Had my bi-annual rheumatologist appointment today. It was short and sweet, as there was not much to discuss with the doctor. I've been on Enbrel 6 months now, have very little pain, very little stiffness, and no side effects yet. Basically I am doing well, and doctors generally only help the sick (and only sometimes at that), so he poke and prodded me a little bit and then sent me on my way. Got a blood test on the way out for liver, blood count, and CRP (under my request). I could have told them that based on my marathon time, my liver and blood count are just fine, but I humored them and gave them something to do. I had an ESR (inflammation) test way back in May, 2008, and it was perfectly normal, despite me being in a large amount of pain and stiffness at the time. I asked for CRP (c-reactive protein) today, because it is another way to measure inflammation, and I was merely curious as to what it would say. I asked my doctor if he thought such tests were useful, and he said they were useful for monitoring inflammation...if the person has an elevated count to begin with. However, many patients with active AS test perfectly normal for ESR and CRP (like I did), and so it's not useful for them at all. But for others it can be useful. As quoted by merck.com: ESR and other acute-phase reactants (eg, C-reactive protein) are
inconsistently elevated in patients with active AS. Tests for RF and
antinuclear antibodies are negative. The HLA-B27 genetic marker is not
of diagnostic value.
Yup, it's that easy. This is one reason why diagnoses can be so hard to get. Some people get sent away with the doctor saying "it's all in your head".
I had Stacy drop me off at the clinic, and I was in my running clothes, so I ran home after the appointment, with a slight detour at the Smithfield City offices to drop off the remainder of my new business license application. 8 miles total, averaging 6:24/mile.
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