I was bitten by a few ticks last summer, caught them very early, never had a rash or ANY Lyme symptoms. (I am in my late 20s now and had Lyme when I was 12.) I decided to get a blood test this past October. It came back with most of the bands Positive. I was put on Doxycycline for 3 weeks, then tested again. The results were the same (41KD and many others were still positive) except the only difference was that the 41KDa (IgM) was now negative. I feel no symptoms from Lyme that I can ascertain, but I recently had a horrible time with Mono, and then a Strep infection. I feel like the Lyme may have weakened me and allowed the Epstein-Barr Virus to come in. Is this crazy? I've attached the results from my two tests (before and after the Doxycycline). Does anyone know how to read these results? Should I be worried about them? Thanks for any help/advice/wisdom.
Posted by Pinelady (Member # 18524) on :
I think if you are symptomatic you should treat. I
do believe Mono can mess with the tests. Even
though you don't have any but 41kDs IgM. It-41
would be enough for me to treat for a few months.
I am scaredy cat. If I could see a LLMD and take doxy and prevent
this I have now it would be worth it no matter what.
Many lyme docs say they would treat whether it was IgM or IgG.
I do think one of the worst combination's is Mono and Lyme.
But that may not be all you have suppressing the immune system.
Posted by timaca (Member # 6911) on :
Do you still feel ill? You mentioned having a horrible time with mono and strep, but did those things pass?
Best, Timaca
Posted by Tif (Member # 12701) on :
My EBV titres are SKY HIGH now........have been climbing for 3 years and still going up
Posted by Tif (Member # 12701) on :
They think my Lyme and co's are helping it reactivate because of the immune system suppression.
Posted by jhudson (Member # 25153) on :
timaca, I don't still feel ill. For about 3 weeks I was feeling quite sick (and I had a fever for 12 days straight), but my doctor put me on z-pak for the strep and corticosteroids for glands which were so swollen I could barely move my neck (i know corticosteroids are not recommended if ive had lyme). Another thing to note: for as long as I can remember, the glands under my jaw have been larger than average...not sure what that means, but I can see them when I tilt my head up. So the mono made them that much larger (probably quadrupled in size). Luckily I'm over the mono and I actually don't feel like my energy levels are low.
Posted by timaca (Member # 6911) on :
jhudson~ If you don't feel ill, then you aren't ill, which is good. People can have a bad case of both strep and mono even if they never had lyme.
IgG antibody titers to lyme can persist even if there is no infection present...so if you feel well, go with that, and may you continue to feel well.
I was glad to hear that you had a fever for 12 days and recovered. My son is on day 10 of a fever, he does not have strep or mono that we can tell. At any rate, he's going back to the doctor today for he broke out in hives (perhaps due to being on amoxicillin). At any rate, I'm glad you recovered after being so ill, and I pray he does too.
Tif~ If your EBV antibody titers are climbing, you may want to try to treat that....
Best to all, Timaca
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Keep an eye on that positive test!! Yikes! If your health gets any worse, you'd better treat the Lyme! Also consider the possiblity that you could have coinfections.
Lyme does suppress your immune system and allow things like mono and strep to become a bigger issue.
Posted by jhudson (Member # 25153) on :
is it a very positive test? it seems so, but i don't know how to interpret it.
