Hi Jim,

Yes, but it's not a substitute for a blood test.

How is your white cell count going, and is your skin staying clear with a reduced dosage?

Cheers,

Bill

(Fri-30-05-2014, 22:26 PM)Bill Wrote: Hi Jim,

Yes, but it's not a substitute for a blood test.

How is your white cell count going, and is your skin staying clear with a reduced dosage?

Cheers,

Bill

Thanks for asking Bill my lymphocytes are at 0.89 at last test, on 3 x120 mg tablets a day and they aren't going down, I have another blood test on Wednesday and hopefully a few days later I will have the results and if over 1.0 I will keep the dose the same, if it has dropped I will reduce again to two 120 mg tablets a day
Skins still clear ( fingers crossed it stays that way) I'm hopeful

That is very good news, Jim. The less drug you need to take the better.

Cheers,

Bill

Time for an update. I continued with the 600 mg dose every other day until early August. The disease had been very stable to this point, so I decided to up the dosage to 800 mg every other day. This increase brought about a reduction in my disease to a Pasi below 0.5 within a few days. Mid August I caught a cold and ceased taking the drug for a week. I resumed at 800 mg every other day until catching a second cold around September 12. Concerned that the immunosuppression from this dosage may be too great, I ceased taking the drug and bought a binocular microscope on eBay and did some manual cell counts using a hemacytometer. This gave counts of around 5.5, with the lymphocyte count about 20% of this value. I was off DMF for about 2 1/2 weeks, with very little change in my disease, although near the end of this break I did notice the itchy angry feeling returning to my skin. As a precaution I decided to resume at a dosage of 800 mg every third day. The disease has been stable with this dosage, but has again been reducing over the past week or so. My hemacytometer is currently out of action with a broken cover slip and hopefully some cover slips ordered early October should arrive soon. I may cut the dosage to 800 mg every fourth day as a further precaution until I can do further counts, but I am feeling very well and I taking no painkillers for the mild arthritis. My Pasi currently sits below 0.4.

Cheers,

Bill

Nice update Bill thank you.

I have visions of you locked up in a makeshift lab with a white coat on.

Hi Fred,

A cell white cell count does not require much equipment, with only white vinegar, a diabetic syringe and lancing device, a counter and a micro-pipette needed in addition to the microscope and hemacytometer. I can do a count in less than thirty minutes using a 5 microlitre blood sample. A white coat is not required.

Cheers,

Bill

(Thu-13-11-2014, 12:51 PM)Bill Wrote: Hi Fred,

A cell white cell count does not require much equipment, with only white vinegar, a diabetic syringe and lancing device, a counter and a micro-pipette needed in addition to the microscope and hemacytometer. I can do a count in less than thirty minutes using a 5 microlitre blood sample. A white coat is not required.

Cheers,

Bill

I've got to ask, what's with the white vinegar? I'm guessing you use it to sterilise your equipment, if that's the case why don't you use surgical spirit?

(Thu-13-11-2014, 12:26 PM)Fred Wrote: Nice update Bill thank you.

I have visions of you locked up in a makeshift lab with a white coat on.

Yess, hihi, I get the same vision




Sorry Bill
But excellent explanation.
In the prescription with Psorinovo there is no signal that it would make sense to stop the medication when you have a cold or something.
Well I have a cold already for a while, it went away and it came back again, but as I am the fittest in my whole surroundings, colleagues really falling ill, etc, it doesn't seem that my immune system is weakened compared to "normal" people.

(Thu-13-11-2014, 18:47 PM)Caroline Wrote:

Yes that's Bill.

Hi Fred,

The vinegar is to pop the red cells so I can count the white ones. It will pop the white cells as well eventually, but there is still plenty of time to count them.

Hi Caroline,

I dont take DMF during colds for a few reasons other than a cold being a possible indicator of lowered immunity. One is that I feel bad enough with a cold and I dont want DMF side effects on top of it, although this was more pertinent when I was taking DMF twice daily. Another is that my disease doesn't seem to flare when I take a break for a week or so, so there isn't a great imperative to take the drug when I am sick. But without a regular blood count there is a bit more risk, so I tend to be a bit more cautious, although I have no symptoms that would indicate a lowered immunity.

Thanks for the flattering pic.

Cheers,

Bill