How are ANA tests used?

Ok. First, I am not a doctor.  Second, I am just a mum.  Third, I am going to use my blog today to air my thoughts/comments/etc regarding my daughter's recent ANA test.

So, what is an ANA test?  It's a blood test.  It's used a lot to look/test for rheumatoid arthritis.

So.....my daughter had an ANA test recently.  It was done with the better IFT process in the lab and came back as a result of 1:100 and positive for mitoses.

Ok.  Now, here's my difficulty.  The lab results also said "We recommend to test for dsDNA quantitative."  Hmmm...ok. I don't really get that part.

Reading online, a result of 1:160 and up is sometimes considered positive for lots of different things.  My daughter's is flagged by the lab as 'high' being at 1:100.  What has me worried is the 'positive for mitoses'.  From what I can find, the titer number correlates to the level of dilution of the blood. So, antibodies are seen at a low dilution in some one who is at like 1:40.  But, if antibodies are seen at a high dilution like 1:160, than the person at 1:160 has more antibodies. 

Different folks with different autoimmune diseases (like various rheumatoid) are more likely to have higher levels of autoantibodies.  There is much debate out there amongst docs and scientists over the usefulness of these tests.

Ok. What I don't get is the "positive mitoses" bit on the laboratory result sheet.  What would have been more helpful was if they described what they saw like, "speckled" or "homogeneous" - at least for my uneducated brain. What I still can't figure out is if the 'mitoses' bit is related to the titer/dilution thing.

So...as an arthritis mum, I want to know if my kid is now ANA+. If so, it makes it more likely she could develope eye problems and could develope polyarticular rheumatoid as opposed to what she has now which is pauci-articular (the less severe form).  I'm only finding out about this now because it was my husband who took our daughter in to see the doc that day. Sigh....

So, I'll have to wait to see what the doc says next time.

The good, the bad, and dreaming of home



Before I really begin this post: If you'd like to leave a comment, just click 'comments' at the end of the post. Please note that I must approve the comment before I publish it on the blog.

There's a lot of stuff I totally love about living here in the Middle East.  I love my big villa, I love the volumes of cheap Lebanese food,  I love the Thai green curry with chicken, I love all the yummy vegetarian Indian food (I have a particular weakness for mutter paneer), but most of all I love the people.  I get to meet and hang out with other women from more countries than I can count. It's just way too cool to even attempt to explain.

But, then I have moments that make me just want to cringe and weep.  This morning, I had one of those moments.

I was out walking my Jesse Dog in the neighborhood.  As usual, there are a large number of housekeepers (maids as they are called here) out walking dogs as well.  Frequently, I see them gathered together enjoying a morning conversation just like any other women would do. You see someone you know, you stop and have a friendly little chat.  Well, this morning, Jesse and I came up behind two ladies we see all the time who were out with their employers' dogs. This morning, the two ladies didn't see Jesse and I coming because they were seated companionably on a large rock in the common garden area just enjoying the morning.  I said, "Good morning," so Jesse and I wouldn't startle them and cause the dogs under their care to bolt. When these ladies heard me, they both jumped up and immediately broke off their conversation.  They looked at me with total terror like two children caught sneaking into the cookie jar before dinner.  I felt terrible.  They then head to opposite areas of the park/garden as if it was this horrid thing to sit and chat with a friend. 

I can't change things here in how these women are treated. I wish I could change things so that these women are treated more like employees and less like property. But, this is a mindset change. This would take a change that would completely disrupt the lifestyles of many. I know not all the women working as maids here are treated poorly. But, there are a lot who are.

These are the moments that cause me to long for home. And, this is why I love to blog. It feels so good to rant about this.  Maybe, just maybe, my ranting will help.

Peace.

Random last bit: I just read this blog post.  I can't vouch for the accuracy or anything, and his opinions are not necessarily my opinions, if you get my meaning.  But, it's a very interesting read. I feel like I'm reading a collaboration of the bits I hear chatting with other mums before afternoon school pick-up. http://thelinoleumsurfer.blogspot.com/2012/10/when-everyone-is-wrong-war-on-truth.html

The Waiting Game

Well, we don't know what our status is - staying another 6 years or heading for the home country. In the business world in which my husband thrives, when they say, "Move," you move, and you usually only have about 6 weeks to do it.

As an ex-pat, repatriation is daunting. We've been away from the home country going on six years now.  A very wise friend here told me, "Just remember, you can't really go home again."  What he meant by this is that things change.  I have changed.  While I have had to have pages added to my passport to accommodate more stamps from more countries, friends and acquaintances back home may no longer 'know' me.  I've experienced many new cultures and languages.  My current mum friends come from more countries than I can count in my head. The question is not will my old friends be able to relate to me still, but will I be able to relate to them?  Will going back home keep my spirit happy?  Only time will tell.

One of the biggest questions for me is what will I do with my time?  Will I go back to pursuing my master's degree?  Will I go back to work?  Which career path/service (because I do serve others in what I do - I am a person of deep faith) do I need to be on?  Again, only time will tell. 

So....I wait. I dream about not leasing anymore.  I've been spending time each night on the internet looking at homes. Drool, drool, drool.  Am I excited I may be going home? Sure. Will I miss stuff here?  Sure.  The friends I've made will be the hardest to say, "See ya later!" to. Thank goodness for social networking on the internet!

In the meantime, I'm posting a link to a blog a read.  This link is about an Emirati wedding.  But, it is pretty similar to most traditional weddings in the region (at least from what little I know).
http://thebest5beachesindubai.blogspot.com/2012/09/an-emirati-wedding.html

Now, I'm off to do a very ex-pat mum kind of thing - meet other ladies for a coffee at a cafe!

Peace.