No, I am not talking about the Red Cross variety…however I always encourage anyone and everyone who can donate blood to do so.
What I am talking about is my upcoming appointment at my Doc’s office. It happens to be one of those, “ask and ye shall receive” type situations. A couple days ago, I sent a request to my primary care doctor asking if he would consider drawing a few extra tests while I was there for my routine (tacrolimus, CBC, BMP, glucose, etc.) blood tests. I was pleasantly surprised with a “yes” answer…across the board…for every lab test I requested. So, if there is anything detectable in these tests that can explain the pain I have been experiencing…I should know about it early next week (the vampires does not strike until Thursday morning). The “yes” answer might also validate the research I performed before posing the requests. It is nice to have medical professionals who respect you and do not treat you like a hypochondriac. Additional, it is possible the “yes” indicates that my doctor and I are wanting to test and exclude or verify the same diagnosis. In simpler terms, “We’re on the same page.”
For the medical geeks reading this, here is the list of tests that are being performed:
1) Tacrolimus
2) CBC & BMP
3) Vitamin B?
4) Testosterone
5) CMV & EBV
6) PSA
7) TSH
Common battery of tests to screen for ______ ______. (Which medical geek can fill in the blanks the fastest? It’s not a difficult one.)
8) CPR (C-Reactive Protein)
9) ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate)
10) RF (rheumatoid factor)
11) CBC (complete blood count)
12) anti-CCP (anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide)
13) ANA (antinuclear antibodies)
Almost forgot…
14) A1C
15) Urine test
I’ll let everyone know about the results as soon as they’re received. You all know that’s not going to happen…but I will post the results as soon as I can get to them.
I haven’t accomplished much of anything the last couple months. Your prayers for “an answer” and “how to treat whatever the ailment is” are what I’m asking for at this time.
Thanks you…and may God bless you all.
