheumatoid

Arthritis etc (all the auto-immune diseases) before they come to the

conclusion that you have neurosarcoidosis. 

> Mly brain is in serious fog right now, with all the fires around

us, I've been hit with an upper respiratory infllammation on top of

my Stage 4 pulm sarc-- so I am really struggling to even think right

now.  i'm sorry, as I can't pull the info off the " top " : so to

speak. 

> Do you have biopsy proven sarc anywhere-- lungs, lymphs, muscles? 

If so, then that gives them at least a place to start-- and when they

have run all the tests and they come back negative then they will

hedge on telling you that it's NS. 

> Neuropsych testing is excellant for determining if you have neuro

involvement.  You can have perfectly clear CT's and MRI's of your

brain and still have NS.  Many times it presents as vasculitis-- and

if a specific part of the brain is being pressured by an inflammed

blood vessel, then that part won't work right as long as the

inflammation blocks the flow-- and it can be intermittent.  So if the

inflamation is better the next day-- and the problem is lessened or

sporadic, you can bet that it's vasculitis. 

> Neuropsych tests require specific parts of the brain to complete

each test-- and if you can do part but not all-- or have short-term

memory loss, or can't problem solve, or have lost the ability to

multi-task-- these things come up in the tests. 

> Muscle tests, EMG's, can show if your brain is not getting the

signal from the brain to the muscle to react the way it should. 

> EEG's-- brain wave study, show if there is a signal disruption

between the brain waves. 

> EKG's --show heartbeat. 

> If you are on prednisone or anti-inflammatories, then the blood

tests to show inflamation can be falsely lowered. 

> A spinal tap can show if you have specific proteins in your spinal

fluid that would tell them if you have MS-but it wouldn't show if you

have NS.  Yet both conditions have the same symptoms.  This is why we

are so much the orphan child-- we can all show different effects, and

no single specific test has been developed to show that what causes

sarc.  And to date, since we don't know the root cause, we can only

treat symptoms. 

> I know I'm rambling, so bear with me--

> I do hope this helps,

> Tracie

> NS Co-owner/moderator

>

>

> Blood tests

>

> I finally had a follow up with my neurologist, and he sent me for

some

> blood test, a " sarc panel " .  I think one test was a ACE test...

does

> anyone know how reliable these tests are for diagnosis?

>

>

>