QuestionI have been dx with Fibro back in August of 09. I am different meds. A cuople of months back I started getting cramping in my hands(more than usual) Then I would wake in the morning and not be able to move my hands for 45 min. or so. Then My hand joints became stiff and i couldn't close my fist..it felt like the skin had been pulled to tight and was swollen. Now they hurt always. My knees and elbows are hurting. I called my Rhuemy and his NP had me go in last week. She said she couldn't feel the swelling but ran blood test. They called Fri. to tell me that my crp level was elevated to 1.6 and they would like it lower. I have to go back in 3 weeks and repeat the test. Is this what they always do? Why? What are they looking for? I have felt for a couple of months that this was no longer my Fibro. acting up but don't want to sound like a hypochondriac(?spell), so I waited to see if it would get better. Do they think it is RA? Anyone else been through this. I counted 32 app. that they made between my internal med Dr., Rhuemy, and Prd. I just want to feel better. I have had such weakness in my hands that i have been dropping things, I am so tired I keep nodding off ..at work and home. What is next?
AnswerI'm so sorry you're in pain. Your doctor is just starting at the beginning to try to work out your puzzle. An elevated Cr-P can be associated with many conditions, so the retest is probably to see if it was temporary, like an infection. I usually tell people at this "waiting" point to use the time to keep track of symptoms, what seems to trigger them (if anything) and what relieves them. You can add things like what you were doing before, what the weather was like, if you felt tired or felt okay that day, time of day, etc. Use the same notebook to list questions for your doc for the next time you go in, and take the whole thing to review with her/him. You can take an active, positive role in getting proper treatment.
