posted
A few weeks ago, the lymph nodes under my chin (particularly the right one) swelled up and I developed canker sores by my mouth. Both the swelling and the canker sores went away, only to be replaced with throat pain.
However, the throat pain was not like a normal sore throat, and felt similar to the lymph node pain under my chin. Though nothing swelled up, I know that there are lymph nodes in your neck.
I went to the doctor and she prescribed me a 5 day treatment of a z-pack (Azithromycin). 4 days into the treatment, my neck still hurts and seems to have moved to my chest.
I have tried to look up online what could be the cause of swollen lymph nodes and throat pain, with varying results.
A friend suggested that I look into the symptoms of Lyme disease because I do live in an area that it is known to be prevalent in and I was in the woods over the summer about 2 -2 and a half months ago(though I never found any ticks on myself) .
I looked into the symptoms of Lyme Disease and find that I am tired more of late and that I have experienced some joint pain in my back and neck.
Tomorrow I am going back to the doctor and I think, just to be on the safe side and ease my mind, I am going to request a blood test for Lyme Disease.
I have read varying things on the accuracy of the tests, however, the CDC website says that the test are fairly accurate, but that
"It is possible for someone who was infected with Lyme disease to test negative because:
1.Some people who receive antibiotics (e.g., doxycycline) early in disease (within the first few weeks after tick bite) may not develop antibodies or may only develop them at levels too low to be detected by the test. "
So, I looked up how long Azithromycin would remain in my system, and the average answer that I got was about 2 weeks.
So, my question is, since I have taken the z-pack (though it has been more than 6 weeks since I could have been infected with Lyme Disease),
is it possible that if I ask for a Lyme Disease test from my doctor tomorrow that the test could be a false negative? Or should I wait two weeks before I am tested?
.................................................
Hi and welcome to Lymenet! Please break up text into a couple lines at a time so many people here can more easily read it - thx -
[ 09-22-2013, 03:39 PM: Message edited by: Robin123 ]
Posts: 1 | From Long Island, NY | Registered: Sep 2013
| IP: Logged |
posted
Welcome! I'm sorry you are not feeling well and yes, you could indeed have Lyme and/or a coinfection associated with Lyme. One strong possibility is bartonella, which causes swollen lymph nodes.
I'm glad you found us because there is a lot of misinformation on the internet. Believe me, WE are NOT the uninformed group!
Several problems here:
1. It's hard to find a Dr who actually knows anything about Lyme disease AND IS WILLING TO TREAT IT.
2. Testing IS very flawed and a mainstream Dr will test you through a regular lab which may miss the Lyme entirely. Even bartonella may not show up on a test.
SOOO.. YOU MUST find an LLMD who can objectively evaluate all of your symptoms. He/she will also use a good lab like Igenex. This lab tests for ALL OF THE POSSIBLE BANDS.
Go to Seeking a Doctor to find a Dr near you. I'm not sure there is one on Long Island, though that area is rampant with Lyme.
The fact that you had a Z-pack may actually help your test show positive bands. There is something called a western blot challenge where the patient takes antibiotics for one month, then goes off for 10-14 day, then tests.
posted
lyme diagnosis is not based on a single test: it is based on a clinical diagnosis which takes into account all of your symptoms. The test are flawed-- with that said I tested CDC positive for lyme, I had a indeterminate ELISA test and a follow -up Western Blot and that gave me a total positive. For many reasons, those with lyme disease will not test positive on any available tests. Some laboratories are better than others in determining results. Read the above links in other posts for more information.
Posts: 482 | From Oregon | Registered: Feb 2011
| IP: Logged |
Judie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 38323
posted
I don't recall having a tick bite either.
There's something called an antibiotic challenge where your actually take antibiotics for a month and then test.
This helps your test become positive by helping your body make antibodies.
This is what I did. I took antibiotics early on and had a CDC positive test. My Lyme doc WANTED me to take the antibiotics first before testing.
Ignore the CDC information. It's out-dated and inaccurate.
Even the state of Virginia just passed a bill that a negative Lyme test doesn't mean the person doesn't have Lyme and doctors MUST inform patients of this.
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic