My sed rate is 16, down from 44! Yippee!

Here's a little info about this test result and what it means to me...
The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), or sedimentation rate (sed rate), is a measure of the settling of red blood cells in a tube of blood during one hour. The rate is an indication of inflammation and increases in many diseases.

ESR is increased in rheumatoid diseases, most infections, and in cancer. An advanced rate doesn't diagnose a specific disease, but it does indicate that an underlying disease may be present. A physician can use ESR to monitor a person with an associated disease. When the disease worsens, the ESR increases; when the disease improves, the ESR decreases.

The ESR test is a simple test dating back to the ancient Greeks. A specific amount of diluted, unclotted blood is placed in a special narrow tube and left undisturbed for exactly one hour. The red cells settle towards the bottom of the tube, and the pale yellow liquid (plasma) rises to the top. After 60 minutes, measurements are taken of the distance the red cells traveled to settle at the bottom of the tube.

Normally red cells don't settle far toward the bottom of the tube. Many diseases make extra or abnormal proteins that cause the red cells to move close together, stack up, and form a column (rouleaux). In a group, red cells are heavier and fall faster. The faster they fall, the further they settle, and the higher the ESR. Normal values are: Men 0 mm/hour-15 mm/hour; women 0 mm/hour-20 mm/hour; and children 0 mm/hour-10 mm/hour.

Here's a link to the WebMD site if you want more in depth info about what this test is all about.

I am thrilled though not out of the woods yet. The medical wizards treating me are still busy with their search for WHY this happened in the first place.