Hypercoagulability & MS, is there a link?

[firebaum06]

Hey all!
A little over a week ago I had my EMG. I think I posted about it, well my neuro also ordered some blood work. I got my results Monday although the doc didn't call me about them till Friday afternoon, I missed his call because I was at work and I'm suppose to call him back Monday. He did mention on the message that everything except my vitamin d looked good. I'm deficient..anyways..i was looking over my labs and one caught my eye.
My ESR(sed rate) was a 0mm/hr! In my research I found that abnormal is under a 5mm/hr. Basically I have thick blood. I already knew this as I don't bleed easily and my blood clots pretty fast, like so fast I cant even have a blood gas done, last time it was tried the blood was clotting in the needle before they could get a full sample.
I never thought anything of it because the docs didn't seem too concerned about it.
In my research I have discovered that thick blood is often found in a lot of autoimmune disorders, like MS, Lupus & Fibro.
I was discussing this with a friend at work and her husband underwent testing for MS, Lupus, Lymes because he was having the same symptoms I am. He was found to have thick blood. He was put on blood thinners and he is doing so much better.
So my questions are..has anyone either with a dx of MS or still in limboland been found to have thick blood? If so are you on blood thinners? If yes has it helped your symptoms?

I am wanting to discuss this with my neuro on Monday, so any input would be greatly appreciated!
Hope everyone is having a slow, yet pleasant holiday season!
Amy

[Willowwoman777]

I have lupus as well as MS and test positive for the AP protein..causes clotting. I take aspirin..AP stands for antiphospholiped.?? You might ask about checking you for AP.

[twopack]

I don't think a low ESR is usually a cause for concern.  This may be why your doctor didn't mention it.  Labs often differ slightly in their reference normals but it isn't unusual for a normal ESR to be listed as something like 0-20.

The sed rate is a non-specific indicator of inflammation or infection and rises as either process becomes more active.  It's a good thing when you have neither raging inside.

There are many tests to check for problems with blood clotting but the ESR isn't one of them.  If you think this could be part of your problem there are lots of good reasons to get it checked out.  Blood that clots too rapidly can clog the blood vessels and stop flow completely.

I would think someone should be very concerned if your blood is clotting so fast they can't obtain a sample for blood gas testing.  In adults, blood gas studies are almost always done using arterial samples.  The special collection tube (or syringe) used has a substances in it to stop clotting.  Also, since pressure is much higher in arteries than veins, the blood actually 'spurts' and pulses through the needle as soon as it pierces the artery wall.  Blood that won't leave an artery would be WAY too thick.

Don't be too casual about that low vitamin D level.  See what your doctor wants you to take to bring it up.  There are prescription levels of D3 supplement (like 50,000 units per capsule).  Vitamin D isn't unimportant just because our bodies usually make it when we're out in the sun.

If you're low on vitamin D (which is in reality a hormone) you won't be absorbing calcium and your bone health will suffer.  Besides, vitamin D is vital if your muscles are going to move, your nerves are going to send messages and your immune system is going to fight off invading bad guys.  If your levels of vitamin D have been low for a while getting them back into a normal range could actually help you feel better.

Good luck talking to your doc in the morning Amy.  I hope I was in time here to save you a little worry.

Mary

[firebaum06]

Mary, thank you, and yes its in time. When they tried the blood gas it was while I was pregnant with my now 9 yr old. They tried to get it from the artery in my wrist. They tried 3 times before they gave up, talk about a little painful!  

They did check my Ap when this all started and its high in the normal range. So maybe its not something I really should be concerned with?

And ya I have had low vitamin d for years. I'm not very good at taking pills so I've never kept up on my meds for vit. D. Guess that's something I'll need to be more consistent about from now on.

Thanks for responding!
Have a happy day!
Amy

[sadie405]

Amy, did they do a full "clotting panel" -- looking for factor 5 leiden, factor 12, antiphospholipid antibodies, etc, etc? Hypercoaguability can absolutely cause the same symptoms as MS and if it's even a possibility they should look into it because it's very successfully treated.

Best,
Sadie