pricey, though.
Posted by Sophie1234 (Member # 26412) on :
I had mine done with Igenex.
Posted by BackinStOlaf (Member # 23725) on :
Sophie: did you get positive results from Igenex? There are so many different options for each test for each co-infection. I wouldn't know what to choose.
Posted by KimDC (Member # 20699) on :
Galaxy Diagnostics (above) tests for 23 species of Bart. My LLMD highly recommends them.
Posted by blinkie (Member # 14470) on :
How much is the test? I can't find any prices?
This is the new lab right?
Posted by AlanaSuzanne (Member # 25882) on :
We were charged $400. Expensive, but well worth it considering so many species of Bart are tested.
Posted by Haley (Member # 22008) on :
I tested positive through Labcorp but they don't test for several species.
If you are on a tight budget I would start with Labcorp.
Posted by mjbucuk (Member # 843) on :
Has anyone gotten a positive with Galaxy? Do I understand correctly that this is an augmented PCR test?.. so it would of course be more difficult to get positive, but then again if positive you know you are still infected.
Posted by AlanaSuzanne (Member # 25882) on :
mjbucuk, from what I understand this lab/test is very new, so I wouldn't be surprised if we don't hear about results from Galaxy for awhile. But I too would appreciate hearing whether anyone got a positive and what strains came up as positive.
Posted by seekhelp (Member # 15067) on :
I thought it was over $600 at Galaxy. A little too rich for me. Posted by AlanaSuzanne (Member # 25882) on :
seekhelp I will verify the cost. I think it's $400, but I could be wrong.
When you consider all the expenses incurred from quest, labcorp, igenenex, specialty labs, rdl, etc. I don't think the cost of galaxy is out there.
I wish galaxy was around a few years ago. Could have saved thousands that were wasted on the other labs that always came back negative for bart, despite clinical presentation of bart.
But yeah, whether it's 400 or 600, it is expensive. Most of us have spent megabucks on testing.
Having a tick-borne disease is very expensive. Too bad one of the prerequisites to get tbd isn't being a millionaire.
The question is whether this test from galaxy is worth the splurge. To me it is because I have sick kids. To others, it might be a matter of watching and waiting to see what other people's results are from this lab.
I'll post results when I get them, and hope others do the same.
Posted by kitty9309 (Member # 19945) on :
quote:Originally posted by mjbucuk: Has anyone gotten a positive with Galaxy? Do I understand correctly that this is an augmented PCR test?.. so it would of course be more difficult to get positive, but then again if positive you know you are still infected.
I was positive in the research phase of testing. 1st specimen negative. A few months later- positive for B. vinsonii berkhoffii.
Treated for 8 months and had resolution of what I considered my Bart symptoms- foot pain and muscle/tendon pain in my groin/legs. I can walk without pain now and go up and down stairs w/o pulling on the railing.
Posted by billclo (Member # 12939) on :
I had a negative through Galaxy, but a Fry Labs smear showed BLO on my red blood cells.
But my doc did say that the results were preliminary, and that he was still waiting for a final report. But I am responding well to treatment so far...
Posted by seibertneurolyme (Member # 6416) on :
If money is an issue then I still think the best bet is a blood smear from Clongen labs for $100. They can't tell you exactly what species of bart or BLO you have, but then I can't find much of anything that specifies different meds for different strains anyway.
It took hubby 2 1/2 years of treating for bart, BLO, mycoplasma before he found the right combo of meds -- his new blood smear says the coccobacilli are rare (as in few) where they were numerous in the beginning.
His RBC went to normal and hematocrit and hemoglobin as well -- had all been low. Also his bilirubin went down to normal -- RBC's no longer being destroyed as quickly. Plus his WBC went from low to normal -- not as immunosuppressed.
Unfortunately, we stopped testing and treating for over a year because we thought the mystery blood protozoa was gone. The new smear shows we were wrong and a trial of Tindamax indicates this as well -- hubby ended up in the hospital for a week.
In my opinion -- best to repeat the blood slide at least every 6 months so all infections can be addressed at once.
Really not sure what med hubby will try next for the protozoa. But he is still on Factive -- decreased to 5 days per week from daily. Had to stop the high dose Rifampin (interferes with his new seizure med). Definitely plan to redo the bloodslide in 4 - 6 months to make sure the bart or BLO or mycoplasma is still under control.
Hubby's doc quoted $633 for a single sample at Galaxy Labs -- think a 3 sample test is around $800. Pretty sure this is one of those tests where the doc pays for the test and bills the patient whatever they want. So there will most likely be different prices from different docs depending on how much they mark up the test.
Galaxy Lab recommends being off antibiotics for 3 or 4 weeks before doing their test. Hubby's doc was not agreeable to this so that is another reason we did the Clongen bloodsmear instead.
![[Frown]](frown.gif)