I'm about to go crazy here. I have 2 Igenex tests done. My Lyme doc says they are positive and my pc told me and my entire family after looking at them, I don't have Lyme. Is there another Lyme test that is better than Igenex? Has anyone done the Ispot test? Thank you
Posted by me (Member # 45475) on :
Ugh. That is what happened to me several times. "Top docs" telling me and my family I don't have Lyme. It is so frustrating, to put it lightly.
Will your family be open to watching ""Under Our Skin"? Also, dr. h's book, "Why can't I get better," and another book, "cure unknown" are great resources.
What are your IGeneX results, only if you don't mind sharing? Many people on here are highly educated about Lyme and cos and will help you all they can.
Also, Lyme is a clinical diagnosis, meaning a doctor looks at history, symtoms, etc., NOT just blood tests, to make a diagnoses.
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
Your lyme doctor knows hundreds of times more about lyme than your pc. So, that is why he can see from the Igenex test that you have lyme. He has no reason to lie to you about it.
Your pc knows basically NOTHING about lyme. And, what he thinks he knows about lyme is ALL WRONG because the IDSA (Infectious Diseases Society of America) has miseducated all of our doctors about lyme. They tell them that
1. lyme is RARE (meaning, so rare that no doctor will ever see a case in his lifetime, or maybe just one case in his lifetime) and,
2. lyme is EASILY treated. So, it is no big deal. It doesn't really make people sick and 2 doxycycline pills will cure it or 28 days of doxy max.
Meanwhile, the truth is:
1. lyme is worse than an epidemic
2. lyme is extremely difficult to cure
If you don't know about the "2 camps" when it comes to lyme disease and the medical profession, watch this video from a Boston TV news station.
I suggest you watch this video a few times. It explains the lyme disease controversy and the role the IDSA plays in making it difficult for a person to get good lyme treatment.
And, Igenex is the best tick-borne disease lab in the country. So, there is no better test, and you don't need further tests. You just need to go to a good doctor who SPECIALIZES in the treatment of lyme disease. You want someone who has treated hundreds of patients for lyme. The more expertise, the better.
That's what it takes to get rid of lyme disease.
To see what lyme specialists consider a positive lyme test, read the following section of the Burrascano Lyme Treatment Guidelines:
"Western blots are reported by showing which bands are reactive. 41KD bands appear the earliest but can cross react with other spirochetes. The 18KD, 23-25KD (Osp C), 31KD (Osp A), 34KD (Osp B), 37KD, 39KD, 83KD and the 93KD bands are the species-specific ones, but appear later or may not appear at all. You should see at least the 41KD and one of the specific bands. 55KD, 60KD, 66KD, and 73KD are nonspecific and nondiagnostic. (page 7)
So, certain positive bands on the Western Blot indicate lyme disease. Your pcp wants to see the word "positive" on the Western Blot before he tells you and your family that you have lyme because his knowledge of lyme is like those in kindergarten.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Do not depend upon your PCP.
Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
If you like, you can post your test results here and we can discuss them with you. I can tell you already, if a Lyme doc said you're positive, you are!
Also, at the top of Medical Questions, there's the stickie, Important Information about Lyme and Co-infections - scroll down to Dr C's explanation of the Western Blot. Then scroll down some more for the meaning of the bands, then you can see for yourself what's going on.
I had to fire my PC when I came in positive. He sent me to an ID doc who said, AFTER I had a positive test, that he didn't think I had Lyme!
I went in search of another PC doc who would allow me to at least discuss Lyme, and I found one on my 4th try.
On the way, I heard someone ask at the window of a PC's office where to go for Lyme testing. I listened to the answer - they were going to send her to that same ID doc!!
So I asked her to join me out in the hall to let her know the name of a real Lyme doc in town, and that's how I met one of my Lyme friends!