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Positive IGM (23, 39, 41, 31, 34) Negative IGG (no bands)

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Lyme Disease
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Posted 6/22/2010 2:33 AM (GMT 0)
So been like this for years...my doctors say its a false positive on Western.

Just wondering if there is any updates on this type of situation?
Posted 6/22/2010 4:03 PM (GMT 0)
Hi lynniecat,

You definitely have a postive test. If I were you, I'd see another doctor. You truly need to find a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor. They would look at this test a positive. You need treatment ASAP!
Posted 6/22/2010 4:05 PM (GMT 0)
Here is some information on finding a LLMD:

For information on finding a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor(LLMD) in your area, please email our long time member, Dan's Mother at:
[email protected]

If you'd like more doctor suggestions, you can email stephanie at: [email protected] You can also go to: www.turnthecorner.org/bod.htm if you want to learn a little bit more about Lyme Disease.

You will want to find an ILADS(International Lyme And Associated Diseases Society) doctor. The ILADS site is a great place to read to get you started on your Lyme journey.
www.ilads.org/

For great info and links, please read the topic at the top of the first page of this forum titled, "New To Lyme?......Start Here!" It will help you get started learning about lyme
Posted 6/22/2010 4:30 PM (GMT 0)
Had a similar result with IGG negative , my doc said I have lyme, so if I where you I would find another docter...
Posted 6/22/2010 5:33 PM (GMT 0)
Lynniecat, yes, that is DEFINITELY a positive Lyme test. One interesting medical paper on the subject is Ma et al 1992 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC265062/pdf/jcm00026-0126.pdf). They claim that bands 31 and 34 almost NEVER appear in tandem except in late-stage Lyme disease. I have bands 31 and 34 in both IgM and IgG.

Please find a LLMD or LLND!

Good luck!
JoAnn
Posted 6/22/2010 7:37 PM (GMT 0)
WOW I can't believe anyone would say that is a negative test.  then again my dr. did five years ago so I went 3 years undiagnosed.  GET TO AN LLMD FAST!  You will only regret it later.  Band 39 alone is BB specific.
Posted 8/19/2010 5:05 AM (GMT 0)
Sorry, became really ill with a ear infection (what the heck I am 44) and lost partial hearing in my right ear. Got the wrong drugs and was forced to wait 5 days in extreme pain. Then they sent me to an ENT who was horrified I was treated so poorly (medially). I had a tube put in and had daily draining, washing and rinsing of my ear for 3 weeks. Now I am not allowed under water for 3 months. My hearing test shows hearing loss but we hope it will return with time.

Ok, so need to find a LLMD (again). I moved away from last one. I have been in this situation with positive IGM, negative IGG since 2002 when I first checked.

Ironically, I had weird hand pain, muscle fatigue, muscle twitching and issues with dexterity in both hands and thought...hmmm maybe stress as I was finishing a second BS degree as an older student. So I went to a therapist asking if it was stress from school. This was a MD (psychiatrist proper) therapist trained at Stanford but having just started her own private practice in Palo Alto. She said, that does not sound like stress to me, that sounds like and odd disease such as lyme disease and sent me off to IGenex with a lab slip. It came back as described above. IGG negative, IGM positive for CDC criterai. She said take this to your primary care and tell them to treat you for chronic lyme (being a therapist, she could not treat me herself for lyme). I did and they laughed...response I have gotten since for the most part. False positive -- I have been repeatedly told. If no IGG, you never had Lyme. These are highly trained docs, so this all sucks big time. I have been treated for lupus, fibromyalgia and been told that basically nothing can be done. Also been told I was crazy and or had chronic pain syndrome. Have also had 2 weeks of doxy. I just keep getting worse. Its pretty much ruined my life...oh well. I will find a lyme specific doc and try again...never give up right?
Posted 8/19/2010 1:04 PM (GMT 0)
Me too. My IgM Western Blot is positive, but IgG Western Blot is negative (IGeneX and CDC).  My LLND (plus 2 LLMD's and another LLND) says I have Lyme.  And when I'm on abx, the pain significantly decreases.  Was told by an ID doctor that it was a false positive and "cross-reactive" with some other infection.  He couldn't tell me what infection though...and I don't test positive for any other infections (including coinfections) except Lyme.

Yeah, I've been laughed out of doctors' offices before too, and also been told I'm a nut job, diagnosed with all sorts of stuff that never made sense to me, given loads of immune suppressing meds (all but Prednisone made me sicker; Prednisone used to help but it stopped working), told I was "difficult" and told there was nothing they could do for me.  It was out of desperation that I finally went to the Naturopath I now see, and by dumb luck, he happened to be Lyme-Literate and when the IGeneX test came back positive, I finally knew what was wrong all these years (the diagnosis "felt" right to me...unlike all the other diagnoses I'd been given prior).

Posted 8/19/2010 4:38 PM (GMT 0)

I have not tested IGG positive either...I have only tested positive IgM.  My doc said it was an active infection.

Not sure why some of us don't convert to IGG.  The way I see it is there is still a great deal to be learned about this disease, I don't think they have even begun to scratch the surface. 

I would get treated for Lyme if it was me. 

Posted 8/21/2010 2:31 AM (GMT 0)
I think the testing is interesting, as well as misleading. I just bet it has something to do with how long the bacteria has been in your body. We suspect that may be why I don't come up positive.....only exposed in May 2010. Have positive & IND bands on both the IgM & the IgG. but not enough to count as actual positive. It's still early in the sickness for me, fortunately I got to it fast. I'm actually feeling a bit better.....been on meds since July 7th. Still have a way to go........
Good luck to you.
Posted 8/21/2010 4:10 AM (GMT 0)
I grew up in NH and I am now 44. When I was 10, I remember I had a hard bump on my head. I was scratch like crazy at it trying to remove it, Finally I pulled off black insect parts and there was tons of blood. I did not know what a tick was then, but the even was definitely memorable and gross. Was that a lyme infected tick. I would have been in 76 or so? If so, would that mean an IGG response would be gone by now? Dunno....

But this week has been bad.

I take vicodin and savilla now...have a physical medicine doctor who took me off tramadol and predisone since I was on tram for 6 years and the max dose no longer worked. We are hoping a break will allow me to take it again and have it work for pain. The prednisone is wonderful, but so bad for you long term we are trying to find alternatives.

I honestly feel confused as to what is wrong, but will try with a new LLMD soon I hope.
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