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Blood work

Messages
96
If you have insurance and a willing doctor, you might be able to get half these tests done before insurance chomps. I'm not sure what Lerner et al. uses but I put a lot of research into these tests.

Always stop medications, if you can, 5 half-lives before your test. It's nil-nil if you don't.

Since two people have asked already, here are the tests I've had:

CBC
CMP
ESR
Estrogen
CORTISOL AM
ANA

If you are male, you can add testosterone, LH and FSH.

If curious about your plasma neurotransmitter state, you might find you have high norepinephrine and low dopamine. More than likely, this occurs because most "CFS" patients are hypocortisolemic, and more norepinephrine than dopamine must be produced to activate the adrenal glands. Dopamine has a tendency to reduce cortisol output (ie selegiline, a dopamine agonist, is used for high cortisol in dogs).

Free t3 and t4 are the only relevant tests. TSH can be all over the place.

Those are ones a good PCP doctor will test if you ask.

Now, here are the tests I've had that I recommend (I've made some mistakes, like getting a CEA, CRP because they are just too broad).

Serum protein electrophoresis = good cancer screen, immune abnormalities

Thyroid Antibodies Test = tests all thyroid antibodies

ACTH stimulation = for hypocortisolism

DHEA = if you are low, it's a good thing to supplement

Anticardiolipin Ab= obscure, to make sure I didn't have a more defined illness

Anti-DSDNA Abs = obscure, to make sure I didn't have a more defined illness

Aldosterone = for possible fludrocortisone supplementation

Prolactin= for possible prolactinoma

Allergy Testing = self-explanatory NOT FOOD, that science hasn't been worked out yet

Lyme - Duh

EBV

Mycoplasma pneu

Tumor Necrosis Factor inflammatory molecule (drug target)

IL-6 inflammatory molecule (drug target)

Natural Killer Cell Short NKCs kill pathogens

T and B Cells gives you an idea if a treatment will work

Anemia low iron causes fatigue

Fibrinogen to exclude clotting disorders

Tissue transglutaminase to exclude celiac

STD panel w/ AIDS it's been awhile, but yes.

RF Rheumatoid arthritis predictor

RPR to exclude syphilis/lupus

Creatine Kinase Muscle pain

CMV and HHV if you are up for valcyte

All of these just exclude major problems. They may not bring you any more towards a solution.