My SED rate has been 32, up to 61 last month, and now 47. My colorectal doc said that SED rates are not relied upon much anymore and not to worry about it. My GI basically said I'll never be at 20 and not to worry. I emailed my GP and she wants to do more blood work. She did not specify for what.
Any thoughts... much appreciated.
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Are you having any symptoms, or just lab fluctuations?
Hi Scott, I did have a partial obstruction in November when my SED was 61. The MRenterography that I had in early December was normal. I still have the gurgling sounds and pain, but not as bad as they were a couple of weeks ago. No fevers. I have back and foot pain, but that's been going on for a long time. Of course, I'm nervous about what she's looking for.
CRP was elevated, but CBC was normal.
Joey, your GP is mainly looking for ways to reassure you, most likely. The two doctors that suggested you not worry about it tried to do the same thing, but you didn’t believe them. There’s a good chance that you would have been better off if the sed rate hadn’t been measured.
Folks with IBD tend to have some background inflammatory activity going on, and that fluctuates. Measuring it doesn’t necessarily suggest any useful intervention.
It's not that I didn't believe them, I'm always afraid that something is wrong.
Sed rate can be up for a number of reasons, including fighting a cold/flu and other stuff that your body is fighting but you may not know it. If the doc isn’t worried, I wouldn’t be worried either. It’s a marker that can be increase for a lot of diff reasons and mostly is an indicator of something wrong if it’s combined with others. If you’re feeling okay, I’d just trust that. Best!
Seems to me, they know the causes (obstruction) of your highest Sed rate. It is coming down now. It takes a while to recover, and residual inflammation can linger. Plus, like what was mentioned, Sed rates is a non-specific inflammation marker. It is mostly monitored to assess treatment, not as a real diagnostic tool.
Jan 
