My GP is being very, very helpful to me in doing "test" I request from her.
At my recent hospital follow-up appointment, I ask her to run a Babesia test and Lyme EIA (IGG) and (IGM) test. She very willingly did so.
I am confused when asked if these were done by "Igenex".
I hope I didn't have these done for no reason. The lab still has a tube of blood they are "holding" on cold.
If I request any other test for her to run, I want to ask correctly.
Hope everyone is doing okay. Thank you for your time (again).
I had a Western Blot which is extremely positive when you listen to the IDSA guidelines and LLMD studies, however, the Ducks I have seen since June that have put me through "he**" says "YOU DON'T HAVE LYME"!!!!
Anyway, I don't want to get off the subject. "Igenex"?? "Elsia" I think is another term I have read.
I see her again soon.
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
most doctors will not send your blood to igenex for testing. they have to pay for shipping and most insurance companies will not pay for it. some will, but most won't.
i would specifically ask that it be sent to igenex and ask for copies of the report.
igenex, a company in california, is known for having the very best lab for testing lyme.
western blot and elisa, are in my opinion, totally worthless. i've had them done several times. they stated it don't have lyme.
Posted by Consuelachacha (Member # 26538) on :
Thanks Randibear;
So Igenex is a COMPANY. It has also been ask if my test were ELISA positive.
I see from your comment that you do not care for Elisa.
My Lyme Test that was ran was Western Blot. Do you know exactly what I should ask my GP I want?
I unfortunately did not know this info when she ran the Babs and EIA tests for me last week.
Can I request a WHOLE other LYME test to be sent to IGENEX? I'll pay what I have to pay to get a worthwhile ACCURATE test once and for all.
Thank you so much.
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
ya know i suggest you get a copy of Dr.S's book "lyme disease solution". he's got a complete chapter 3 on testing and explains it very well.
the elisa and western blot routinely miss about 35 percent or more of lyme. and some of these tests don't even look at 31 and 34. critical elements for lyme testing. and usually "ND" ends up being positive for lyme.
i can't explain it as i really don't have the technical wherewithall, but that book is really good.
just ask for your blood to be sent to igenex. i paid about 400, but i don't know what it will cost now.
getting the doctor to do is a whole nother story tho. only my llmd would do it. pcp's usually won't even discuss it.
** moderator's note - edited to remove doctor's name **
[ 08-19-2010, 08:55 PM: Message edited by: sixgoofykids ]
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
quote:Originally posted by randibear:
western blot and elisa, are in my opinion, totally worthless. i've had them done several times. they stated it don't have lyme.
Randi and Consuela... The Igenex test you NEED is the WESTERN BLOT .. Test #188 and 189 www.igenex.com
The ELISA is the one that is worthless...UNLESS it actually comes back positive. Then you can bank on it.
Posted by Andie333 (Member # 7370) on :
I definitely agree with too!
Posted by julier212 (Member # 26408) on :
Go to Igenex's website, and request a testing kit from them. It's free. It comes with a form for your dr. to sign and fill out what tests you want. If they draw blood at her office, then have them do that there. If not I just went to LapCorp, with the form my dr. signed, and had them draw blood there. That was free also. Then I took the blood, put it in the box Igenex provided, and mailed it through FedEx in the special package Igenex sent me, and that was free, too. Good Luck!
Posted by LightAtTheEnd (Member # 24065) on :
I had to send a check to pay for my Igenex Western Blot, knowing my insurance would not reimburse me. I think I paid about $200. If you call Igenex, they can tell you the price for the test. They can't tell you which test you need to get, but they can help you figure out which one is the right one that you are asking about.
My LLMD gave me the kit with a printout of instructions that he must have made for all his patients. Then I went to a hospital to have the blood drawn. I tried to do it at Quest while I was getting other blood drawn for Quest tests, but they refused.
The hospital asked to see the doctor's order for the test. I don't know what they would have said if I had wanted to do the test on my own, and no doctor had signed the form yet. It's useful to have a prescription or lab order from the doctor when you go to get the blood drawn. But the doctor's signature on the form might be enough.
The hospital charged me about $20 to draw my blood, and I convinced them, with some difficulty, to let me leave my Fedex package for their Fedex pickup to make sure it would go out the same day. Do it early in the week so your blood won't sit over the weekend.
I recently had blood drawn at the hospital again for another test I had to send to a private lab. I told the hospital not to bother billing it to my insurance, and this time they only charged me $10 because they said, "You get a 50% discount for self pay."
So rather than letting them send the amount to my insurance to go towards my humongous deductible that I pray I will never meet in a year, I am better off, for hospital services that the insurance won't cover, to just tell the hospital I don't have any and ask for a self-pay discount.
I didn't need to ask my GP to sign off on the Igenex test for me, but I think she would have been willing to if I had.
Posted by deerose (Member # 27484) on :
My new LLND just alerted me the Igenix testing (which I really wanted)which she does prefer if possible was $660.00 I just wasn't prepared financially. I believe it also was testing for Bartonella.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
The Western Blot #188 and 189 is only around $200. I don't think you need anything more FOR LYME....just my humble opinion!
Posted by Consuelachacha (Member # 26538) on :
Thank you for all of the input.
I have a Western Blot, which depending on who looks at it is positive in 4 of the 15 bands. But it was not sent to Igenex.
Some of the bands say "Reactive", some say "Positive".
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Is the overall report "positive"? Then you can bank on it.
IF not, then get a test thru Igenex, where they will test for ALL of the possible bands.