Hi silver.light -
Good feedback has been shared. Just wanted to provide another perspective about
passing the Lyme & Co infections.
I cannot imagine that anyone specialized in Lyme will tell you that with effective treatment, you can never be re-infected (by whatever means), or tell you that since your b.f. is asymptomatic that he can't reinfect you. As Traveler stated, they simply don't know enough other than the few studies that have showed sexual transmission.
The tests are 50% accurate, at best. So, they're not giving the full picture of either your state of health or his. The CD57 test is unreliable and Lyme specialists are using it less and less (although insurance companies are typically behind the 8-ball and continue to require it sometimes, so MDs comply). My CD57 was 34 when I first got dx (16+ yrs after going untreated), then increased to 43 a yr later, and 53 a year after that—all while in treatment.
Here is other information a pair of Lyme specialists shared in an in-house "study" they did, testing for CD57 on a couple of their patients throughout the day (summary - as Krimpet mentioned, it was a moving target and proved to be an unreliable measure of Lyme activity or dx).
www.publichealthalert.org/role-of-c3a-and-c4a-complement-proteins-in-chronic-lyme-disease.htmlAnd another conversation you might be interested in:
www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=30&m=3662231&g=3662245#m3662245 Sexual transmission -
The Lyme microbe (and I think most bacteria) can't really be entirely eliminated from our bodies - we're not a sterile vessel. So, when people say they can "cure" you or that someone has been cured, that's not really accurate. The goal in treatment is to get your immune system and other damaged body systems back to health, eliminate as many of your symptoms as possible that aren't tied to permanent damage… but mostly, to get your immune system dominant—key word is dominant.
We engage in antimicrobial "killing" in order to reduce the infection load and help the body heal and help the immune system regain control… not necessarily to eliminate all traces of the infection. Sometimes people or insurance companies rely on the poor testing to also declare someone "cured"… but this is also very unreliable. Diagnosis is clinical and almost entirely dependent upon symptoms. Sucks but that's what we got.
Some of us carry a genetic mutation against the Lyme microbe that protects us from developing Lyme disease/sx, etc. After all my research, I feel that most people have the microbe in their bodies, we just have different responses to it due to genetic reasons, current state of health, lifestyles, etc.
So, it's possible that you and b.f. can pass the infections back-and-forth, possibly, but as long as you're stay very healthy and also support your immune response in a few ways, you might also become asymptomatic some day.
It's also entirely possible that you have different strains, which is the reason you're responding differently. There is SO.MUCH they do not understand.
Here is more context to consider - it does seem that it's easier for women to harbor the microbes in their vaginal fluids (100% of the samples in a study showed it) while only 50% of the semen samples showed it in the same study. None of that is conclusive, but it MIGHT mean that it's easier for you to pass to him than for him to reinfect you.
Data -
"In the study, researchers tested semen samples and vaginal secretions from three groups of patients: control subjects without evidence of Lyme disease, random subjects who tested positive for Lyme disease, and married heterosexual couples engaging in unprotected sex who tested positive for the disease. As expected, all of the control subjects tested negative for Borrelia burgdorferi in semen samples or vaginal secretions. In contrast, all women with Lyme disease tested positive for Borrelia burgdorferi in vaginal secretions, while about
half of the men with Lyme disease tested positive for the Lyme spirochete in semen samples. Furthermore, one of the heterosexual couples with Lyme disease showed identical strains of the Lyme spirochete in their genital secretions. The presence of the Lyme spirochete in genital secretions and identical strains in married couples strongly suggests that sexual transmission of the disease occurs,” said Dr. Mayne."
www.onlineprnews.com/news/454866-1390261507-lyme-disease-may-be-sexually-transmitted-study-suggests.html"The culture of viable Borrelia spirochetes in genital secretions suggests that Lyme disease could be transmitted by intimate contact from person to person."
f1000research.com/articles/3-309/v3"initial laboratory testing of semen samples provided by male Lyme patients (positive by western blot/PCR in blood) and the male sexual partner of a Lyme infected female patient were positive approximately 40% of the time. PCR recovery of Lyme DNA nucleotide sequences with microscopic confirmation of semen samples yielded positive results in 14/32 Lyme patients (13 male semen samples and 1 vaginal pap). ALL positive semen/vaginal samples in patients with known sexual partners resulted in positive Lyme titers/PCR in their sexual partners. 3/4 positive semen patients had no or unknown sexual partners to be tested."
www.anapsid.org/lyme/bach.htmlSorry - don't have many thoughts to add about
the vaccine, but as Traveler already mentioned, he might be strong enough to allow his immune system to build resistance w/ the vaccines, you might not… so pay close attention to your symptoms and if you haven't already, keep a detailed log. There is a fantastic spreadsheet template you can download from the "New to Lyme?" thread that would be helpful and invaluable if/when you talk w/ a specialist to help them dx you despite the really poor testing…
Hope this is helpful - glad you found us!
-p
Post Edited (Pirouette) : 4/15/2017 11:48:33 AM (GMT-6)