Not Nuts

Call from internist's office. They are referring me to Rheumatology.
I had two very slight abnormalities on the blood work, which they might not have necessarily been concerned about, but with the symptoms I’m experiencing it’s wise to have a visit with a specialist. The two tests are for Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate(ESR) and Antinuclear Antibody Test (ANA).

Elevated ESR is an indicator that there is inflammation present. They put blood in a test tube, add something to keep it from clotting, and then wait to see how long it takes the red blood cells to separate from the plasma and fall to the bottom of the tube. If certain proteins cover red cells, these will stick to each other and cause the red cells to fall more quickly. So, a high ESR indicates that you have some inflammation, somewhere in the body.

ANA- First off, antibodies are proteins, produced by white blood cells, which normally circulate in the blood to defend against foreign invaders such as bacteria, viruses, and toxins. Autoantibodies, instead of acting against foreign invaders as normal antibodies do, attack the body's own cells. Antinuclear antibodies are a unique group of autoantibodies that have the ability to attack structures in the nucleus of cells. The nucleus of a cell contains genetic material referred to as DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). An ANA (antinuclear antibody) test can be used as part of the diagnostic process to detect certain autoimmune diseases.

Now, what does this mean? Not a lot at this point, except to say that if the ANA test were negative, we’d be very very sure I didn’t have Systemic Lupus Erythematosis (SLE). That’s because pretty much NO ONE with SLE has a negative ANA test. But about 95% of SLE patients have positive ANA tests

With positives on these, and with the symptoms, there is a POSSIBILITY of an inflammatory illness such as rheumatoid arthritis, SLE, or other autoimmune disorders. But it’s NOT ABSOLUTE. False positives can be caused by medications, although he did not ask me to change any of mine.

So. There you have it. I think I’m just relieved I’m not nuts. Or lazy.