posted
Due to the fact that my husband's back pain, hyper reflexes, and neurological difficulties is stumping the neurosurgeon . . . there is a possibility that they will order a spinal tap to discover if there is an infection in his spinal fluid.
Do you know if this is ever an effective way to discover lyme? I'd hate for him to go through this procedure if it's just going to be another dead end diagnostically.
Posts: 160 | From Abington, PA, USA | Registered: May 2005
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What little I have heard indicates it isn't worth it as a dx tool. It is painful and if lyme doesn't show up on other tests, it's supposed to be diagnosed on a clinical basis anyway.
Posts: 48 | From Wisconsin | Registered: Sep 2006
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lymie tony z
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5130
posted
Danser,
If you're looking for something besides lyme than go ahead.
This test is notoriously negative for lyme.
Most neuro ducks only use it to get negative results and tell you the patient can't possibly have lyme disease.
The ducks don't realize that the spinal fluid is used only as a highway to the brain and CNS...
Tell this neurosurgical duck to check via a PET or SPECT scan.
So what other tests has he had again?
Thru which lab?
zman
-------------------- I am not a doctor...opinions expressed are from personal experiences only and should never be viewed as coming from a healthcare provider. zman Posts: 2527 | From safety harbor florida(origin Cleve., Ohio | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
I had a spinal tap a year ago and it was absolutely hellish. I was very very ill after it, unable to even sit up in bed for 10 days, not back to where I started from for over 6 weeks. I would strongly recommend thinking very hard about it before having one. I believe it is not particularly useful in diagnosing lyme disease.
Posts: 21 | From Ireland | Registered: Oct 2006
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posted
I had the spinal tap done. Results came back negative so my PCP said I was cured. A few months later I was seeing a specialist. I not only had Lyme but also Babesia, Ehrlichia, and Bartonella. Bottom line, the spinal tap is unreliable for Lyme and its co-infections.
Posts: 29 | From Maryland | Registered: Feb 2004
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Vermont_Lymie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9780
posted
Do not use a spinal tap unless absolutely necessary. I had one back in 1992, and was told that I should be able to resume normal activities after a day or two of bed rest.
However, it turned out that I was not able to get up from a horizontal position for 8 days after that, due to the spinal tap! The neurologist said that was a fairly unusual reaction, but who knows? Since I had not planned to have people bring food to me, needless to say, this period of time was quite difficult. The inability to move from a horizontal position without severe headaches probably lasted a total of 10 days.
Read the ILADS guiidelins -- Lyme is a clinical diagnosis. THe neurologist who took my spinal tap was doing so more to support her own research than in regards to my treatment.
It turned out positive, and I was diagnosed by Dr. PC with lyme-meningitis -- and then has 10-11 days of IV ceftriaxone.
Posts: 2557 | From home | Registered: Aug 2006
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posted
I had a spinal tap about 3 years ago. It's very painful and the results came back negative. The doctor then told me that I couldn't possibly have lyme disease.It was a total waste of time!!! Daisylynn Posts: 58 | From Andover,Ohio,USA | Registered: Nov 2003
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posted
I've had two of them. I would not do it for lyme as it will probably be negative whether he has it or not. However, I would (and did) have it to rule out MS and other things. I don't know what tests your husband has had but MRI's can be negative for MS but the spinal fluid can be positive. That's why I did it. Fortunatly, mine was completely normal.
Posts: 340 | From Ohio | Registered: Oct 2005
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hopeful123
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3244
posted
the neurologist told me the spinal tap is not worth going through since it's accuracy for lyme is approximately 25%.
don't go there for lyme. something else, i couldn't say
good luck
-------------------- some days you're the bug, some days you're the windshield Posts: 1160 | From NY | Registered: Oct 2002
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quote:Originally posted by hopeful123: the neurologist told me the spinal tap is not worth going through since it's accuracy for lyme is approximately 25%.
don't go there for lyme. something else, i couldn't say
Yep! [25% or less]
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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SunRa
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3559
posted
quote:Originally posted by Lymetoo: Don't even ask SunRa what SHE thinks about spinal taps!
haha yeah I am NOT a fan of this test!!! I had mine at the end of August -- it's now mid October and I STILL haven't fully recovered.
I only did the test due to possible meningitis, but next time I think I'd rather die of the meningitis than go through another spinal tap.
mind you, I think I was a rare case. The most common problem is the brutal spinal headache. But some people have no complications or problems whatsoever with spinal taps and it can be a useful diagnostic tool for other conditions.
I didn't have it to diagnose lyme, but like many others here, I have a serious CNS Lyme infection and it still didn't show up in the spinal fluid. So I agree that it's a poor diagnostic test for lyme.
Best of luck to you and your husband with whatever you decide!
Posts: 1563 | From MA | Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
You all have convinced me. It was supposed to be diagnostic, but since it's so unreliable for lyme, there is no need to risk such an awful procedure.
My husband has two negative Igenex WB's and too many to count negative Quest ELISA's. He has tested positive at Quest for babesia and at MDL labs for ehrlichia and bartonella.
He is currently under treatment for the babs.
Posts: 160 | From Abington, PA, USA | Registered: May 2005
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My husband has two negative Igenex WB's and too many to count negative Quest ELISA's. He has tested positive at Quest for babesia and at MDL labs for ehrlichia and bartonella.
What bands showed up?
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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posted
The last time he was tested was nearly a year ago.
On the IGM he was only one IND - band 39
On the IGG he had band 39 IND, and positive on bands 41 and 58
I don't think that any of them strongly suggest lyme disease.
But that was after only 5 months of oral antibiotics. Perhaps if he tested now, it would come up differently.
Posts: 160 | From Abington, PA, USA | Registered: May 2005
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