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A series of blood tests were taken before and immediately after diagnosis, as well as monthly or so thereafter. I initiated an Excel worksheet early in 1999 to record all of this information for tracking, comparing and observing trends during the course of her illness. Every item of every blood test was recorded on the spreadsheet. Prednisone dosage, sed rate, C-rP, WBC (white blood cell), RBC (red blood cell), hgb (hemoglobin), hct (hematocrit), platelets, alkaline phosphatase, CBC (complete blood count) and CMP (Comprehensive Metabolic Panel ) were recorded. Other entries were blood pressure, bone density, doppler scans, angina, vasculitis, headaches, medications of interest, events, etc. The spreadsheet data was shared with doctors when trying to illustrate trends or show historical data.