I saw my doc today and we are doing the igg and igm western blot through igenex. I told her I had been off abx for two weeks in preparation for the test and she said that it wasn't necessary to stop abx.
I had planned on taking the test today but she said it would not be good to do the blood draw on thurs or fri cause the blood will sit around all weekend.
I thought i would get the blood test out of the way this afternoon and resume abx tonight. I am not sure what to do now, so many have said u are supposed to wait and I have waited so long to be able to afford this test.
I hate staying off abx this long. Any advice?
Posted by Summer3 (Member # 35286) on :
I personally would wait to restart ABX. I know it's different for everyone, but I was off for about a month before my Igenex test and tested CDC positive. I was told at least 14 days to stay off antibiotics prior to the test.
Posted by gigimac (Member # 33353) on :
Can I take cats claw in the meantime? Will it affect the test?
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
At least she's right about one part. The part about not doing the test late in the week.
You only need to be off abx 10-14 days.
I don't THINK cat's claw will matter.
Posted by Sammi (Member # 110) on :
I never stopped antibiotics for testing, and I tested positive more than once.
Posted by Herbs15 (Member # 34777) on :
I also kept taking antibiotics... In fact - before antibiotics I tested negative on labcorp's IgM... after nine months of meds I am now CDC positive on labcorp's IgM. I did not stop my antibiotics for any of the bloodwork...
Posted by RDaywillcome (Member # 21454) on :
It was after I started antibiotics that my test finally came back positive. I had a few tests before antibiotics and they came back negative.
Posted by gigimac (Member # 33353) on :
When you say your test came back positive before abx. Do you mean before you ever started abx or when you purposely took a break before the test?
I am really beginning to feel the effects of this abx break and it sucks. I really want to take some doxy right now.
I can feel my body getting twitchy and weaker, also feeling really emotionally charged, sad, very angry.
Could this emotional stuff be from the abx break?
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
From Dr C's Western Blot Explanation:
"Sometimes multiple antibiotics have to be tried before the patient feels better. Antibiotics may actually help with the laboratory diagnosis. But patients need to be off antibiotics about 10 to 14 days before the Western blot is repeated. This sounds like a contradiction.
Antibiotics may help convert the test to positive, but patients need to be off antibiotics when the specimen is drawn.
It is well documented in medical literature that the presence of antibiotics may cause false negative borreliosis testing. Therefore, your system should be free of all antibiotics for an accurate blot result.
When the Lyme borrelia are alive, they are geniuses at avoiding the immune system. They may do things like go inside your white blood cells, and come out enclosed by the cell membrane of your own white blood cells! This may partly explain why antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi are often not found when patients are tested."
Thanks for the clarification lymetoo and manybites. That makes sense. I have been on abx and now had a break so hopefully this test will be accurate.
my previous tests were negative but they were also the elisa test and before abx. My doc feels sure i have lyme and I would like the proof for myself and for those who seem to doubt me.