2 weeks ago I sent some blood work to one of the labs reccommended for co-infections (not sure if I should say the name or not since I am about to add that they made a mistake)...

They seemed to have misplaced the signed requisition form from my doctor, so they didn't know what tests to run on the blood. I had kept a copy of the second page of the form, which had the tests I needed, but that one wasn't signed so I called the doctor's office and had them fax over another signed form to me.

I decided to compare the tests they had checked off for me to get, and they are different! I think out of 5 boxes checked, 3 of them were different! Now I am having a hard time knowing what to trust, so I was hoping maybe someone could help me out.

I am trying to get tested for coinfections. I do not know which ones (if any) that I have, so I am trying to get a pretty complete workup. If someone thinks they might know what tests I need, could you please email me. Thank you so much!

After 2 weeks, I think you'll need to get the blood redrawn anyway.

Labs like Igenex seem to be very accessible to patients who have questions, so you might want to contact whatever Lab it is directly, and ask them what tests they recommend and what the pros and cons for the tests are. Igenex posts some good explanations on their website, if you want to read through them just for your edification.

For example, PCR is a definitive confirmation, but it's a toss up as to whether the lab actually gets the bit of dead bug that they're looking for in any given sample.

You could also fax the original test request back to the Dr.s office, tell them there was a discrepancy, and ask for clarification. In a busy office it's easy for things to get mixed up.

I've had stuff like this happen fairly often. It's great that you caught the discrepancy, and its important to find out the answers without getting your knickers in too much of a twist. There are many such potholes on the rocky road of Lyme.

I'd be very interested to hear what tests are recommended when you get this straightened out.

Luckily the lab said they can store the blood for however long and it won't go bad or anything bc it's stored properly from the moment they get it. Hope that's true.

Thanks though