Screening Test positive, WB all negative. 4 weeks of doxycycline. One month later....
One lab says WB IgG band 41 positive, no others
One lab says WB IgM 41, 58, 93 and IgG 72, 93; this lab also performed C6 Peptide antibody, positive at 326.
Blood drawn on same day, sent to two different labs, straight to WB skipping the screening test.
Any thoughts on why my antibody build-up is for DNA (band 93)? I would think surface antigens are more visible to antibody binding.
Posted by hermit (Member # 44427) on :
I had a thought, that perhaps the antibiotics push the spirochete into a a cell wall - less state - since I have been on doxycycline for 4 weeks. I'm also taking herbal antimicrobials like poke root and wormwood. And now the DNA is floating around in my blood.
Maybe my immune system was shut off to recognizing the bacteria, with the perscriptions of prednizone or just as a direct effect from this nasty bacteria.
Maybe the bacteria in me is not the species they have in the wells of the electrophoresis (WB).
Knowing that I am attacking free floating DNA may be a good sign that the bacteria is dying.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
I'm not sure what you are concerned or wondering about??
Band 93 shows that you have the DNA of the spirochete in your blood.
Posted by hermit (Member # 44427) on :
right Lymetoo. the only bands that are starting to show are for DNA, which are typically sheltered from antibody sensitivity. you would think i would have antibodies to the outer shells antigens first.
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
I'd like to know the names of the 2 labs and which one gave you all the positives.
Posted by Razzle (Member # 30398) on :
I think it depends on when you were first infected. If your infection is recent (i.e., within the last month), then yes, one would think there would be positives on the outer surface proteins.
However, consider also that the strain of Borrelia you have may be slightly different than the B31 strain all the tests are based upon. Therefore, DNA may be the only "match" possible with the currently available tests...
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
I don't think it matters, hermit. Positive bands are positive bands.
Posted by hermit (Member # 44427) on :
Yes - I have a spirochete. Agreed.
(6/09/14) - found an engorged tick in my back (6/10/14) - SMA - positive screen, Labcorp - all WB bands negative (6/18/14) - started two weeks of doxycycline (6/19/14) - knee pain, knee cap popping (7/03/14) - knee pain continues, continued with two more weeks doxycycline (7/28/14) - follow-up, still knee pain. blood drawn, sent to rhuematology specialist (7/28/14) - SMA - positive screen, Labcorp - all WB bands negative, Labcorp - urine cloudy, WBC esterase 1+ abnormal with Lactobacillius species 50,000-100,000 CFU/ml "susceptability not normally performed on this organism" (7/28/14) - pressure in bladder and increased frequency to urinate, perscribed five days of phenazopyridine and nitrofurant (8/6/14) - massive full body rash, welts, itchy, no rupture/oose/papules - just red raised skin. went away in three days. (8/28/14) - LLMD! drew blood. Looked at all my blood work and perscribed 30 days of cefuroxime. (8/28/14) - Clongen - skipped screen, WB IgG band 41 positive. Negative for cat scratch, babesia, rocky mountain, bart (8/28/14) - Stoney Brook - skipped screen, WB IgM 41, 58, 93 and IgG 72, 93. C6 Peptide antibody, positive at 326 (9/4/14) - same rash lasted three days (may have been an illergic reaction to boswellia as the timing is right and i had never ingested it before, but self prepared skin patch test was negative)
Lab Corp was supposed to be a baseline test, I found an engorged tick. I have been tired, weak, sometimes exhausted for years and 2-3 times a year treated with predizone for a rash they called poison ivy.
Edit - I also became a very dumb person. I actually remembered things wrong. Hard to say words, find the word, complete sentences. Started sleeping every minute I could find time to sleep. All of these symtpoms started after initializing the antibiotic attack. I believe only the herbal supplements have helped me back to normal, from the load of bacteria that was being killed by antibiotics.
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
Thanks for the info on the labs. Good to know.
I know lyme can make a person "stupid" or dumb. I saw it with a friend of mine and it was shocking.
Word-finding problems are common with lyme. I had that big time! (It's called "word search" on p. 9 of Burrascano.) Plus many other brain symptoms. Memory issues, couldn't remember good friends' names, ("name block") etc. I told my gyn that I believed I had Alzheimers. And, I wasn't kidding.
But, in spite of going undiagnosed for at least 10 years, I regained all of my brain function with good lyme treatment. I have the same life now as I had before lyme disease.
I believe you will be fine.
Posted by GretaM (Member # 40917) on :
I became dumb with bartonella and lyme.
Basic math, carrying a conversation, understanding a joke, all went when neuro lyme was at its worst.
About a year and a half of assertive treatment, including treatment for mycotoxins, anaplasma, RMSF, mycoplasma, babesia, bartonella, and protozoas...
Starting to get my smarts back. It's nice.
The trick is finding a doc that is willing to treat more than one thing at a time, and a tenacious treating method.
Rikettsia and bartonellas are terrible to test for also. Best to treat clinically with the rashes you have.
Posted by hermit (Member # 44427) on :
I asked him to test for bart - cat scratch... because I almost died from it when i was 18. Not sure of they had blood work at that time, maybe went based on a kitten's behaviour and that it scratched me. I was worried that i was a carrier. I also asked to be tested for rocky mountain, because of the rash presentations I had over the years. Since I was WB negative for Lyme - all bands, when i had/have it ; i also do not really trust the lab results. The tests are based on antibody presence. I personally blame predazone for my lack of antibodies. I currently wear a sweater, because of how cold I am everywhere - in buildings or outside. 94-95C body and oral temp.
LLMD looked at pics i sent of recent rash and told me it looked like allergies - try antihistamines. Maybe I am building up an allergy to spirochetes.
Posted by hermit (Member # 44427) on :
Another reason could be That the antibodies are already complexed to bacteria at the onset of the WB test. What they all call clumping.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Stay away from any future "offerings" of prednisone.
Coinfection testing can come back falsely negative. Happens all the time.
Your itching and rash may get better if you stay away from foods high in histamine. Also... be sure to protect your gut with probiotics.. tons of them!
Posted by lymie_in_md (Member # 14197) on :
This was my 2nd WB in July which is CDC positive due to all the IGM bands positive within 30 days. The prior week I had the same test completely negative, it appears timing of the test is important as well.
Component Standard Range Your Value BORRELIA BURGDORFERI IGG Negative Reference range: Negative B BURGDORFERI 18KD IGG, IB Nonreactive B BURGDORFERI 23KD IGG, IB REACTIVE B BURGDORFERI 28KD IGG, IB Nonreactive B BURGDORFERI 30KD IGG, IB Nonreactive B BURGDORFERI 39KD IGG, IB Nonreactive B BURGDORFERI 41KD IGG, IB REACTIVE B BURGDORFERI 45KD IGG, IB REACTIVE B BURGDORFERI 58KD IGG, IB Nonreactive B BURGDORFERI 66KD IGG, IB Nonreactive B BURGDORFERI 93KD IGG, IB Nonreactive BORRELIA BURGDORFERI IGM POSITIVE Reference range: Negative B BURGDORFERI 23KD IGM, IB REACTIVE B BURGDORFERI 39KD IGM, IB REACTIVE B BURGDORFERI 41KD IGM, IB REACTIVE