CRP should be 8 or less

hi Katie,

i've learnt that CRP varies for me,

and i became fixated by it when i started a new drug in August 2011 as i really wanted it to work having failed on two others.

my CRP went down, it was over 100 before i started and i now feel well.

i think in a person without RA it should be in single figures .. but mine rarely is but is it much lower than before and i am now in clincial remission. it depends also on your DAS Score which i have done every Consultant's visit.

i was told to concentrate on how i feel not just CRP readings, which i now do. all the other results are fine and i know my GP or Rheumy Nurse would contact me if they weren't.

i have a booklet which my GP Nurse fills in monthy for me after bloods come back.

do let us know how you get on with Rheumy.

Suzanne x

Katie
Please stop worrying! Its not good for you
How about you call the nras helpline later?

I ask lots of questions at appointments because I'm trying to understand different ra things.
My rheumy is lovely, and answer all my concerns.

Scores on the doors are made up by the amount of inflammed joints/tender joints and your blood results.

I have a print out of my blood results because my rheumy hospital is under one primary care trust (pct) and the blood goes to another pct for the boffins to do their biz!
So, when I go to rheumy hospital of appointments or via the helpline when I'm feeling bad they don't have to spend a while calling the lab at the blood hospital.

Also I'm under occ health at work and the company docotor knows how things are, and I feel the doctor gets me and is on my side.
I'm due to see occ health doctor in 2 weeks time.I'm on recoup hour of 5 a day which is hard going with my stiffness and the worse pain I've ever had with my knee.
Just waiting for date for total knee replacement.
The good news is my ra qualifies for anti tnf, bad news I have to wait until after the op and area clean & dried up.

I do find it interesting to look at the results and compare the ranges to see if things the same or worse!

Could you not ask for a different rheumy consultant? Mine is a lady that is so lovely and helpful.

Take care of yourself, treat yourself to a bunch of flowers - the colour and smell cheers me up or a candle!
Xxx

Hello Katie

Sorry to read the ra stuff is rubbish. The hdx is a pretty mild treatment and they will want to start new additions with the crp up there, the crp is a solid indication of how active the disease is, and in the 40s is pretty active by anyone's result standard.

As for your son, got some things to help you there. First is to contact winstons wish
They are a child bereavement charity and will help
Second
Look on the ipsea website about the rules around exclusions

All the best
Jenni xx

Hi all

I don't want to throw a ripple in the pond but my CRP has never been above 10 and I have severe joint damage from RA. As I have said in previous posts, my RA Consultant takes very little notice of blood test results and looks at physical evidence and listens to how I am feeling.

It is all very confusing.

Jackie
xx

Jackie

I agree the inflammatory markers never seem to match how I'm feeling. I can be really bad & think my markers will be high this month & my CRP is 8 or 9, then another time I'm feeling OK and my CRP will be in the 40s. It makes no sense at all.

Hi Katie - you've got a lot on your plate at the moment so it's no wonder you're feeling overwhelmed. There's been some excellent advice here and from the helpline, and as time goes by you'll find the best things for you. Try and learn as much as you can, because then you'll understand which are the most important bits.

About the pain moving about - yes, that happens! When my RA was at its worst, I found it really difficult to describe where it hurt, partly because I got used to the pain (it's got a technical name called habituation) and partly because it hurt everywhere to a greater or lesser extent!! Your rheumy must've had a very bad day - but it does happen - all rheumy docs are NOT equally skilled. The first doc I saw at the rheumy clinic was a registrar with very little experience, and she didn't recognise how bad I was and her advice made me a lot worse. Many weeks later on I saw the consultant who has lots more experience and empathy and she recognised immediately that I had RA and got me started on an agressive treatment plan which works like a miracle - keep positive and you'll get your RA under control eventually.

It must be so worrying about your son - I really feel for you. 15 is a tough age (I've got a 15 yr old step daughter who lost her mum at age 4 - so I know a bit about the grieving process). Keep talking to him and show him how much you love him, no matter what happens. A memory box is a good idea. Do you still have parents/grandparents who could share their memories of their lost son?

We have photos around the house of the girls with their birth mum, and we keep in touch with her parents and sisters, and try to keep the subject of her life (and death) as open as possible. We still get problems from time to time but it helps to talk.

Re school, GCSE year can be hell (I'm currently going through this for the 3rd time) - but teens do get through it and if you can keep talking to them and give them time and space then it turns out well in the end

Very best of luck - Sylvia xx

Wow, so much useful information and ideas from everyone, I can't thank you enough.

I found it fascinating that there were lots of different experiences regarding inflammatory markers and actually this helped me understand a bit more about RA and its complexity.

Valerie - I had tried googling some of my questions but there was so much contradictory information that, at the time, it just confused me further, but from what I'm learning about RA that seems to be par for the course! Thanks for your good wishes.

Sylvia - thanks for your kindness and ideas about my son, it certainly is a difficult age, and you are experienced in it. Unfortunately my recent diagnosis of RA and having seen me get iller and iller over the last year has really unsettled my son and he's worried I'm going to die too, which of course I can't reassure him that I won't as none of us know when the clock is going to stop ticking, but at least I can reassure him to some degree. We are very close and talk a lot and being thrown out of his school might be the best thing that's happened to him. He's now in a much smaller school with smaller classes and lots of nurturing which will help him.

And you are so right about the habituation (great word!) and the pain all over. In fact when the rheumy doc asked me where it didn't hurt, I told him my head didn't hurt. He laughed and said his head hurt and he felt quite dizzy, so I suggested he saw a doctor !!!!! How very surreal.

Finally, I think I'm starting to understand that I've got to learn a whole lot more about this RA and monitor my body more closely, and then there might be better communication between me and the doc.

Thanks to all you lovely people out there who take the time to post on here.

Love Katie x