Oh, Balls. I Wasn't Imagining It.

[NeverDropYourMooncup]

Just had a text to check the hospital app for my latest bloods for my next Cosentyx prescription (Psoriatic Arthritis).

Platelet count is high, ESR is 57, CRP is 11. So I wasn't imagining that I have been feeling like crap for months recently. Everything else tested is perfectly normal (good to know that my kidneys and liver are perfectly healthy, I guess - and I did have a barrage of tests earlier in the year to include abdominal US and an unconnected hip/lower spine MRI which would have picked up anything dire going on down there).

I've had some unpleasant stomach issues, which I (and the GP) put down to manufacturers cross contaminating gluten free stuff and not admitting it again. And GF bread is making my mouth sore and my hands were stinging and burning after eating some GF toast. No eosinophil rise, so think it's unlikely to be an allergy.

At least with these bloods, nobody is going to be daft enough to risk suggesting to me that it will be down to

a) my age

b) perimenopause

c) all in my head/depression

d) my weight

e) lack of exercise

• or at least I hope they won't, for their own safety.

Bugger, bugger, balls and cock.

Now what?

Book a doc app and discuss

**At least with these bloods, nobody is going to be daft enough to risk suggesting to me that it will be down to

a) my age

b) perimenopause

c) all in my head/depression

d) my weight

e) lack of exercise

• or at least I hope they won't, for their own safety.

depending on your age, doesn’t mean they don’t play a contributing factor

a) + b) On HRT already. Went on it after 3 warm flushes lasting 5 minutes and a great bone density scan.

c) I'm not depressed. In pain, not feeling well, but not depressed.

d) Nope. Unchanged from when I was running twice a week and going to the gym 3 times right up until I started feeling crappy again - finally had to give it a break 3 weeks ago, as from experience, it's a very bad idea to continue running or lifting when your tendons have a tendency to rupture (please see: Psoriatic Arthritis).

e) The amount of exercise may have decreased, but that doesn't change the walking/mileage I cover in a day, I just feel crappy.

f) There's always one.

g) Already waiting for a Rheumatology Nurse appointment as a result of the blood test results.

I think they might, the crp isn't elevated, my rheum wouldn't retest for that and my rheum has previously said they'd only investigate if Esr is 100+. Please push for further tests,

My crp was slightly elevated and it took it being in the 100s (and a life changing event) to finally get more tests-I have now been diagnosed with 2(!) rare autoimmune conditions but as a woman I was fobbed off for ages by my gp/hospital.

I hope you get some answers.

Thanks. I'm bothered that it might be the biologics aren't working any more, as I've been almost fully in remission for about 3 years (ie, ESR in single digits and platelets have never been anything but normal range) and the two and a half years before that were on Humira, which gave me about 70% relief.

If I can get an appointment and a steroid shot, that'll cover me for a few weeks. Just have to hope they are able to do something better long term.

I have PsA too and those numbers are not unusual for me when I need to switch to a biologic. I've failed three now I think and have moved over to Taltz which seems to be going well. The issue is the bit in between biologics which I covered last time with 9 months of pred but it wasn't ideal. I'd definitely start feeling a bit crap with those numbers though.