Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group SED rate

so my dr told me that the "normal" person's SED rate is between 10-15...i was showing signs of some sort of inflammation 4 years ago when it was 35...today it is up to 109. i'm in so much pain. i don't know what i'm going to do to help me feel better. i'm just so frustrated.
what are your opinions on marijuana? i've heard that it helps tremendously...i want some feedback before i think of trying it...

Have you talked with your doc about pain medications? I don't know about marijuana.

look back at some previous threads in this forum and helpful tips forum and maybe alternatives forum. it answered questions i had about it. thing is, if its not medical grade you dont know exactly what you are getting. from what i understand, certain ones give you physical effect and the other gives you mostly mental effect. i tried some a month ago that made me hurt more the next day, sorda like a hangover. then i tried another time w/ diff stuff and that didnt happen. good luck

in addition to my last post i have some words of CAUTION!


7 years ago my teenage niece went to the hospital for chest tightness and discomfort. she had just smoked some pot and was scared she was having a reaction to it even though she had smoked before. she was honest w/ the doc so they ran some tests. conclusion: she tested postive for methamphetamine [spell check ?] that must have been laced into the pot. her body was reacting to the meth.

with all the other meds your on i would be very hesitant to go the pot route. unless, of course, you can get it from your doc legally for medicinal use.

I don't know if you plan to have children or if you are past that age, but it can mess with your DNA and you can have children with birth defects. I think other pain management options are better, that don't have as bad of side effects as Marijuanna.

The pot laced with meth thing happened to my daughter. She was picked up by police. It was not a good experience.

Hi Pink,

last summer my sed rate and CRP both hit just below 110 and my pain levels were horrific with it. As the levels went down, so did the pain. The pain was beyond anything I could have imagined before that so I completely sympathise with how you're feeling.

My doc put me on a 50mg fentanyl patch which allowed me to continue functioning (in fact, to continue working). I also had percocet for breakthrough pain but only used it occasionally.

I took a steady dose of prednisone for months to slowly bring that level of inflammation down to something more manageable. My ESR and CRP now hover between 20 and 40.

If you have access to medicinal marijuana, it is the way to go. To my mind anyway. You don't have to smoke it, by the way. There is a salve you can make in which the main incredient is marijuana indica (there are two types: sativa and indica). Indica is extremely good for pain relief and anti-inflammatory action. I don't like smoking it because it depresses my mood somewhat, but the salve does not affect your brain (ie. there is no high), and works very quickly. At least, the one I have access to does. Within five minutes the pain is gone. It's usually back in a little under 2 hours, but by then, I've forgotten about it and moved on, so I don't usually have to reapply. Since I started using the salve, I don't smoke half as much, by the way. If only I could have a full vat of it and dip myself in at the end of every day!!

As someone mentioned earlier in the thread, if you have to use street pot, there is the danger that it's been laced/cut with some other substance about which you are unaware. Medicinal is definitely the way to go if at all possible. First off, it's legal. Secondly, it's a safe and consistent supply.

Hugs,

I am sorry that you are still in so much pain. Hopefully the Humira and Indocin will kick in for you soon.

I believe that there are some studies that indicate that marijuana has some anti-inflammatory properties along with the pain control aspects. Since you live in a Medical Marijuana state, if you have a willing doctor, as an addition to your existing meds, it may help.

If your sed rate is 109, you need to get that down and then you'll feel better. Has your doctor talked with you about utilizing prednisone, DMARDS and biologics? A high sed rate is showing systemic inflammation and that means your whole body is affected from your joints and tendons, you back, your heart, your lungs, your cirulatory system, your organs. I think it'd be best to get you levels down closer to normal.