It's been a long time since I've last posted -- many overly dramatic stories that I won't tell... at least not now or in this forumn. For those of you unacquainted with me -- I ramble...a lot! Sorry!
With that knowledge about myself in mind - I'm going to go ahead & post my main question here, and if you have some extra time on your hands, feel free to read all the rambling that follows.
HOW MUCH DOES IGENEX WESTERN BLOTS COST NOW - BOTH THE IGG & IGM?
AND
HOW MUCH FOR THE MAIN 3 CO-INFECTION TESTS?
FYI - I have had some testing kits here at home (from when I was DFW support group leader -- but the tests are probably about 4 years old now. Do they expire? The testing kit seems like it's just a bunch of tubes to bleed into with some gunk at the bottom, along with some urine specimen cups.
I never had to pee for a Lyme test - so is that like a semi-useless urine antigen test or something? Please let me know what you know about the $$ and the pee cups - I think I used to know more about the pee cups - but more important knowledge has pushed that stuff to the inner brain vault. Anyway - please re-teach me about the pee because I generally like knowledge.
Naturally I'd call Igenex myself to ask these delightful questions, yet I assume no one is there today, because today is a Saturday in California. Actually it's Saturday here in Texas too - but I'm guessing most of you knew that. I digress.
NOW, for my interesting story which will compel you to find out for me about the costs of tests & expiration dates.
I have a friend of 20+ years who has had various illness, diseases, symptoms over the last 15+ years.
She has had so many things - all over the map, and so many docs to say: "I don't know what's wrong..."
Need I really say more here?
I told her I think she has Lyme because let's face it, when you realize you have Lyme -- you can pretty much diagnose all your family & friends.
The thing that clinches this for me is that.... SHE GREW UP IN CONNECTICUT & HER DAD WAS A BOYSCOUT LEADER....!!!!!
She tries using the excuse that she doesn't remember a tick bite. Big deal! @#$$, I can't remember if I took my mood stabilizer today - so what?!!
Here's the "sticky" part: As many housewives come to find out when they become ill & debilitated with this disease (or any other incapacitating (spelling??) disease) - is that you feel you become TOTALLY DEPENDENT on your husband...and of course, singles often become dependent on aging parents or upon the generous support of close friends.
As a semi-debilitated homemaker, I understand how easy it is to "give away your power" to your spouse because of feeling helpless and at their mercy.
My friends' husband told her years ago (when I told her the I had Lyme) that...quote: "Donna ain't got Lyme!" (I'm Donna...Donna the Wise@ss -- just so you don't get confused in this long@ss story...)
I have urged my friend time & time again to get the tests done. At one point I told her that I would reimburse her for the tests if I were wrong -- but hubby said NO WAY. He refuses to even entertain the idea that she has LD. And quite frankly, I don't understand that bull@#$$ BECAUSE they have been in extreme debt in the past because of her multiple hospital visits and because at one point her "bright" hubby had decided to take her off his medical insurance because he thought it would be cheaper than the premiums. @#$% !!!???!!!
BTW - they have now crawled out of debt because he worked two jobs, yet even now he won't let her get the tests!!
Anyhoo - my friend just called a few minutes ago saying her doc really wanted her to go to the hospital this weekend because of a dangerous amount of edema in her legs - but thought she'd rest better at home since he wasn't on call.
Meanwhile, her blood sugars this past week have ranged frm 150 - 300+ .
Again - I have tried SO MANY times in the past to get her to fork over the measly $200+ dollars (in the big scheme of things...$200 is nothing!) for the Igenex tests...and that way they can at least rule it in our out one way or the other. (AND YES, OF COURSE I KNOW THAT LYME IS A CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS - BUT SHE AIN'T GONNA GET THAT FROM HER CURRENT DUCK!)
Still, with her hubby it's a NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WAY!!! Her hubby said NO about her having Lyme or getting the tests AND that if a doc was out of her network - then NO she can't go to him. If insurance won't pay for meds or tests -- she can't have them.
Granted this man is not totally stupid - he works for the Gov't, working on military planes (and don't we feel safer with THAT knowledge?) yet he feels completely qualified to say she does not have Lyme, hence she can't get a test done.
Today she tells me he has offered to divorce her in the past (like 2 weeks ago and a few times in distant pasts, saying things like: "The happiest day in my life is when I can divorce you" or something along those lines.)
TODAY her hubby is at home trying to finish the total remodel of their kitchen. (I don't know how to adequately express my anger about how much was spent on that project while she lies in bed suffering and clueless about what's wrong with her mixed up body, and about whether it will kill her or not.)
I have now gathered a crapload of LD research, along with the testing kit from Igenex (expired or otherwise) and am going to her home & write her a d@mn check to IGENEX (NOT giving her cash that hubby could spend on kitchen crap...cuz my momma didn't raise a complete fool!)
It's been a few years since I've had my Igenex done, along with co-infection tests, so...
That's I need to know. I need a number. I ain't writing a blank check...see above about my momma.
Again, HOW MUCH DOES IGENEX WESTERN BLOTS COST DOWN - BOTH THE IGG & IGM?
AND
HOW MUCH FOR THE BAB, BART, AND ERLICHIOSIS?
(Hey - is there an abbreviation for Erlichiosis? Can't we just say EARL? I have an EX step-father named EARL...never really liked him; actually I loathed him, but that's probably totally beside the point. Sorry for the digression(s)and my apologies for all the nice Earls out there!)
OK, so the length of this email & the speed of the thoughts going thru my head in a very manic manner suggests to me that I need to find my mood stabilizer -- and probably before I visit my friend (and her HUSBAND!!!) with the research & check, while wearing my CALDA T-shirt that says: "Ticks suck...and give you Lyme disease" That's a classic, don't you think?
Thank you all in advance for your help with this and for my follow-up questions...and if anyone lives near me and wants to come to my house and clean up the chaos I caused looking for all the "right" research & literature to take to her, please feel free to do so.
Hugs & Kisses, DR
PS - My friend just called again (remember - she's got really severe edema in her legs - so bad that her skin is splitting open...) and she's wanting me to stop at the store and bring her a box of Saltine crackers as she's craving salt! My first thought is that would be a definite NO-NO; but I haven't had my meds yet today and I'm feeling totally clueless - can't get the brain vault open...
Her clueless doc DID put her on Lasix (don't know how much yet) but I'm wondering if her electrolytes could really be screwed too? It seems to me - if you take too much lasix, you should be taking potassium supplements too. Right?
Also - her current duck didn't tell her to wear compression stockings. That seems like a no-brainer, doesn't it?
Anyone want to weigh in on all that?
OK, now I'm done rambling.
NO, wait - if anyone wants to email me please email me at [email protected] . This is not an advertisement for my failing little hobby business I started. (Honestly, I just signed up to get the discount so I could look & smell really good while lying in bed. I now have lots of jewelry to match my nightgowns...still sick as a d@mned dog, but well accessorized!
-------------------- DR. Wiseass NOT a real doc - just a real wise Posts: 792 | From USA | Registered: Jan 2005
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I will DEFINITELY relay that message as my dear friend had cancer years before I knew her and they had to remove one of her kidneys!
That is a huge potentially life-saving piece of info.
Love you gal!
D
-------------------- DR. Wiseass NOT a real doc - just a real wise Posts: 792 | From USA | Registered: Jan 2005
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Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
The urine test might be PCR. I know MDL runs urine PCRs. I call it the needle in the haystack test though, because it's actually looking for the bacteria and not the antibody.
I can't answser your other questions, sorry. I'm generally against violence, but hearing about your friend's husband makes me Stabby McStabby.
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
i say punch the husband, steal his wallet, and take her for the blood draw
-------------------- life shrinks and expands in proportion to one's courage -- anais nin Posts: 8337 | From the other shore | Registered: Jul 2002
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Carol in PA
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 5338
posted
Donna, you said
quote:Also - her current duck didn't tell her to wear compression stockings. That seems like a no-brainer, doesn't it?
If the skin is starting to split from the pressure, putting on the compression stockings will cause further injury.
If she is lying in bed, she should have a pillow under her calves and ankles, to elevate the lower extremities. She can put a clean towel under her legs if the skin is weeping.
If she's taking the Lasix, she can supplement potassium by eating a banana. Potatoes are high in potassium too.
And....how do you know that the Igenex receptionist isn't there, if you don't call.
You should ask if the old "kit" is still good to use. If not, you can order more.
Your friend may have some difficulty getting the doctor to write Western Blot IgG and IgM for Lyme on a prescription pad. I know I did. I even had to look up the FedEx number in the phone book, and call for pickup, after I finished packing up the tube of serum and checking the paperwork.
Boy, the doctor's office was so glad to get rid of me.
Carol
Posts: 6947 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Aniek: I can't answser your other questions, sorry. I'm generally against violence, but hearing about your friend's husband makes me Stabby McStabby.
Donna... Tincup used to call Ehrlich "EARL"... but it was also the name of the spider in her keyboard!!
OH yes... About the coinfections. Have her contact Fry Labs in AZ. Supposedly, the testing for the coinfections is better than Igenex and it's CHEAPER!
I don't have the contact info, but maybe someone else does!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Just Julie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1119
posted
Hey Donna aka DR Wise@ss--I've missed YOU!!! Your writing is/was something I looked forward to everytime I signed on.
Can't help with your friend. But, I've been in your boat--wanting to help someone that I thought had lyme. I'm now at the point where I only give out lyme info if the other person is actively interested. Maybe your friend is, but the husband sounds like he could rip you a new one.
I know if I were you (and I'm a go getter like you)I would still wait until Monday and check on that kit. If it did have expired/outdated medium in the bottom of those test tubes, then the whole shebang would be for naught, and you might be looking at a repeat some days down the road. And wouldn't THAT be fun with the hubby looking all he-man and smoldering testosterony, eh?
Taker easy, go find that mood stabilizer now y'hear? xxoo, Julie from a long time ago too
[ 27. April 2008, 12:04 AM: Message edited by: Just Julie ]
-------------------- Julie Posts: 1027 | From Northern CA | Registered: May 2001
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jamescase20
Unregistered
posted
Be smart, get JUST the western blot from igentix, if ANY ANY ANY band is pos, consider it lyme. Then get that microscopy stain from fry labs for the co-infections. THEN, get live blood microscopy and WATCH THEM LOOK AT YOUR BLOOD, you watch too, if you see ANY thing swimming dots are lyme babies, or barts, or babs, wiggly sticks is lyme, and they crawl out of there "hive" its grouse.
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sometimesdilly
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9982
posted
hi wise-*** !
sure have missed your sassy self here.
i hate to sound judgmental, but hey, your friend's husband is more than a jerk- how he is treating his wife is emotional abuse.
deciding what the hey she is still doing in that marriage perhaps will come another day. hopefully so.
yeah, i know how difficult it is to go from being fiercely independent to near completely dependent upon one's husband. i no longer even have a checking acct of my own.
But a loving husband, or even, i would think, a completely mediocre partner would never use that dependency to hurt his sick wife.
but..i'm digressing too. the basic tests from Igenex--(i agree, skip testing for co-infections riht now) are still a couple hundred dollars, period. Have them send you a new kit- it comes with am urgent fed-ex envelope, etc.
one problem she may encounter is the blood draw itself to send to Igenex. Here in MD, no commercial lab would do that draw to have tested outside their own lab- with or without insurance, didn't matter.
She's have to get a script for the draw to take elsewhere- I took mine to a nearby hospital that would do it.. for about 20 or 30 dollars.
The next possible problem is that Igenex does not send the results to patients, only to DR's.
She would have to have the moxy to insist that her quack gives her a copy of the full results, and she would have to be able to tune him out if he tells her she's negative, contrary to what is staring him in the face from Igenex.
If she's able to go the distance with your help, maybe she's able to leave her husband out of it and just do it for herself.
i know you know this, but if she can't manage to pull all that off, there is little you can do. Is there any other ally you can ask to help you/her out, if need be?
you're a good friend. good luck to you both. take care, dilly
Posts: 2507 | From lost in the maze | Registered: Aug 2006
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
hello to my absentee friend, wise butt!!! missed you dear donna!
IGENEX ^ FRY LAB INFO GALORE: *******************************
If testing for Babesia or Bartonella use Dr F lab in Arizona! -- cost is $250 for a bloodslide test -- more definitive than an antibody test for these coinfections. This is not medical advice, just my opinion based on hubby's experience (he's tested many states!) Bea Seibert
* Please note: What you are about to read below is NOT meant to scare any of you from any lyme testings done; it's meant to be informed PRIOR to going into having various tests done and then be told what the costs will be! * Mine was sticker $$ shock on various testings done by my 2nd LLMD/new to me in 4=06. Those tests/results are found elsewhere in my links/advise.
* Igenex's charges for these below things cost $905, which I figured up the last 2 days for 2 other folks includes
* The below tests were done for ME; you MAY NOT NEED them all ok! :
* western blot IGM & IGG, this is MANDATORY for you which costs $190 total for 2 tests done; NOTE! $190 still current 4-08 !! * *****************************************
* co-infection panel for YOUR AREA OF COUNTRY; 9-07, $515.00 for each section of usa!**************************************
donna, i can't find my 3-08 UPDATED RATES; but western blot igm/igg are still $190 !! not sure on co-infection $$$. Betty 4-26-08 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++
* PCR WHOLE BLOOD...this is what my LLMD ordered!
It's PREPAY! unless you are on medicare; IGX will file the paperwork & it's FREE to you.
go to www.igenex.com and read over their info. Prices go up twice a year! * Also, call 1-800.832.3200 for CURRENT PRICES! * They will also send you a ``test kit'' with their required form, all the test vials, & box to ship it in! OUT OF USA will take longer to receive! * You need to DOWNLOAD IGENEX's required form. * MD must sign, date, and show DIAGNOSIS CODE on there why he's ordering the test. Make sure you show to FAX results and SNAIL MAIL PAPER COPY! My results were lost for 4-5 weeks! Bettyg
* When you get your results, please post them in MEDICAL; * ONLY the POSITIVE & IND ones ....not the negative ones! * Also, look for post by LYMETOO/TUTU on DR. C's (Missouri) explanation of the western blot IGM & IGG numbers, below!
7. FRY LABS, ARIZONA to test for CO-INFECTIONS $ 400 **************************
8. BLOOD SMEARS cost was $295. *************************************
Anyone can download the order form for all of their tests from their website. The kit costs $15 but a doctor's office can order for free. *******************************************
Fry LAB ARIZONA LYME/TICK LAB ... excellent for co-infections: bart/babs! 15720 Airpark Medical Center N Greenway - Hayden Loop, Suite 3, Scottsdale, AZ 85260. (480) 991.4555
Open 7 Days Per Week & Some Holidays - Call for hours - (480) 991.4555 $$$ costs
********************* donna, is your friend from TEXAS; i know of a dr. who could help by signing igenex's dr. slip to request this. if interested, PM me please!
thank God; your friend has you vs. that egotisical and spending money on everything but his wife, and STOPPING HEALTH INSURANCE !!!!
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