Was I positive according to the CDC protocol?

Hi friends,

I was diagnosed with Lyme by an LLMD back in December, but I am still mulling over pursuing legal action against my previous PCP.

A little background: He tested me for Lyme back in August. I never received a phone call from him about the results of the bloodwork, but was able to reach him several days later. He simply told me that the results came back negative. I was angered by how difficult it was to communicate with him and decided to switch PCPs. It took over 4 weeks for them to send my medical records to my new doctor, a clear HIPAA violation in Massachusetts but I digress.

Just today I was able to take a look at the bloodwork that he told me came back negative. Here is what it looks like:

Quest Lab Borrelia Burgdoferi IGG/IGM

Borrelia Burgdoferi IgG Antibodies < .80 Units: index Reference range <.8

Borrelia Burgdoferi IgM Antibodies 1.78 Units: index H Reference Range <.8


Reference Range for B. Burgoferi IgG and IgM Abs:
Less than .8 Index... Negative
.8-1.19 Index... Equivocal
Greater than 1.19... Positive

Here is my question: Was I positive or negative according to the CDC protocol? Unfortunately I don't think I have much of a legal case against him if he abided by the (lousy) CDC protocol.

Thank you!

He abided by the CDC protocol, even though that's wrong. You have Lyme, as your score on the IgM is above the .8 at 1.78

An IgM result means that you have an active infection. It once was thought to mean an 'early' infection, but has since been revised. IgG means that the infection is at a later stage.

And, even though your test says that you are negative for chronic Lyme (IgG result), that may not be true. Lyme inhibits the immune function, and the longer you have it, the more it suppresses the immune function. Since these tests rely on immune markers (antibodies), the testing can be very wrong when it comes back negative. Some states have passed laws that doctors must explain to their patients that a negative test result does not rule out Lyme. Check to see if you are in one of those states.

Still confused...what is this test? Is this a western blot?

I thought if you got a positive number on the ELISA (which RhodeIslander did) they had to run the Western Blot.

Very true!

I couldn't agree more with the rules not applying. It's such a weird world of doctors and Lymes. When I went back to the hospital and they tested me a second time with the Western Blot, it came back full blown positive yet again, and this was after being treated for 4 weeks of IV rocephin. The doctor walked in the room and goes:

"Okay, so you definitely had Lyme's before, but you definitely don't have it now."

To which I respond "But I just tested positive for it."

"Right, but Lymes patients test positive for years even after they are treated, since your body still has antibodies for it."

That made sense, sorta, but then I realized something:

"Wait, if that's the case, then why did you bother charging me $100 and testing me again?"

He didn't answer and left the room.

Oh, ID doctors...