The Philippine AS Society

Saw Dr. Lorenzo today, who interpreted the results of the blood tests I took last week. I knew that my ESR result -- 52, compared with a reference range of 0 to 15 -- was high. What I didnt know was that the ``positive'' result of my CRP test was also a bad sign, as ``positive'' often is in medical matters.

They're both inflammatory markers, meaning, as I understand it, my body is fighting something and, at 52, it's not just something in my foot.

One of the main reasons I wanted to see him so soon was to confirm that it was OK to take steroids for as long as he prescribed: one month. I had read somewhere (that's the boon and bane of the internet!) that seven days was long, and that side-effects included weight gain and (horrors!) hair loss. He said the dose he prescribed was low.

I tried to steer the conversation toward second opinions, particularly abroad, by saying there must be very few cases locally. He said there are 100 or 200 rheumatologists and each one must have at least a couple of cases. (He earlier said he had handled about 10, which isnt much experience.) I said, but there are no AS societies as there are in the US, the UK, or Singapore. He said that's true, but if I wanted to start one, he'd help me. OK, that didnt lead where I thought it would.

What really pleased Kat about this visit? The doctor wrote out and handed to me, without our asking for it, his cell phone number.