Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
General health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

Please help : Raised CRP levels in 2 blood tests

58 replies

Bubble2608 · 04/05/2017 15:28

hello i have health anxiety and a couple of months ago i had a cold and some blood
in my phlegm (not coughing it up) i had chest x ray all was
fine and bloods where crp was 7 (should be less than 5) and neutrophils were raised too. No repeats a were given just some antibiotics and symptoms went away . last week
i went to doctor to ask to go back
on my anxiety medication and while there i mentioned for 3 weeks i had been getting night sweats so she felt my glands and said let's repeat the blood test from 2 months ago! They came back and white blood cells back to normal but crp is still 7 and i am
beside myself with worry and she wants to repeat in 4-6 weeks! from what i have read if levels don't drop because there has been an infection it can be a sign of cancer. i'm not sleeping or eating with worry . is someone able
to help? 2 years ago my crp was only 1

OP posts:
PacificDogwod · 05/05/2017 07:26

I really wish they weren't retesting as it's scares with my health anxiety

Have you said this to your GP?

Health anxiety is probably the worst anxiety to cope with and I am sorry you are landed with it.
Repeat tests are often considered to be 'reassuring' by doctors although it is recognised that they can cause anxiety in the patient (but may reassure the doctor who will find the fact that your CRP has not changed in 2 months very reassuring themselves).

Whether a CRP is 1 or 7 is totally irrelevant - they are both nothing to worry about.

Original poster
Bubble2608 · 05/05/2017 09:19

it's so horrible it really is and i am in such a state its unbearable and worrying it will go up again. 6 weeks is like a lifetime away when u feel like this but thank u. have u had raised crp over 2 tests before?

OP posts:
InfinityPlusOne · 05/05/2017 09:23

This is your health anxiety talking. Those numbers are fine, no cause for concern but the anxiety is telling you something else. The medication should help calm you and you should be upfront with your GP about how repeat tests make you feel and ask for reassurance that all is well.

OP I'll say it again - your test results do not give any cause for concern. This is a classic presentation for health anxiety and this is what you should focus on getting treatment for.

Original poster
Bubble2608 · 05/05/2017 09:27

i also have been having night sweats and apparently that's a red flag symptom too!! but hopefully that's just because i'm 43! does anyone else get these every night? she is a really good doctor but she is thorough too which can't be a bad thing i supposed .

OP posts:
PacificDogwod · 05/05/2017 10:41

Lots and lots of people have night sweats and get blood tests because of this and the vast majority have nothing much wrong with them. I would not describe night sweats on their own as a Red Flag for anything.

Stop focussing on the numbers - 7 is within the range of normal in that the 'normal' given by labs are an average. It is in the nature of averages that some people will fall outside of that and it is entirely normal for them.

Address your anxiety. That may well be making you feel unwell and could contribute to your sweating.

InfinityPlusOne · 05/05/2017 14:34

I had night sweats too and again what was the cause - anxiety! Lying awake not sleeping, stressed to the hilt, falling into a shallow sleep and waking up sweating. Convinced myself there was something seriously wrong but it was all anxiety and it all went away when I tackled that.

Original poster
Bubble2608 · 05/05/2017 15:24

i started sertraline again 4 days ago and so far the side effects are horrible but expected and head is buzzing with no chance of any sleep at least until they settle down.

OP posts:
InfinityPlusOne · 05/05/2017 16:50

It took me quite a few weeks to adjust too Bubble but once I did I haven't looked back. I'm not on the meds anymore but they were very useful when my anxiety was at its worst.

Original poster
Bubble2608 · 05/05/2017 18:30

i did 2 days at 25mg and thai is day 2
on 50mg and i feel terrible and wondering if i should scale back to 25 for a bit or push through . literally no sleep as feel wired but then i did anyway!

OP posts:
InfinityPlusOne · 05/05/2017 18:40

Push through OP I'm sure the dr has prescribed the dose for a reason (assuming that's what the Dr told you to take?). It needs to reach a certain level in your blood to be effective.

Original poster
Bubble2608 · 05/05/2017 19:01

she said i could take diazapam for first couple of weeks for heightened anxiety but too scared to take it!!! as i tried half
of one on the first night and practically had a panic attack

OP posts:
Original poster
Bubble2608 · 05/05/2017 19:01

were u on sertraline ?

OP posts:
AnxiousMunchkin · 05/05/2017 19:47

We all react differently to medications but 25mg is a very low dose for sertraline, I was started on that by an over-cautious GP but really it wasn't until 100mg that it made any difference for me, and I'm on 150mg now.

What is scary about the diazepam?

InfinityPlusOne · 05/05/2017 20:28

No I was on a different medication but the method of use are pretty similar for them all

Original poster
Bubble2608 · 06/05/2017 07:47

i just don't like tablets in general and i suppose that's what made me panic not the tablet

OP posts:
InfinityPlusOne · 06/05/2017 07:52

I didn't love the idea of the meds either but they did their job, helped me get on top of the anxiety and I'm off them now. Anything was better than the situation I found myself in at the time. I hadn't slept properly for months and I was so lost in the anxiety I couldn't see the wood for the trees.

tanyadm · 06/05/2017 07:58

7 isn't significant at all, so don't worry. I had pneumonia a few years back, and mine was 444 on hospital admission.

Original poster
Bubble2608 · 06/05/2017 08:19

thanks tanyadm but what really worries me ia that it's stayed at that level for 2 months when it should come back down and when reading up it all i see is cancer which terrifies me

OP posts:
Lonecatwithkitten · 06/05/2017 08:23

My CRP is consistently 15-20 over a 10 year period, it is connected to an autoimmune condition that slightly impacts my everyday life. But in general over the last 10 years I would describe myself as having been well.
They only get excited if it goes over 50 as that would suggest active process rather than chronic lie grad inflammation.

InfinityPlusOne · 06/05/2017 09:28

Bubble as many other poster ms have said repeatedly that is not a CRP level to be worried about. You are 'borrowing trouble' and fixating on things that are insignificant because of your health anxiety. Addressing that needs to be your focus.

Original poster
Bubble2608 · 06/05/2017 10:37

i am trying i promise and even tho my medication is making me feel terrible i am persevering. i didn't panic about it initially when crpnwas raised in first test, especially as i had a cold but it's the fact it's remained elevated 2 months later that worries me. i'm not a doctor i know but every thing i read about it mentions cancer!

OP posts:
Original poster
Bubble2608 · 06/05/2017 10:38

i also know it can be raised in arthritis, auto immune disease etc as my mum has these but i don't and there is no explanation which is what i'm struggling with. i'm sorry to go on and on.

OP posts:
Original poster
Bubble2608 · 06/05/2017 10:39

pa: thank u for taking time to answer

OP posts:
InfinityPlusOne · 06/05/2017 11:05

But it isn't raised Bubble not at all. It's barely outside the reference range and that's quite normal for some. It would be one thing if it was 50+ but you are panicking over a minuscule rise that means very little.

tanyadm · 06/05/2017 11:30

It shouldn't necessarily 'come down' if 7 is your normal. So there won't be an explanation, as there is nothing actually wrong? But I feel you won't hear our reassurance on that front and you need more help on your anxiety.

Swipe left for the next trending thread