I've been dealing with this for months now... I was bitten by several ticks -- one bite in particular gave me a rash so large it covered half my abdomen for weeks. I figured this was normal, so I let it go.
A few months into symptoms and after tons of research, I went in begging for a Lyme test only to listen to a doctor argue with me for 10 minutes about how I couldn't possibly have it because I had no rash. Eventually, he agreed.(Lyme Titur was negative.)
Less than a week later, I was back at the doctor with strep throat symptoms. They gave me a Z-pack, and I was back again two days later with a nasty rash. This is when they took more blood and diagnosed me with Mono.
So here I am off work, taking steroids and trying to rest. I'm thrilled to death to finally have an answer as to what has been going on with me, but my mind is still not at peace. Is a lyme titur 100% accurate, and if not, is there a test I can seek out that IS accurate? I would give anything to stop worrying and wondering. I'm so grateful for this forum. Posted by Michelle M (Member # 7200) on :
Hi Outdoor Addict!
I'm an Outdoor Addict too! We're just tick magnets, huh?
Someone oughta just go slap your doctor. Want me to? Nah, I live too far away.
The rash itself is diagnostic for lyme. No further testing required. Don't pass go, don't collect $200.
The "titer" test you speak of is the ELISA. Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay or something like that. Essentially the most useless test in creation. Misses by some accounts up to 50% of positive patients. Toss a coin -- that's about the same chance you have of getting a positive.
A better test is a western blot. Not just ANY western blot, but one from a lab specializing in tickborne diseases. It's best to use IGeneX. Trust me -- other labs will, and I mean WILL, screw up your results.
Alla that aside, your doctor oughta diagnose you just from your symptoms. That's called a "clinical diagnosis." Means he ain't gotta rely on a test, as long as he's got eyes and ears, to see you and examine you and hear you describe your symptoms.
Check out the Newbie Links at the top of these threads. Read up on "Western Blots" for more info.
Taking steroids is the WORST THING YOU CAN DO. Please stop. (Though you may need to taper this down, depending on your dose!) This gives free rein to the lyme bacteria to have a large party, as it disables your immune system.
You're still very early on and likely able to catch this early and treat it. Please find an LLMD - "Lyme literate medical doctor." There's WAY too much to know all at once or expect your doctor to know (he's already shown us what HE knows!). You need to be tested for coinfections also.
Post in seeking a doctor and find an LLMD! Read the Newbie Links till you're blue in the face! Ask lotsa questions. Good luck!
Michelle
Posted by mjbucuk (Member # 843) on :
my son NEVER tested positive by ELISA... nor did he ever have a rash. Because it took the doctors a year to diagnose my son his Lyme and Babesia are diseminated...
By the way, our pediatrician was very proud when she called us to tell us that Tim had mono. It wasn't. And here we are 8 years later still fighting the battle.
Always trust your instincts, do your own research, be your own advocate. Remember it is YOUR health.
Posted by betsy (Member # 7105) on :
Many lyme patients have the Epstein Barr virus so you could very well have mono in addition to lyme. I will ditto Michelle, try and find a lyme doctor immediately. Good luck! Betsy
Posted by johnlyme1 (Member # 7343) on :
I intially was also diagnosed with mono too. Here in the midwest, it is also thought that there is a strain where the bugs also cary EBV.
Thanks god I never was on the steriods. 8 months after the mono diagnosis I found a LLMD. Positive for bart, babs, ehrlichia, and western blot that was just shy of CDC positive. I f you have strep in the mix also - this needs to be wipped out along with the other possible infections.
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