Chronic Inflammation as a contributor to Alzheimer’s

[SusanJ]

circ, so, how did the RA test go?

I was negative on all tests, but still diagnosed with RA because of my bilateral symptoms. It allowed me some latitude to treat the symptoms without worrying about aggressive joint erosion.

[circular]

Hi Susan! Well I look mostly okay except for CRP. Here's what she tested:

CRP 3.6 (normal but will get hsCRP that Dr. Bredesen uses)
Sm/RNP Antibodies (?) (negative)
B12 996 ('high' but I say good)
Folate >20 (good)
CCP Antibody <8 (negative)
ANA Screen w/Reflex to Titer (negative)
Sjogren's Antibodies (negative)
Urinalysis (trace ketones flagged )
Hepatitis B (normal)
Hepatitis C (normal)

Between CIRS testing and this I can't imagine what's not been covered!

I'm confident I don't have RA I think. I don't have joint swelling or pain on both sides that isn't readily explainable by something like hip bursitis.

I sure have an inflammatory phenotype despite all the good results here. I think maybe the CIRS viral titers and sinus infections are closer to an explanation, and I do feel good ruling out these things since there are autoimmune conditions in my family.

[SusanJ]

What a relief for you!

So your joint pain is, like mine, aggravated by other things. And that's the challenge, figuring out what the "other things" are... Let's just keep comparing notes.

[slacker]

here's a nice abstract that explains the use of Anti Sm and Anti RNP in diagnosis of rheumatic disease -

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15804705

[circular]

So the nasal infection saga continues. Have treated not just one MRSA, and not just two different MRSAs, but am now about to treat a third and yet again different one! Treating each one seems to unveil another layer upon repeat culture. This is ridiculous. I'm beginning to suspect my husband's daily trips to the gym (what I call his nursery school) are bringing these home. This latest one is only sensitive to four of 14 antibiotics on in the screen.

Meanwhile finally got the MRI with NeuroQuant analysis from my CIRS doc and she says it's suggestive of mold. Wants to put me on VIP, which by now I simply crave like chocolate, but I have to wait until all sinus MARcONS are gone, along with my entire nasal biome After that I will simply stuff kimchi up my nose while I'm sleeping.

[Sandy57]

Sister Circ ....have you tested your VIP, Glutathione, MSH, VEGF ? When is the last time you tested. C4a, TGF b1? Yes MARCoNS has to be completely gone or VIP is useless. Do you have dogs? Do they sleep in the bed? Cats rarely an issue. Yes, you can transfer back and fourth. Has your hubby been tested?
Interesting about your MRI, I thought you did not have a mold issue?
Keep me informed, I think I am going to have the expensive test from Shoemaker for Sandy. Just not making any progress at this point. Ask your doc if you are a candidate?

Aloha Frank

[TheBrain]

I finally got the MARCoNS test done through MicrobiologyDx.com. Per my primary care doctor via email, the results showed "no growth whatsoever." A copy of the results is being mailed to me. As many of you know, this test looks for gram-positive bacteria such as MARCoNS, as well as gram-negative bacteria, within the nasal passage.

So I doubt even more that I have mold illness, despite having two mold-susceptible haplotypes (7-2-53 and 17-2-52B). My recollection is that over 95% of people with mold illness have a positive MARCoNS test.

To recap, my C4a is normal, and my TGF-beta-1 is a bit above range at 3040 pg/mL (normal range per survivingmold.com: <2380 mg/ml). However, my MSH is <8 (normal range per survivingmold.com: 35–81 pg/ml). So that's clearly abnormal.

The one VCS test I did indicated to me that I need to get my eyes tested and probably get a new Rx for glasses; otherwise, I believe I did fine. I don't see any point in doing the VCS test again until I get my eyes checked.

I have a small update. I recently had my MSH (melanocyte stimulating hormone) retested, and I had my antidiuretic hormone (ADH) and osmolality tested for the first time. Here are my results:

9/7/17
MSH 14 pg/ml (normal range per survivingmold.com: 35–81 pg/ml)
ADH <.8 (normal range per survivingmold.com: 1.0-13.3 pg/ml)
Osmolality (normal range per survivingmold.com: 280-300)

• Per LabCorp 281
  Per Quest 286 (this test was supposed to be canceled because I wanted it run through LabCorp, but it was run anyway)

So my MSH came up a little bit, but nothing substantial. I was curious to see if my MSH would rise during the summer months while having more sun exposure. I don't tan well. Never did. But I was tan as I get when I had the blood draw.

My ADH is below range, and my osmolality is within range, but near the bottom of it.

Is there anything else that can cause low MSH and low ADH? Every time I read about the link between low MSH and poor sleep, I think I should look more seriously at the possibility of mold illness. If I get a good night's sleep, I can feel pretty darn good the next day, as long as I pace myself (and don't try to write all day, for example).

[TheBrain]

So the nasal infection saga continues. Have treated not just one MRSA, and not just two different MRSAs, but am now about to treat a third and yet again different one! Treating each one seems to unveil another layer upon repeat culture. This is ridiculous. I'm beginning to suspect my husband's daily trips to the gym (what I call his nursery school) are bringing these home. This latest one is only sensitive to four of 14 antibiotics on in the screen.

Meanwhile finally got the MRI with NeuroQuant analysis from my CIRS doc and she says it's suggestive of mold. Wants to put me on VIP, which by now I simply crave like chocolate, but I have to wait until all sinus MARcONS are gone, along with my entire nasal biome After that I will simply stuff kimchi up my nose while I'm sleeping.

It sounds like you are slogging your away through these infections, with success. Kudos! It's good that you finally have word that your MRI with NeuroQuant is suggestive of mold. You'll get to VIP, hopefully soon.

[Ganesha]

Circular,

Just want you to know you are alone in craving "VIP like Chocolate!"

I finally got my CIRS inflammatory markers to go down, a monumental feat, (though MSH is still in the basement at 3). And I passed the VCS test, something I feared I never would do. The NeuroQuant was positive for CIRS, but actually looks better overall than my old regular MRI's. My MARCoNS is negative, despite a MRSA infection (visible on my past two MRI's) as it is sensitive only to Penicillin.

Nonetheless, my local doc wanted to treat the sinus infection before VIP. So I tried using a nebulizer and Gentomycin and within days developed a fever, fatigue and lump in my jaw under a tooth with a root canal. For someone who barely hits a temp of 97.0 over a 100 is a little frightening. Have you been using BEG spray? Did they determine if you have/had Biofilm?

Before I try again, I am investigating why my CRP is currently 7.6. I guess no one said this was easy!

[circular]

Ganesha sorry I missed this and stumbled on it looking for something else.

Congratulations on your progress! Agree, no easy path yet, but I guess any path is better than nothing

I'm not familiar with your description of treating a nasal infection with nebulizer and antibiotic. With each infection I've used BEG spray that includes a biofilm buster (EDTA). I'm not sure how it's determined whether they need to include the biofilm buster; ie, whether the CIRS docs think it's needed in every case if all the organisms form these biofilms, or if they just know that the organisms I've had are ones that form biofilms so include the buster for that reason. The antibiotic in the BEG spray varies depending on the resistance profile of the organism.

My health has been improving overall to a large extent, but there are still days I have the brain fog and after this round of BEG, if they tell me I have another infection I may step back and wonder if they're just treating commonly found infections in my sinuses. Or maybe the occasional brain fog (not as bad as it had been for a long time) is from the inflammation waiting for VIP, or the chronic tinnitus/pre-frontal cortex link, or histamine, or ...

My first nasal culture was MRSA that masked MARCONS. When I went on my first MRSA treatment my doctor said that after we would re-culture because MARCONS can hide behind MRSA. She seems to have been right about that, because after treating the first MRSA I showed up with MARCONS. It's only now occurring to me that it must go both ways, where a MARCONS can cover a MRSA, since my cultures went MRSA > MARCONS/MRSA > MRSA. Sometimes I wonder about these things though. I don't understand why all three didn't show up on the first culture. If they're right, there must be biofilms on top of biofilms, each housing a different organism in nice, stratified, nasal condo development. Why didn't the first spray go through both of the top two layers. Those layers used the same antibiotic they were sensitive to. Only the third required the change in antibiotic.

I still have some skepticism when it comes to specific, commonly accepted practices in CIRS and functional medicine worlds (ie, I'm on board with the worldviews), but hey, I'm getting healthier.