Posted 6/27/2011 7:04 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Pixie,
Sorry things have been so confusing for you. Unfortunately, there is no hard and fast answer.
The tests for the Lyme Disease bacteria rely on detecting the antibodies for the disease. As your immune system gets repressed as the disease progresses, the anti-bodies are not always present. In some cases, a starter course of antibiotics can stimulate enough of an immune response that the test can then detect the antibodies.
If you can swing it, testing by Igenex is a very good idea. Not only do you get a more accurate test result, but they can find out if you have an co-infections. Detecting these accompanying tick borne infections is critical to proper treatment.
Are you seeing a Lyme Literate Doctor? After 10 years of infection, 15 or 30 days of doxycycline is no where near an adequate treatment. However, having said that, some people feel that starting on antibiotics can really tell you if you have Lyme. If you start to get a worsening of symptoms after you get on the antibiotics, that is usually a true indication that you have Lyme. At that point the test is kind of moot (except for finding out about co-infections, as I mentioned).
Well, hope this clears some of this up.
Feel better!