Lab Corp now using two tiered testing for Lyme?

EXXXXACTTTTTLY Pirouette & Traveler!!

Its just absolute insanity how they act when they hear "LYME" ....down to pretty much ALL of our doctors whether it be Neuro, Rhuemy, Cardi, GP, Infectious Disease or the insurance co's and CDC.....there's this stigma or conspiracy going on when it shouldnt be!!!!! I mean is there any other illness that is tainted or taboo like lyme regarding all this craziness-I really dont think so. I would never wish this on my worst enemy but its like the only way they are going to open their eyes is as more people keep getting sick which end up maybe being the spouse, brothers, sisters, etc. of one of these people *and/or* we raise awareness....and I like how you put Pirouette..."we're just a lil preoccupied at the moment" so its a bit hard=convenient for them is right!


Also, regarding this thread Pirouette, I was thinking that too....with okay, maybe theyre open to bending the rules more with treatment despite the first step ELISA being negative.....but cant be toatally that either, because from my own personal experience......they CAN treat you "if they want" or have any hunch of it being lyme. My ID doc did give me the benefit of the doubt-surprisingly. He went ahead and treated me for 30 days with 875 bid AMOX....I was actually feeling alot better, but not all symptoms resolved. He told me the only alternative option was Rocephin Picc line and after that if I was not better the symptoms are considered of a "Post lyme syndrome". Basically that IS the end of the line for them to treat and that is IF they decide to treat you. My mom had lyme and miraculously got better from 30 day picc line (Im thinking she was one of very few that only had 'lyme' and no co's). So I pushed and opted for picc line. He was still SO reluctant I could tell. He talked to a neuro, rhuemy and had me see their GP in building regarding my case to put all the "pieces together". The gp said to me "I have had 'a' patient with lyme disease before, you do not look like you have lyme disease". She was TOTALLY clueless, you could just tell.

The ID doc basically sighed one day and no doubt uttered the words to me "I hate lyme disease" and we went for the picc line. Its like they 'know', or at least he knew how the tests are not accurate but he had to follow his buddies and their stupid treatment "guidelines" no matter what. Thats just how they roll! (Grrrrr)

Anyways, my point is he basically had the option to bend with my test being negative back then and not totally follow the CDC guidelines. They do what they wanna do and then if your lucky to get agreed that much treatment-it is still capped at 30 to 60 days max.

I guess if your convincing enough you can get the whole 60 days of treatment...which I think helped.... because I went on pretty normal after that for almost a year.....but obviously, 30 or 60 days still ISNT enough if your out of the 1st stage range. When I saw him I had been symptomatic for about 6-8 months. Looking back at distinct symptoms, I was in tell-tale 2nd stage and bacterial load was nothing like it is now.

I probably could have been better with just 1-2 months more of treatment, or even better if he wouldve combined at least 2 abx together. But since I did see improvement, I guess I then gave him the benefit of the doubt with 'post lyme syndrome'. After all, my mom got better on the picc.

So frustrating, I could go on and on....this subject gets my blood boiling every time :-/

Pardon my french, but its just all a bunch of BS

Jeff - I was negative on the Elisa here in Canada so they wouldn't do the Western Blot.
I tested positive IgM on the Igenex Western Blot.

So, no it doesn't make sense that if you're negative on Elisa, that you won't have antibodies for IgM or IgG. - For me it seems like it was the other way around.

I get very angry about what's happening here in Canada with Lyme and the medical system. Knowing that if I'd been treated in the first few months - when I said, "There's something really wrong with me" and not been passed on from Dr. to Dr. - that I would most likely be better today...makes my blood boil.

Jeffissick, if you have the time, please see these links- and maybe print out each page for your doctor:
www.lymedisease.org/lyme101/lyme_disease/lyme_diagnosis.html

www.columbia-lyme.org/patients/ld_lab_test.html

And Girlie, this one is for you too:
canlyme.com/just-diagnosed/testing/

Yeah, this is actually a bad thing. Cut down on "false positives?" This will just make it so less people are able to get a lyme diagnosis when the crappy ELISA test doesn't catch it. Like the others have said, this is for the benefit of insurance companies, not patients.

The REAL problem is all the false NEGATIVES.