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My physician ordered the antigen test from Central Florida Research. I've read a lot about it and many are very skeptical. It's going to cost me $250 plus $16 to have my blood drawn at a local lab. My ELISA test was equivocal and my Western Blot had a total of four bands reactive.
Should I take the antigen test or would I be wasting my money? I started in May with flu like symptoms, dizziness, elevated liver enzymes, heart palpitations, and rash on my legs and feet. After 5 months, my symptoms are almost completely neurologic in nature. I'm not sure if this is Lyme or not, but I'd really like to find out. This constant tremor in my upper body is very bothersome. What does everyone think? Is the test worth doing?
Thank you for your thoughts.
William
Posts: 131 | From MD | Registered: Jul 2008
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With four elevated bands, why isn't your doctor certain of your Lyme diagnosis? Is this an LLMD?
-------------------- Diagnosed with :yme and mycoplasma pneumonia Aug 08. Treating with Doxy and Ceftin ever since. 15 sessions in hyperbaric o2 chamber Posts: 183 | From all around | Registered: Jul 2008
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This is not an LLMD. I will be seeing one in a month. My doc is not sure of Lyme because my CSF and urine tests were both negative.
Posts: 131 | From MD | Registered: Jul 2008
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
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Tell your doctor that "CSF and urine tests, both negative" does not eliminate lyme as a possibility.
Your "Western Blot had a total of four bands reactive."
THAT SAYS A LOT.
I would drop that doctor. I would not waste any money on more tests. WAIT until you see your LLMD.
In the meantime, cover the bases with olive leaf extract, allicin or freeze dried garlic.
For how to take care of yourself from now until your LLMD appt. You might also consult the books and links below:
CONTROVERSY CONTINUES TO FUEL THE "LYME WAR" By Virginia Savely, RN, FNP-C
*****
As two medical societies battle over its diagnosis and treatment, Lyme disease remains a frequently missed illness. Here is how to spot and treat it.
Excerpts:
" . . .To treat Lyme disease for a comparable number of life cycles, treatment would need to last 30 weeks. . . ."
`` . . .Patients with Lyme disease almost always have negative results on standard blood screening tests and have no remarkable findings on physical exam, so they are frequently referred to mental-health professionals for evaluation.
"...If all cases were detected and treated in the early stages of Lyme disease, the debate over the diagnosis and treatment of late-stage disease would not be an issue, and devastating rheumatologic, neurologic, and cardiac complications could be avoided..."
. . . * Clinicians do not realize that the CDC has gone on record as saying the commercial Lyme tests are designed for epidemiologic rather than diagnostic purposes, and a diagnosis should be based on clinical presentation rather than serologic results.
- FULL ARTICLE AT LINK ABOVE.
Co-infections (other tick-borne infections or TBD - tick-borne disease) are not discussed in the Savely article due to space limits. Still, any LLMD you would see would know how to assess/treat if others are present.
===============
TESTING
You should also be evaluated for coinfections. Not all tests are great in that regard, either, but a good LLMD can evaluate you and then guide you in testing. One of the top labs is:
The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) provides a forum for health science professionals to share their wealth of knowledge regarding the management of Lyme and associated diseases.
- 2/3 down the page, you can download Guidelines for the management of Lyme disease
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
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