Just wondered if anyone who has lost their gallbladder during lyme treatment had it biopsied for lyme bacteria (borrelia)?
I had mine removed yesterday and the Dr. did send it off to Igenex to be tested. Even though I was positive by CDC (Center for disease Control) I was curious to see the outcome.
My surgeon mentioned he's done it three other times so I know there are a few out there.
Anyone?
Barb
Posted by listenswithcare (Member # 10719) on :
I am interested in this also. I have not had my gallbladder out, but for those who have had them out or need to have them out in the future, I think it would be great to know if the bacteria is found there and to what degree....
Keep us informed of the Igenex results..
Robin
Posted by feelfit (Member # 12770) on :
Just was over at Healthboards and someone there posted that they pai to have their Gallbladder biopsied and they found lots of ketes in the tissue.
Rhonda
Posted by CaliforniaLyme (Member # 7136) on :
Nope, didn't bother!!! Wish I had, though, neat idea*)!!
Posted by SForsgren (Member # 7686) on :
I have been told that the g/b is a focal area for infection and the people often feel incredibly better after having it removed. Will be interesting sfcharm to here how you feel as time goes on.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
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If the tissue has been stored in the dark, I wonder if they might also test for porphyrins. I am not sure exactly how, but this article below inplies that the gallbladder can be a site that would hold details.
I have seen other articles indicating the same. The presence of any porphyrins is not so much the question but the numbers, ration or concentration.
If you could have this test it may help determine which meds would work best for you for the future.
It might also determine if excess porphryins had anything to do with the problems with the gallbladder and that, too, could help determine the course of future treatments to prevent that for other organs.
From these experiments, it was concluded that fluid adsorbed to the Enterotest string after gall-bladder contraction can be used to determine biliary porphyrin composition.
. . .
A deviating biliary protoporphyrin/coproporphyrin I ratio in one patient appeared to be a useful diagnostic index for the presence of latent variegate porphyria (or variegate porphyria in remission).
see Links relating to this article to the right of abstract
Evaluation and clinical application of the Enterotest for the determination of human biliary porphyrin composition.
authors at link
Central Laboratory for Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital Groningen, The Netherlands.
The Enterotest string test is an easy and non-invasive method for sampling duodenal fluid, which has been successfully used for the analysis of duodenal microflora, as well as biliary bile acid and lipid composition.
The method was evaluated for determination of porphyrins in duodenal bile in normal subjects and subjects with porphyria, following cholecystokinin induced gall bladder contraction; it is known that analysis of biliary porphyrins is more discriminatory for the diagnosis of asymptomatic porphyria than their analysis in faeces or urine.
Moreover, serial analysis of bile from patients with erythropoietic protoporphyria may help in establishing their ability to secrete protoporphyrin in bile and to assess effects of treatment.
The binding of various porphyrins to Enterotest strings was investigated by incubating pieces of the string in different human bile samples with low to very high porphyrin concentrations, followed by HPLC analysis of porphyrins both in the native bile and in extracts obtained from the strings. No differences between porphyrin composition in native bile and extracts were observed.
Duodenal fluid obtained by means of the Enterotest from volunteers not receiving cholecystokinin showed large variations in porphyrin patterns not resembling those of native bile. Mesoporphyrin, a secondary porphyrin derived from protoporphyrin by bacteria, was often detectable. These data indicate that the duodenal content without cholecystokinin injection does not reflect biliary porphyrin composition. The presence of mesoporphyrin in the whole intestinal tract, but not in serum and bile, suggests that there is no enterohepatic circulation of secondary porphyrins.
There was close agreement between the porphyrin ratios found with the standard duodenal intubation technique and the Enterotest, performed simultaneously in one healthy volunteer after induction of gall bladder contraction by cholecystokinin.
From these experiments, it was concluded that fluid adsorbed to the Enterotest string after gall-bladder contraction can be used to determine biliary porphyrin composition.
Since duodenal bile is diluted gall bladder bile, variable porphyrin concentrations were found when applying the Enterotest in combination with cholecystokinin in the same subject on successive days.
However, porphyrin ratios, such as the protoporphyrin to coproporphyrin I ratio, were relatively constant.
In subjects with symptomatic variegate porphyria, the Enterotest showed highly aberrant porphyrin patterns, with increased protoporphyrin to coproporphyrin I ratios and, in addition, the presence of some unknown porphyrins.
A deviating biliary protoporphyrin/coproporphyrin I ratio in one patient appeared to be a useful diagnostic index for the presence of latent variegate porphyria (or variegate porphyria in remission).
(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS) PMID: 7548456 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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[ 08. January 2008, 05:22 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posted by merrygirl (Member # 12041) on :
Great idea! please let us know what happens-
May I ask how much it costs?? If you dot want to say that is ok.
Melissa
Posted by monkeyshines (Member # 6406) on :
Yes, and I had to drive it to DHL myself when I left the hospital, can you believe it?
My LLMD had both my gallbladder and my tonsils sent to MDL in N.J. (Fortunately the hospital that took out my tonsils was willing to mail the sample for me.)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)