Lab questions

Finally got my stool samples in earlier this week, and got a call from the nurse on the results. Everything on the stool samples came back negative. Yay!

My CRP was .68 and the nurse said that is normal so the GI doesn't think I'm flaring. I went back and looked at my past labs and my CRP was .51 in March. That seems like enough of a jump to me, especially since I'm sensitive. Does that seem feasible?

In looking back through my labs, when I was diagnosed in 2005 they used sed rate to measure inflammation. Do they not use that any more for Crohn's? My current GI never gets it tested, whereas my previous GIs did.

My GI wants me to try fodmap for a couple of weeks and report back on my symptoms. I'm having erratic bouts of D. Some pretty nasty cramping with that. I get pain in my lower right quadrant sometimes, which is what happened the last time I flared. I'm also feeling full after a few bites sometimes. I don't mind trying the diet, but the symptoms I'm having now are what I experienced for a couple of years before I was diagnosed with Crohn's. Everyone kept saying it was IBS. Sigh. I'm just venting really.

In general, CRP is a better marker of inflammation than sed rate (ESR) is. That's probably why your new doctor isn't testing ESR.

But keep in mind that even CRP isn't a perfect marker. For some people it never goes up, even in severe flares. For some others it can jump way up with just a little inflammation. So any time you look at CRP, you have to consider it *along with* other factors.

Thanks! I knew not everyone showed markers during a flare. Looking at my past labs, it looks like they don't paint a strong picture of activity for me. I'll keep trusting my instincts.

It sounds like I might see some benefits in 2 weeks from what I've been reading about fodmap. It seems like I should do the elimination version of it for 4 weeks and then reintroduce foods. It doesn't look like there's a dietician in my area that specializes in it but I might call around and see if any could help. It takes away a lot of staples in my diet, so it's going to be a bit tough figuring out how to do this.