Igenex Testing In USA When You Have No Doctor - Please Share Your Creative Ideas - Need Testing ASAP

Girlie, Robin - When someone is new its hard to sort through the info. The first recommendation people read is to use an LLMD, but for me that wasn't really a possibility. I did however get my doc to sign the order by nagging but I had been with him 13 years and I think he signed just to prove me wrong.

When I first found them, I put a post out asking if anyone else had used them but got no responses. I decided to go with it anyway. They don't actually do the labs, they just facilitate it. Before I've ordered any tests I have checked into the specific company that actually runs the labs. The blood draw locations are Quest Labs (or Solstas because they apparently merged). You can go on their site to get locations via your zip code. At least in the US.

I don't want to send people down the wrong path, but I think this is a pretty safe option. I'm not sure how they can legally do this but I am not going to argue.

Another thing that I like about this is that it keeps the results out of your medical records. By going through my doctor, I now have all that in my record and added to the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia I am really in a bad position now.

Do be careful though to check over the order, because I did find an issue with blood work I ordered. They corrected it but if I didn't look back over the order after I got the results I would have paid for more than they actually did. I don't think that would be an issue with the Igenex test, just make sure you select the Igenex test and not the Standard Lyme tests.

Girlie, they do international testing too. I looked quick and didn't see any Lyme tests. I don't know if you can still get the Igenex Lyme tests, but if someone has no other options it would be worth contacting them.

Robin, they are having a 10% off sale that is on until Jan 25th. They have actually had the sale on since mid december but they keep extending it. I've seen it extended at least three times but I wouldn't expect it to last. You can purchase the tests now but don't have to get the blood draw until you are ready if that helps. I have purchased some and then waited a bit to have the actual test done. I don't know what the markup is, but if you email Igenex they will send you a price list but maybe not by Monday.

As far as the Olive Leaf extract goes, I understand the hesitance about it. I didn't know that there was an option beyond my doctor and didn't want a negative test in my record. I had already decided I would test positive so being slammed wasn't a surprise.

I did start my son on it but not until I tested positive. I was symptomatic at 16 (35 years ago) so I went through two pregnancies with it. Now knowing what I know, it's obvious my son has it. He had growth issues but it was low growth hormone and we are past that. I have thyroid but not Hashimoto's. Interestingly, Traveler has said that her Hashimoto's disappeared after treatment which flies in the face of logic but Hashimoto's has no know cause - maybe its Lyme.

I also homeschool my son, so if he has bad days we accommodate. Really that works both ways. But I find lots of free curriculum.

I also started him slow and never ramped up the dose. For me, i increased the dose after a week but was so slammed I dropped it back down and stayed there for a while.

You'll find that is common advice. Start everything slow.

Another word of advice. Post questions here and stay in touch. There is a wealth of info already available, but the best resource are the people.

There are a number of moms on here who have dealt with kids with Lyme. One that always comes to mind is rowingmom. She has brought her daughter through it and kept exquisite records that contain a wealth of info. I don't mean to slight anyone else because many have chimed in with their experience. I just have difficulty remembering names.

Hope both you and your daughter have good days. Take everything one day at a time.

Kim

And Robin, I'm sure you know and have read this by now, but so many of us with Lyme have parasites. I was tested and found to have a bunch of different things. But I never really had GI type issues which is interesting but gross at the same time!

Can you share which cleanse you did? I have done some biltricide/tinidazole, but have recently purchased paragone. Have not tried it yet because I'm taking to many things at the moment!

Well, glad you mentioned the allergy because I looked up my allergy paperwork and I'm a 4+ allergic to Black Walnut. I am not sure if this is actually correct though because I think when you have Lyme it may create some false positives on skin allergy testing, although I could be wrong about that. Maybe I will try for a week and see what happens. Will talk to my doc about it next month. Thanks!

Thanks Tillybear!

I actually do eat quite well (absorbing is another issue, though) - the leaky gut/destruction of my GI system keeps me from doing much else than eating more bland and nutrient dense foods.

I am one of those whose body reacts to everything right now - even with eating right, I am low on some minerals, thyroid, D....you name it. But my body doesn't tolerate too much of anything at once right now, including supplementation. Counting on foods more than supplements to help me now. Taking it slow and steady or I pay a big price.

That said, for probiotics my gut is handling sauerkraut (mainly the juice) ok in small amounts...whereas too much probiotic cause chaos. I've read many times this can happen and that you build up slowly...and that sauerkraut is the perfect food to start with when reintroducing good bacteria to the gut....so thanks for reaffirming that!

I believe parasites in my body (which are now very evident as I continue to eliminate them this past month) have robbed me of nutrition for years. I ate well, took supplements, yet showed no signs of improving my health! I am excited to reach a point where I can perhaps start absorbing nutrients once more. Have been juicing greens, too - to give them to my body in an easier to digest form (kale, leafy greens, parsley, cilantro, cucumber, celery and some carrot to make it drinkable).

Thanks again for the tip.....would you mind sharing your favorite sauerkraut recipe??
Robin

My experience:

I ordered the kit from Igenex and it was delivered to my house within a week or so. Then i took the kit to my doctor. She agreed to sign off on it ( i think she feels bad that she couldn't help me more). So her office took the blood, i then took the blood to fedex and had it shipped out. It is time sensitive so make sure u dont send it on a friday and it sits there all weekend. Then about 2 weeks later my doc received the results.

ursamajor68.........I am having the same situation. We are starting from scratch. tons of $$$$ down the drain and have to make wise choices as well. Whatever information you find out...would you mind sharing it with me please? Thanks

ursamajor68 said...
Hi Everyone......

I won't summarize my story here (believe me, you will thank me later!) but I am a newbie and you can catch up on what my daughter and I are going through in my "complex mom/daughter lyme" post.

All of the great feedback from that post has led me to bite the financial bullet and get Igenex testing, starting with my 21 year old daughter who shows more of the telltale symptoms - though both of us are enduring autoimmune disease nightmares.

The trouble is we live 2000 miles apart and though she will follow my lead, I really need to have things set up in advance for her. I can't throw my girl under the bus, so to speak, in such an anti-Lyme biased medical world. I want to set things up and tell her what will happen from point a to b to c.

We don't "do" conventional medicine anymore. The closest thing we have is that she goes to an affordable clinic when absolutely necessary - there is no primary doc - you see whatever doc is in that day.

I have this protective mother, nightmare image of her walking in with her Igenex kit, asking a doc to sign the lab requisition AND being approved to use their lab for who knows what cost, etc. -- I just don't see the planets aligning in this scenario....I just envision doors slamming and lots of tears from the experience.

So I am asking you to PLEASE share your experiences on how you got Igenex testing done when you didn't have a doctor, just like my daughter and me - both good and bad experiences (so I know what to look for). I am not rich and am paying out of pocket to combat BOTH of our illnesses, so I can't throw money around...I need to make good choices.

Maybe some of you bypassed primary care docs completely and used another practitioner like a chiropractor, etc? Please don't forget to throw in the lab part of this....

Again, please explain, in newbie language, how you accomplished getting your Igenex test done from start to finish, if you were like me and had zero medical support to turn to. Any creative idea would be so appreciated.

I so wish Igenex was like ZRT labs - or had a company you could use to get testing (like when I've used LabCorp for more simple tests through sites like privatemdlabs, etc). Honest, if we aren't using insurance and paying out of pocket, how come we don't have the right to pay for a test ourselves...it is our bodies. Welp, I digress....sorry. I just feel like I have to get through the guard dogs at the gate to care for my own body...a very disturbing image for me.

Thank you!
Robin

Just read your post..WOW.........I have been scouring to find where to have Lyme testing done for my son without a Dr's signature butI pretty much know this is what he has. And, in the back of my mind I keep thinking to just go with something to kill the parasites but what? So how are you doing with this?

ursamajor68 said...
k07 - I am happy to share!

As with everything in my universe, this was a bumpy takeoff and a lot of drama at first (and quite scary, so be prepared!!)......

I literally "grabbed a box of Paragone" from a local Vitamin Shoppe one day after a long, sobby talk with my supportive husband about not knowing what to do in my search for a root cause anymore. Elimination diets, leaky gut protocols, juicing, supplement deficiencies......I addressed them all and nothing would change. From trim to 7 month pregnant look with the most benign foods and full blown Hashimoto hyper phase. The only avenue I hadn't tried was parasite. In my heart, I felt this would be like everything else...no change.

I only did Paragone for a week (story to follow), then switched.

Paragone has you start with a half dose the first week. Well let me tell you, I was on my back in 12 hours (I am very sensitive, fyi). Headache that kept me up at night for 2 nights, immediate flu-like symptoms. I don't say this to deter you, I am being honest regarding my experience. At the same time, I started showing (I kid you not) evidence of parasites expelled from the GI tract but ALSO from my lungs and nose. So I felt like death and was horrified of my own body......yes, right up there with one of my better life memories, haha.

The GOOD news is that throughout the first few days of all of this terrible stuff, my stomach calmed. It was crazy. I ate things I couldn't touch in years as a trial (cole slaw, for one) and no bloat, no nothing. In addition, I wasn't checking my pulse 5 times a day........all was calm (Hashi's was relaxing). I mean - this happened in a matter of DAYS and I've not been well in decades.

The bad news is that I developed another symptom. Last spring, when cleaning out my mom's house for selling, I had severe (water pouring out of eyes, nose) reaction to what we thought was a cedar tree. There were only two trees....cedar and black walnut. We guessed cedar. Well guess what started happening? Water pouring out of my eyes and nose, had to constantly carry tissues to dry it up. It was unbearable. So it wasn't the cedar I was allergic to, it was black walnut (a primary ingredient in parasitic treatment). So I had to stop.

My past alternative health studies from a decade ago reminded me that wild oregano (the expensive stuff, I used Oreganol) is a very powerful fighter of bacteria, parasite, virus....so not wanting to lose momentum, I ran back to Vitamin shoppe and bought the Oreganol drops...called the company which recommended 10 drops, twice per day....and continued on my journey of cleansing. It worked.......still a lot came out of me....but I wanted to research more.

The BEST broad spectrum product I found (remember, not certain I have Lyme so wanted to hit all potential critters hard) was Biotics Research ADP. It is "prescribed" by naturopaths, has studies you can read about its success, it is patented, it is enteric coated so it goes through the whole system..in the end, I decided this was the one for me. I ordered via Amazon and kept taking oreganol until it came.

I am glad I did. I can feel the potency difference from oreganol.

The company told me that parasitic cleansing dose is 4 pills, 3xday with meals for 6 weeks. But I warn you, I am starting my daughter on one pill a day, then if ok, doing 2, etc. Take it SLOW with this stuff.

I know going this route on a budget, like me, can be expensive (12 pills/day) but having to avoid black walnut knocks out a bunch of options for me for basic parasitic cleansing.

I do very much believe paragone works, but it is tough and it is strong...even without my black walnut allergy. So I would start slower. I saw results almost immediately (parasite results) and those are only the ones you can see with the naked eye.

Hope this helps! If You have more questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Which of the Oreganol did you get form amazon? Super strength?

ursamajor68 said...
k07 - I am happy to share!

As with everything in my universe, this was a bumpy takeoff and a lot of drama at first (and quite scary, so be prepared!!)......

I literally "grabbed a box of Paragone" from a local Vitamin Shoppe one day after a long, sobby talk with my supportive husband about not knowing what to do in my search for a root cause anymore. Elimination diets, leaky gut protocols, juicing, supplement deficiencies......I addressed them all and nothing would change. From trim to 7 month pregnant look with the most benign foods and full blown Hashimoto hyper phase. The only avenue I hadn't tried was parasite. In my heart, I felt this would be like everything else...no change.

I only did Paragone for a week (story to follow), then switched.

Paragone has you start with a half dose the first week. Well let me tell you, I was on my back in 12 hours (I am very sensitive, fyi). Headache that kept me up at night for 2 nights, immediate flu-like symptoms. I don't say this to deter you, I am being honest regarding my experience. At the same time, I started showing (I kid you not) evidence of parasites expelled from the GI tract but ALSO from my lungs and nose. So I felt like death and was horrified of my own body......yes, right up there with one of my better life memories, haha.

The GOOD news is that throughout the first few days of all of this terrible stuff, my stomach calmed. It was crazy. I ate things I couldn't touch in years as a trial (cole slaw, for one) and no bloat, no nothing. In addition, I wasn't checking my pulse 5 times a day........all was calm (Hashi's was relaxing). I mean - this happened in a matter of DAYS and I've not been well in decades.

The bad news is that I developed another symptom. Last spring, when cleaning out my mom's house for selling, I had severe (water pouring out of eyes, nose) reaction to what we thought was a cedar tree. There were only two trees....cedar and black walnut. We guessed cedar. Well guess what started happening? Water pouring out of my eyes and nose, had to constantly carry tissues to dry it up. It was unbearable. So it wasn't the cedar I was allergic to, it was black walnut (a primary ingredient in parasitic treatment). So I had to stop.

My past alternative health studies from a decade ago reminded me that wild oregano (the expensive stuff, I used Oreganol) is a very powerful fighter of bacteria, parasite, virus....so not wanting to lose momentum, I ran back to Vitamin shoppe and bought the Oreganol drops...called the company which recommended 10 drops, twice per day....and continued on my journey of cleansing. It worked.......still a lot came out of me....but I wanted to research more.

The BEST broad spectrum product I found (remember, not certain I have Lyme so wanted to hit all potential critters hard) was Biotics Research ADP. It is "prescribed" by naturopaths, has studies you can read about its success, it is patented, it is enteric coated so it goes through the whole system..in the end, I decided this was the one for me. I ordered via Amazon and kept taking oreganol until it came.

I am glad I did. I can feel the potency difference from oreganol.

The company told me that parasitic cleansing dose is 4 pills, 3xday with meals for 6 weeks. But I warn you, I am starting my daughter on one pill a day, then if ok, doing 2, etc. Take it SLOW with this stuff.

I know going this route on a budget, like me, can be expensive (12 pills/day) but having to avoid black walnut knocks out a bunch of options for me for basic parasitic cleansing.

I do very much believe paragone works, but it is tough and it is strong...even without my black walnut allergy. So I would start slower. I saw results almost immediately (parasite results) and those are only the ones you can see with the naked eye.

Hope this helps! If You have more questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Thank you sooo much........

ursamajor68 said...
Michasmom -

I am still really early into treatment, but I can tell you what I have done to date....

I took Biotics Research ADP Oregano as a basic parasite cleanse for nearly two months. During that time I absorbed everything I could from this forum (still do) and created a notebook (you won't retain all of this in your head, believe me!!)

I got an IgeneX test without a doctor's signature by using truehealthlabs.com and then got the blood draw done through anylabtestnow.com. I did it out of curiosity and impatience, but the most important "test" in the world is how your body responds to treatment. Even the slightest dose told me I found my cause. I may not know if it is Lyme, Bart, Babs or any other stealth pathogen right now, but I am covering all of the bases.

I am doing a bunch of the recommended detoxing methods mentioned in this forum and following the Buhner protocols (and ordered his books). I am an herbal fan and don't "do" conventional medicine, etc. I am starting with just one drop per day of each herb, adding a new one each week. I am treating Lyme/Bart/Babs at the same time and am slowly getting there with introducing each core herb (only 3 left to go, then I start increasing dose).

Any other labwork I determine I need blood draws for, I use privatemdlabs and then go get it drawn.

Listening to and watching how your body (or your son's) responds is the best advice I have...but it must be done slowly and carefully and safely.

Hope this helps........

Micahsmom, sorry I didn't answer your questions. I have been out of commission but it looks like you got lots of info. i am working on using Buhner's Protocol. With my son, right now we are just using Jernigan's CNS/PNS to control rages and that is working well. I'm not ready to try things on him that I haven't tried myself.

No. No doctor available right now unfortunately. But there are plenty of people here who have not gone the antibiotic route.