Hey I'm new here. I've been sick for 8 months now with lots of strange symptoms resembling CFIDS, but am now looking into possible Lyme.
I got a WB done with Igenex and I don't really know how to interpret it, or whether the results are worth looking into a LLMD etc.
I don't have a history of a tick bite or rash (that I know of), but there's a good chance I just didn't notice. If I was bitten, it had to have either been in California or Europe, as I've lived in both places for extended periods. So I may have a European strain, but am not sure how that would affect the results.
Also does anyone know what it means to have so much more activity on the IgM than the IgG? I thought it should only be that way the first few weeks of infection then flip around.
Any input from people who know about this stuff would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers, Cheryl
[ 21. December 2007, 06:42 PM: Message edited by: behooved ]
Posted by SForsgren (Member # 7686) on :
There is enough indication of Bb specific bands in your test result that I would pursue medical care with a LLMD. Coinfection testing as well as CD57 testing may help round out the picture.
Posted by CaliforniaLyme (Member # 7136) on :
WELCOME*)!*)! !)*!*)!*)!*)!
JUST the name of where you live tells me there is Lyme there- in CA the #1 tick habittat for deer ticks is... OAK WOODLANDS!! Being from Fair Oaks I would guess you have been around that!!! In CA there have been nymphal tick rates as high as 41% and adult tick rates as high as 17.8% so don't believe that there is no Lyme in CA- there is LOTS of Lyme!!!
You should get tested for both kinds of Ehrlichiosis- HGE & HME- and for WA1 Babesiosis- all of those are in CA and can manifest as Lymelike diseases- in fact0 statistically the most people in CA have Babesiosis, not Lyme, but many people have both-
WELCOME TO LYMENET*)!!!
People can be truly blood negative. I would see an LLMD anyway- Best wishes, Sarah in Aptos, Santa Cruz County California
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
"With most infections, your immune system first forms IgM antibodies, then in about 2 to 4 weeks, you see IgG antibodies. In some infections, IgG antibodies may be detectable for years.
Because Borrelia burgdorferi is a chronic persistent infection that may last for decades, you would think patients with chronic symptoms would have positive IgG Western blots.
But actually, more IgM blots are positive in chronic borreliosis than IgG. Every time Borrelia burgdorferi reproduces itself, it may stimulate the immune system to form new IgM antibodies.
Some patients have both IgG and IgM blots positive. But if either the IgG or IgM blot is positive, overall it is a positive result.
Response to antibiotics is the same if either is positive, or both. Some antibodies against the borrelia are given more significance if they are IgG versus IgM, or vice versa.
Since this is a chronic persistent infection, this does not make a lot of sense to me. A newly formed Borrelia burgdorferi should have the same antigen parts as the previous bacteria that produced it.
But anyway, from my clinical experience, these borrelia associated bands usually predict a clinical change in symptoms with antibiotics, regardless of whether they are IgG or IgM." ==============================
Read the entire link above!!!! It also discusses the "IND" and why it's IMPORTANT. Posted by behooved (Member # 14161) on :
Thanks guys, and thanks for the link lymetoo, it was very informative and helpful!
My symptoms are a lot more flu-like than neuro, so I haven't looked into babesia testing. I think bebesia is mostly neuro symptoms, right?
I was born and raised in Northern California, so chances are I could have been bitten by a tick when I was a child and the infection was latent for years.
However, I had actually been living in the UK for 4 years when I first got sick, and it all started the day after returning from a trip to Spain. So chances are I could have a european strain which makes things even more complicated!
Either way I will definitely be seeking out a LLMD now.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)