I've been going for blood tests for the last couple of weeks. I just feel lousy - my finger joints are stiff and sore, my hips, knees and ankles hurt and I have a lot of tingling in my wrists and forarms. I'm also constantly achey and exhausted.
Today I found out they don't think have rhuematoid arthritis, although they're not 100% sure, but they still don't know what's wrong. My liver function is off, so they're doing a few more tests. An antimitochondrial antibody test and an anti-smoioth muscle antibody. Of course, I came home and googled it and these are tests for lupus, as well as cirrhosis, hepatitis and liver obstruction. I don't drink much, so I don't know how I'd have cirrhosis. I've never had a tattoo or blood transfusion - are there other ways to get hepatitis?
There are three other tests being done: Elevated alkaline phosphates, elevated ALT and something I can't decipher - looks like Arthrialgras, but Google didn't give me anything on any variation of that.
I'm going over later this afternoon to have the blood drawn for these. Hopefully I'll know more by Monday.
See? I knew turning 40 would suck ass.
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19 comments:
I think that might be arterial gas
(aka blood gas) it's a pretty standard test done to measure the oxygenation of the blood/amount of carbon dioxide in the blood. It can help with a diagnosis of lots of things.
Wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arterial_blood_gas
Don't freak out, J. This will be okay.
I thought you were insinuating that my arteries had gas. I was about to get offended. Then I read it again.
I'm not freaking out yet. Just a little bit.
Goodluck with the tests!
good luck and keep us posted!
seriously! don't google! you know, that whole "a little learning is a dangerous thing" bit. yikes.
that last part sounds like a description of findings. as in: you had an elevated alk phos and ALT, and you have arthralgias (joint pain).
i'm late to the party here, though. i will see what's going on with you.
tell me if i'm getting too much into your business here, but i want to share.
anti-mitochondrial and anti-smooth muscle antibody tests are done to rule out (i.e. make sure you don't have) primary biliary cirrhosis (as opposed to alcoholic cirrhosis) or autoimmune hepatitis. these diseases may show up the first time with some of the symptoms you have been talking about.
and that is my mini-lecture.
kwh out.
No, not at all, kwh.
How would I have that, though? That's what I don't understand. Would the few drugs that I take regularly - thyroid meds, advil and vitamins - cause that? And the hepetitis?
*sigh*
See. Now I'm going to have to go Google again.
I'll be thinking of you during this. You know I know how you feel. Email me if you need to talk.
Andrea
http://littlebalddoctors.wordpress.com
My comment was gonna be a hang in there but I cannot stop laughing about the blood gas thing. I thought the same thing! LOL
Wow, hang in there. And if anyone knows the dangers of google, well, we all should by this point. I hope you start feeling better!
Julia, some of those are autoimmune diseases and we know those travel through families in different disguises. So it does not mean you would have done anything wrong to get them. We will be praying for the diagnosis of "Your a mom and you wear about 50 gazillion hats, that is why you feel like crap." LOL
i wish you the best of luck ... sometimes life just sucks and i def. understand going through a bunch of tests and not understanding them ... hopefully it just ends up that you have a bad case of the flu or something ... good luck
Repeat after me:
I'm not sick, everything is going to be okay, they're just checking to make sure, the results will come back negative.
Positive thoughts, my friend. Hang in there.
Thinking of you J!
I wish you lots of good luck - at worst, something really simple to treat - like maybe you need more vitamins.
Candles will be lit.
-J.
No matter what you think, Google is not your friend.
I hope everything comes back OK. Maybe you're just stressed and tired from taking care of a baby and a toddler?
Google is a disaster. Makes people frantic. Avoid it at all costs.
Unless you're Googling for something fun, like searching on Google Images for "squirrel puppets." The little gray puppet is so cute. May cheer you up a smattering.
I'm thinking about you today.
Hope everything turned out okay!
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