HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Please Help! Positive ANA Question for all with this issue! Thanks!

Support Forums
>
Lyme Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 4/28/2015 11:02 PM (GMT 0)
I have a positive ANA Titer of 1:320 as well a speckled ANA Screen, IFA. I've been told by most doctors that this doesn't mean much at all. Recently, I saw an amazing and renowned Herbalist/Naturopathic LLMD. She said the Positive ANA test results are a sign of an Auto Immune Disease. I believe she said not to worry, because with treatment of Lyme and the Co-infections, the positive ANA results and Autoimmune issues will go away.
I'm very scared. I don't know why I'm scared. Three years ago, I barely couldn walk at all. My neuropathy and deep pain were so bad, that I felt like my whole body was on fire, and like I was being electrocuted constantly. These symptoms were among an array of other symptoms that have lessened and/or subsided.

My question is. (feel free to anwer half of one, if that's all you feel you can contribute or more, if you know more about this particular subject)

1. Are my ANA Titer test numbers really high? What does speckled mean?

2. Can a positive ANA test go away, even theoretically if it's been there for some time?

3. Will a positive ANA test go away, as the Lyme and Co-infections heal?

4. Is a positive/high ANA Titer or screen indicative of an Autoimmune Disease such as lupus that will not go away?

5. Doctors have said that I don't have lupus, except this one, who didn't say that I have lupus, but she said I have some sort of Autoimmune Disease because of the ANA test results. How do you know if you have Lupus? Can Lupus go away? Are some cases of Lupus just Lyme in disguise?

Thank you so much for all your help. I am in debt to all of my fellow Lymies. A couple of years ago, in the emotional, mental, physical and spiritual HELL that I was in, I could not see the healing breakthroughs that has eventually occurred. I just thought my body was too ruined. I thought, "How could my body come back from this?" Stick with it fellow Lyme fighters! Meditation is key! Pray, or whatever it is that you do. Lean on love. Don't overload or burden the body. Thank you!

Post Edited (alexbshuman) : 4/28/2015 5:13:10 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 4/28/2015 11:55 PM (GMT 0)
I just posted about this subject. My only abnormal blood test is a high ANA. Mine was 1:160 diffuse and lupus was ruled out. I still get scared about autoimmune but I truly believe mine is lyme. Now I had the body on fire too and that has gotten a little better. I've been treating lyme with herbalist for about a year. My ANA was retested and now it's speckled with 1:40. I believe 1:39 is normal. I do think lyme can cause our ANA to go up. I'm not an expert but I wouldn't panic. There is another series of tests to get to rule out autoimmune, it's not just the ANA. Also, your ANA can change depending on the lab doing the testing.
Speckled pattern is found in lupus as well as other ai diseases like sjorens but it's also found in some healthy people.
Posted 4/29/2015 12:15 AM (GMT 0)
Hi alexbshuman

I don't have answers to you questions, but I wanted to welcome you to the forum!

That's great that you have improved in the last few years.

Did you treat for lyme and co-infections? Are you still treating?
Posted 4/29/2015 12:23 AM (GMT 0)
Lyme mimics over 300 other diseases/conditions (and counting!!), and yes, Lupus is one of them! Over the years that I have been here, I've seen a lot of people come through with a positive ANA with high titers and they heal from Lyme and the co-infections and move on with their lives! So you are far from alone in this.

The one autoimmune issue that I have experience with is Hashimoto's thyroiditis - and it completely cleared up when I healed the first time ( I was reinfected with Lyme last year) - no trace of it in any blood tests now!!

While Lyme and Lupus share quite a few symptoms, there are key symptoms with Lupus - like the butterfly shape rash on the face - that Lyme patients rarely have. But even if you have those exact symptoms - and you have seen improvements with treatments for Lyme - they you have Lyme, as Lupus won't improve with Lyme treatments.

You said that you have had some improvements - were you in treatment for Lyme at the time?

The other thing is that you don't want to take steroids or immune suppressing drugs if you even suspect Lyme disease, as Lyme is a bacterial infection and will spread even further throughout the body if immune suppressing drugs or steroids are used.

Have you been tested for Lyme? Does the doc you see (the TCM in NY) believe you have Lyme or other tick-borne infections? If so, go with that treatment and work hard at it and see how far you heal before turning to Lupus meds. I bet you will find your answers quickly to be honest once you start a good protocol.
Posted 4/29/2015 12:37 AM (GMT 0)
alexbshuman

I just looked mine up. It is exactly the same. My Rhumi did more tests and determined it wasn't lupus. The closest thing was possible mixed connective tissue disorder. He doesn't believe in Lyme. But my llmd told me to go to him for what he can do for me if something is wrong. It's probably just Lyme throwing things off. He has done other tests Complement 3 and 4 and nothing was determined. so he has me coming in every 6 months (right) to retest. I skipped the last one. I'll go later this year after my current relapse gets in check. I really wouldn't worry. I was concerned and read up on lupus. . and in the end . . . not worth the stress! Lyme does a lot of weird things. It messes up mix connective tissues in an autoimmune way. I get reynauds and such - which is autoimmune.
Posted 4/29/2015 1:07 AM (GMT 0)
Our daughter's was positive ANA 1:180 speckled type. She was also diagnosed with the autoimmune reaction PANS(Pediatric Autoimmune Neurological Syndrome)/PANDAS(Pediatric Autoimmune Neurological Disease Associated with Strep B Infection).

With treatment for bartonella (she was IND on the WB for lyme but was not treated for it specifically, although it may have been addressed with the multiple combo abx used for bartonella), her ANA declined to negative and her autoimmune reactions have resolved.

I always assumed the speckled type (associated with cartilage involvement) was the result of damage done to cartilage by the lyme bacteria.
Posted 4/29/2015 12:06 PM (GMT 0)
Rowingmom, if you are back on this site. I had read before that you wrote of two llmds near Buffalo. I haven't known how to reach you to ask their names in the event that I may need to switch from the one I see. I could get to buffalo area if I had to. My email is enabled if you would be so kind as to offer their names as I know we can't on the forum. Thank you much! Moosiey
Posted 4/29/2015 7:30 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you all very much. Yes, I have been on antbiotics for quite some time. My illness really started to heal when I started treating the Bartonella. Thank you very much for you time!
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply