Topic: Opinions please on my 4 year old son's recent Igenex test results...
tickbattler
Unregistered
posted
Hi all,
My 4 year old son saw Dr. Jones last year and was tested at Igenex. His test showed IGG 41++ and IGM 41 IND. His exam with Dr. Jones was normal. We treated him with abx for a month after that visit to see if there were any changes but nothing was noted. We were pretty confident he didn't have lyme.
Because he has recently had several ear infections, an infected gland and swollen tonsils, we decided to test him again at Igenex. Again it was negative but this time it showed the following:
IGG 41 IND
IGM 23-25 IND 31 IND 34 +
Please let me know what you think about this. Have any of you had similar symptoms and results?
posted
I know very little about the specific Lyme bands. I'm sure someone here will notice this and tell you about the individual bands that were positive versus indeterminate.
Posts: 129 | From Virginia | Registered: Feb 2008
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Geneal
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10375
posted
Not the expert here, but bands 23-25, 31 and 34 are Lyme specific.
Band 41 may not be, but is often the first band to show up.
May want to consult Dr. J. again.
My daughter kept getting ill. Bacterial pneumonia twice in 10 days.
She caught everything.
Then she started with fatigue, joint pain, etc.
She had 41++ both IgM and IgG.
All other lyme specific bands were Ind (31, 34, 89-93)IgM and IgG.
Our LLMD really cares about the symptoms. She was diagnosed based on symptoms and supportive blood work.
She was 5 at the time.
May want to revisit this with Dr. J.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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tickbattler
Unregistered
posted
Geneal, Your reply is very helpful. I am afraid my son's situation sounds much like your daughter's. The fact that more lyme specific bands are starting to show is not a good sign. Over the past 2 months, he has been sick most of the time. My other children have gotten sick as well, but they seem to get better faster and get fewer other infections along with the colds. I have made an appointment to see Dr. Jones but it's not for another month. I'm going to try to call tomorrow to see if we can possibly get him in sooner.
My son's symptoms over the past 2 years have been irritability, sleep disturbances (not as much now, but about a year ago, he would be awake at night for 2 hours at a time. This lasted for many months.) He does sleep better now, so I attributed it to his wired personality. He has sunlight sensitivity, but not terrible and he is very fair skinned with light eyes. It is only when we first walk outside and then his eyes adjust, so this could be normal. When he was 2-3 years old, many nights he would start crying at the dinner table and I never knew why. His tonsils are huge and have been this way for the past 2 months. He often says that he's sleepy, but he does not sleep as much as my other kids, as much as I try to get him to.
Do you mind telling me how long your daughter has been in treatment? How long do you think she had it before she was diagnosed? Have you seen Dr. J? Does your daughter have coinfections too? Is she improving with the treatment?
It is just so scary to me to have to "assume" my child has lyme with such nonspecific symptoms. I don't think my son has any joint pain. His exam by Dr. J was completely normal last year.
sixgoofykids
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 11141
posted
I would get this new information to Dr. J as soon as possible. Band 34 is very significant and with the new symptoms, I would imagine Dr. J would want to treat this time.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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METALLlC BLUE
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6628
posted
He has Lyme Disease. Hope this helps. Dr. J knows how to handle a case like this.
-------------------- I am not a physician, so do your own research to confirm any ideas given and then speak with a health care provider you trust.
Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
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So sorry to hear about your son. He's lucky to have you working on finding answers. It sounds like you tested him through your regular doctor (having seen Dr. J last year).
Did your son EVER have a bulls-eye rash? If so, be sure the doctor knows.
Please consult with either Dr. J or another LLMD over the meaning of the test. It is not necessarily negative - in fact it could likely be positive - further consult is necessary.
The CDC may declare a test negative for their political reasons, but that does not make it so. Some very ill people have shown with just one specific positive band.
Not to scare you but, again, further evaluation by a LLMD is best. It would be great if it's not, but you need to be clear about what this means.
The CDC stamp of "Positive" or "negative" must be on all lyme tests. However, according to many ILADS LLMDs, the criteria used by the CDC misses many who have various positive bands, just not the exact lotto-like combination the CDC somehow came up with in a card game.
Also of note is the fact that even the CDC says the tests are not meant to stand alone, that lyme is a CLINICAL diagnosis.
CONTROVERSY CONTINUES TO FUEL THE "LYME WAR" By Virginia Savely, RN, FNP-C
***** As two medical societies battle over its diagnosis and treatment, Lyme disease remains a frequently missed illness. Here is how to spot and treat it.
EXCERPT:
The Western blot test **********************
Because B. burgdorferi is an extremely difficult bacterium to culture in the lab, testing has relied on detection of antibodies to the organism.
The Lyme enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) gives a titer of total immunoglobulin (Ig) G and M antibodies and is currently the accepted initial screen for suspected disease.
Since a screening test should have at least 90% sensitivity, the 65% sensitivity of the commercial Lyme ELISA should lead to its reconsideration as an acceptable screening tool .
The Western blot, which is commonly used as a confirmatory test for Lyme disease, is more sensitive than the ELISA.
While the CDC has published strict criteria for positivity on the Western blot to make a more exclusive cohort for epidemiologic purposes, it never intended for these criteria to be used for diagnosis.
Unfortunately, the restrictive criteria omit several of the important bands on the blot that are highly sensitive markers for the presence of B. burgdorferi (see ``Interpreting the Western blot,'').
Clinicians should become acquainted with the relative sensitivity and specificity of each of the bands on the blot to make an appropriate assessment for diagnostic purposes.
A negative test based on epidemiologic criteria may be a positive test for diagnostic purposes.
- full article at the tiny URL link above - or search title at home link with the journal.
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