my first CD57 6 month ago was at 216...normal is 60-360.. i thought ok.. lucky that the bacteries dont push my immunsystem down.. now after 6 month of treatment i made a new CD57.. result:
392!!! lol.. WTF? I asked my doc if its ok if my immunsystem is so good working.. he said its ok, but better it would now rise anymore.
i think im on the right way.. because my symptoms are getting better.. the only thing that is left is my brain fog. my psych. symptome gone away since 2 weeks yippie
greetz
Posted by Pinelady (Member # 18524) on :
Good daniel. But I think he's right, you don't want it in overdrive.
Posted by CD57 (Member # 11749) on :
How accurate is this test? Neither of my LLMDs have ever used it. I got it once, long ago, at the beginning of treatment, and it was never repeated.
Posted by daniel (Member # 22201) on :
Many LLMDs say, that the test is improtant to see improvement when u are treating the disease.
But I dont know if it is so..
Many LLMDs say, that a LOW CD57 is a sign of having chronic Lyme, i have chronic lyme too, but my cd57 is normal and now very high.
my immunsystem always was very good.. a cant really remember that i was sick before the disease.
But if its right, that the disease push the immunsystem down, and thats what im thinking too, its a good test to see results of your therapy.
Posted by lakes592 (Member # 18905) on :
My new lyme Dr. ordered it along with for my very first time co-infection tests and a bunch of others! This is the first Dr. that I have ever been to that I feel is there for me and going to hold my hand through this! I will be curious to see what mine labs come back with.
Posted by WildCondor (Member # 434) on :
I would not put too much stock in this test, or any test. The results seem to fluctuate wildly. Go by how you feel, that's often the most logical. Don't let a test run your life. Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
I wouldn't rely on the test either. As Wild says, the results fluctuate WILDLY.
I'm glad you're making some progress with your symptoms, daniel!! That's the important thing!
Posted by Truthfinder (Member # 8512) on :
Though I've not heard anybody speculate on this, I suspect that if CD-57 results don't seem to reflect the degree of Lyme 'illness', then perhaps Lyme isn't the bug that's currently affecting the body the most.
In other words, you still have a Lyme 'infection', but it's being 'trumped' by another microbe or pathogen that's causing most of the symptoms/pathology at that point in time .
Maybe I'm way off base here, but that's what I suspect may be the reason for such varied results.
Posted by Pinelady (Member # 18524) on :
Truth I think we were sisters in a different life. LOL My thoughts too.
Posted by Connieaag (Member # 15199) on :
But I thought Lyme is the only thing that causes the CD 57 to be low.
Posted by Connieaag (Member # 15199) on :
But I thought Lyme is the only thing that causes the CD 57 to be low.
Posted by Healing in Santa Cruz (Member # 7798) on :
Truthfinder I think what u said is right.My test results are 399. I have not gotten better but now working on Pyrroluria.Who know for sure. There are so many mysteries about lyme and co.
Posted by Amanda (Member # 14107) on :
My LLMD and I sue this test frequently, but in a limited way. Because many of my symptoms are constant, its hard to know if I ammaking any progress with any new medicine (my CD 57 have been very low, along with the rest of immune system).
If my CD 57 start to drop down in the single digits, then we know we need to change meds.
But I would never use this test to decide I was well. Like someone else said, you have to go how you feel.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
quote:Originally posted by Connieaag: But I thought Lyme is the only thing that causes the CD 57 to be low.
I dunno. Could be.
Anybody??
PS.. as stated above, it can be high with a bad case of Lyme.
Posted by Truthfinder (Member # 8512) on :
LOL, Pinelady.
Connie, yes, that's my understanding, also. That was why Dr. S. began using and recommending the test.
But consider that few Lymies have just a single infection of Borrelia. There are usually co-infections. Or as Healing in SC pointed out, other disorders like Pyrroluria could be in play.
For example, if your initial CD-57 result is 50, and after 2 years of Lyme treatment, your CD-57 is up to 150 but you've had no substantial improvement in the way you feel, then it might be time to look closer at co-infections as the cause of ill health.
Or in some cases there are spouses of Lymies who test Lyme-positive on a WB and have a low CD-57 count, but they have few if any symptoms. All lab indications are that they have an infection going on, but I suspect that they don't have the co-infection load that their spouse has, and/or their physiological systems are able to compensate while they wage a response in the form of a `silent infection'.
Meanwhile, their serologically-positive `Lymie' spouse has a decent CD-57 count of 200, but is disabled from illness despite aggressive treatments of all kinds. Perhaps it is a co-infection that is dominant in that person?
The most mysterious ones are when the CD-57 result drops during Lyme treatment despite abx, whether the person feels improvement or not. I suspect that at least in some people, and depending on the type of abx used, the immune system down-regulates temporarily, resulting in a lowered CD-57 for a time. It's also possible that some abx or combinations destroy NK cells, though I haven't investigated that.
Anyway, maybe this explains my theory a little better.
Posted by Pinelady (Member # 18524) on :
Right Tracy. If every LLMD had a million to spend
on testing these patients to get to the bottom of
this complex illness we could get more help. As it
is we just do the best we can. Who knows there is
surely loads more discoveries yet to be made.
Posted by Truthfinder (Member # 8512) on :
True, Pinelady.
I also think the unreliability of testing (for various infections) makes many docs hesitant to spend their patients' money on a lot of additional tests.
Unreliable test results can only go so far in helping to sort out these complex illnesses.
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