My 20 yr. old son just had his first CD57 test after suffering with Lyme for almost a year and a half. How often should a CD57 test be given? After months on IV Rocephin we thought he was better but his CD57 came back at 18 when he relasped. Should he be getting CD57 test more often and are they reliable? Thanks for any info anyone can send my way.
Posted by Summer3 (Member # 35286) on :
My doctor uses them and feels they are reliable to determine when treatment is effective or can be stopped, but a lot of doctors do not feel as strongly about the CD57 in terms of what it can show for a patient.
My number is almost the same as your son's. It has not improved yet but I've only been treating for months, not many years. I have had 2 CD57's done in 5 months. I think that's too much though. I would prefer to test it only when I am feeling better. I don't see the point in doing it when I still feel really badly.
I don't know if I believe in it as much as my doctor does, but I do agree that I shouldn't stop treatment altogether until the number is closer to a normal range. For me, treatment doesn't necessarily mean antibiotics the whole time. At some point, when my symptoms start to stop progressing or level out somewhat, I would like to transition over to herbs or other methods.