Any Ideas On The Significance Of These Results?

[mushroom]

I would appreciate any input on the following results:

(Brief background: psoriatic arthritis x 4yrs; all arthritis med-free since Aug. 07; gluten free Nov.07; soy and dairy free March 1, 08. Problems with badly swelling ankles before stopping Plaquenil in Aug. 07, also arthritis broke through the med. at that time. Swollen ankles only slowly improved with help of Lasix, but I have poor kidney function from sulfasalazine and too many NSAIDS so can't continue that. Ankles are swelling back again. Arthritis initially went away with gluten-free, has returned since Feb. 1. Extremely stiff and weak now, tired much of the time, borderline depressed. Have been cold all summer--never really got into summer clothes. Have widespread (literally too, I'm afraid) body inflammation and urticaria.)

Anyway, the significant results (Out of range) were:

Neutrophils (absolute) 9.91 (2.00-7.50)

White cell count 12.7 (4.0-11.0)

Mean cell volume 99 (78-98)

Free T3 2.5 (2.6-5.7)

C-Reactive Protein 79.3 (<5.0)

Creatinine 129 (40-100)

GFR Calc 38 (>60)

Others:

Free T4 16 (10-20)

TSH 1.63 (0.30-5.00)

Liver function, electrolytes, thyroid autoantibodies, glucose, ferritin, B12 all normal, folate low normal 7.3 (6.0-45.0)

I just picked these up from the med.ctr. this morning; my doc won't be in until tomorrow so haven't discussed with her yet.

Neroli.

[gfpaperdoll]

Mushroom, I am not qualified to answer anything about your tests, but I will say that IMO if your B12 was just normal - that is too low. You should take B12.

Also, with arthiritis, I would look at my diet... start with completely gluten-free, dairy free & soy free.

Then i would look at nightshade foods, white potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant...

I would suggest no orange juice - it does something that causes inflammation to the joints. Someone gave me a great reply once of how that works, but I did not copy it... something about it causes a sugar spike which causes something which causes the joints to get inflammed.

Then I know this sounds difficult, but I would not eat any processed gluten-free foods like breads, crackers, pan cakes etc. No grains. then when you are pain free you can try to add in a few...

& I know that most people including me never thought anyone had a problem with rice, but I do now & I have heard from a lot of other people that have a problem with rice - so be careful about rice...

A lot of people cannot handle the tapioca flour (me).

If you can just pick out a few foods to eat & see if you can get to be pain free & feeling better & then just add in one food at a time - slowly so you can tell if you have a reaction to it.

I hope you are feeling better soon!!!

[confusedks]

You might want to look into Lyme Disease. It is very common to have lots of the symptoms you have with Lyme, even if you don't remember having a tick bite.

Look for the Lyme Disease thread under "other intolerances/leaky gut issues" and see if you have any of the symptoms on the first page of the thread.

[mushroom]

Thank you both for your responses.

Darn, just as my tomatoes and green peppers are bearing fruit nicely you are asking (suggesting) that I give them up. And I have two nice eggplant in the refrigerator. Maybe there is a clue, the nightshades are my favourite family!! I guess I will have to make and freeze big batches of ratatouille, freeze whole tomatoes, let hubby eat the peppers--he just loves fajitas (without the flour tortilla now, of course). It is certainly worth a try. If that don't work I guess it really should be a case of just eating one or two things at a time until I find out what it is that my body is protesting against.

I just rechecked my B12; values were 212 on a range of 100-570. But you might remember I was the one who tried a sublingual B12 (a good one, not dubious) and broke out in a blotchy red rash on my face the next day which took weeks to subside. I don't really feel like doing that again.

Lyme disease had not occurred to me. The last time I had a tick was back in the late 70's when I took my dog for a walk in a remote bushy park. She got three, I got one and it clung on to the back of my neck. I couldn't see it and thought it was a mole run amok (having had melanomas); my surgeon laughed himself silly when I consulted him about having it removed! Anyhow, he did surgically snip out the tick. I noticed no symptoms at the time, would not have been able to see, myself, if there were a rash. Anyhow, no-one here would be able to test for lyme, they don't have it down here so it would have to await my return to U.S. We used to have a LLMD in Sonoma. I have read a lot of the thread, but there is lots more to go.....!!

Thanks again.

Neroli

[gfpaperdoll]

wow, I cannot take sublingual B12 either - gives me an instant migraine - I think it is the mannitol... Anyway, yes you should take a B12 - try another one. I take nature made, get them at Walgreens.

& yes, very telling that you like all the nightshade foods - a lot!!! For the time being I would give them all up - then later you might be able to eat some of them...

I cannot eat white potatoes, but I can eat tomatoes, I have mostly given up bell peppers except for the occasional red or orange one, & I do not eat eggplant ever. we are all different, while we do have a lot of similarities

[confusedks]

I didn't see you're from New Zealand! I used to live there!

Even though you had the tick removed, you could still have Lyme. I do suggest if you have lots of the symptoms, that you get tested. I believe that multiple food intolerances is you bodies way of telling you something is wrong. It's not right to not be able to eat lots of foods. Lyme can be an underlying condition causing lots of food intolerances...so can candida, heavy metal toxicity, etc.

[mushroom]

I didn't see you're from New Zealand! I used to live there!

Even though you had the tick removed, you could still have Lyme. I do suggest if you have lots of the symptoms, that you get tested. I believe that multiple food intolerances is you bodies way of telling you something is wrong. It's not right to not be able to eat lots of foods. Lyme can be an underlying condition causing lots of food intolerances...so can candida, heavy metal toxicity, etc.

Yeah, a Kiwi who lived in CA for almost 40 years, so really more Californian than Kiwi, some of my NZ friends tell me. I have become bilingual and spell both ways as the mood strikes. Anyway, should be in Nevada by June, health permitting, although it seems I might need to come there for my health!!

Lots of people mention metal toxicity. Without reading a zillion forum pages, could you just give me a quick yes, no or maybe as to whether having a mouth full of amalgam for over 50 years, and gums reacting to metal crowns so that I had to have them all replaced with ceramic (no amalgam left now, just had my hygienist check), could lead to metal toxicity? I have had no other metal exposure that I am aware of. If the answer is yes or maybe, what do I do (bearing in mind I am in NZ now)?

Thanks a bunch.