posted
I am not sure that I even have lyme, my igm had 18 and 41 + and 31 and 34 IND.
My question is I noticed a red oval mark under my left armpit. At first I thought maybe that somehow a red shirt that I wore the color might have stained my armpit. Well after 1 month now the mark is still there, some what faded and it looks like some of it has disappeared.
It is really hard to see your own armpit when looking in the mirror.
Could this mark be a rash mark from lyme?
Also one last question is it Lyme or Lymes? many people I talk to say lymes.
TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
Hi Cheri. It is lyme with no "s" (common mistake people make).
It certainly sounds like you have lyme disease. That red oval mark under your armpit sounds like a lyme rash. They will fade over time. Having it for 1 month sounds very, very much like a lyme rash.
Then, your test results also point to lyme disease. Near the top of the Medical Questions forum is a post called "Dr. C's Western Blot Explanation." You can read that to understand your test results.
Basically, an IND (indeterminate) is a weak positive result.
Here is a quote from Dr. C's explanation:
"In my clinical experience, if a patient has symptoms suspicious for borreliosis, and has one or more of the following bands, there is a very high probability the patient has borreliosis.
These bands are 18, 22, 23-25, 28, 30, 31, 34, 37, 39, 41, 83, and 93."
So, you have symptoms suspicious of lyme (red rash and whatever caused the doctor to do the lyme test) and you also have 4 positive bands that indicate lyme: 18, 31, 34, and 41.
Sound like a pretty strong case for lyme disease to me.
I recommend you take a picture of this rash, even though it is somewhat faded. A lyme doctor will be very interested in seeing it, and it could really help you in the future if your insurance company wants to fight payment for lyme treatment.
Please go to Seeking a Doctor and post stating which states you are willing to travel to, and get yourself a good lyme doctor. Also, check the lyme support groups in your state (see left side of page for Support Groups) and find out who the good lyme doctors are.
If you just got bitten, and you get to a good doctor quickly, you could be rid of this disease in a number of months.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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IckyTicky
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 21466
posted
You have specific positive lyme bands. I would say yes, you have Lyme disease. The rash could be an EM rash, or it could possibly be a co-infection like Bartonella.
-------------------- IGM: 18+, 23+, 30+, 31+++, 34+, 39IND, 41++, 58+++, 66+, 83-93IND IGG: 31+, 39IND, 41+ Also positive for Mycoplasma Pneumoniae and RMSF. Whole family of 5 dx with Lyme. Posts: 1014 | From Texas | Registered: Jul 2009
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