possible lyme disease

 i have been tested with the WB and was told i am negative for lyme yet i recieved my test results and it showed reactive in 41KD (IGG) and 23 KD (IGM).  I have been bitten by ticks on 2 or 3 occasions that i am a...ware of...live in a tick infested area....spent the last 10 years with horses and hiking thru wooded areas....picked a number of ticks off my dog .....treated my horse for Lyme.....and have some of the many signs.   I am very confused  .......I plan on seeing a MD who is an ID specialist.    Are these two reactive bands indicative of lyme or can they be reactive in other syndromes/diseases ?

Hello,

I'm not medically trained, but I can offer you my opinions having been in a similar position a few months ago.

The first factor that is really important is where your test was performed. For the most accurate Western Blot, you really need to be tested through Igenex Labs. Most GP's do not test through this lab. Igenex has a much higher accuracy rate and also reports more Lyme-specific bands than other labs.

You tested positive on band 23 and 41. 41 is not SPECIFIC to Lyme disease, but it is often the first band to show up when a person has Lyme. It reacts to the flagella (tails) of spirochetes. There are other diseases that are caused by spirochetes which could cause this band to react.

The second band (23) is specific to Lyme. It is outer surface protein C or OSPC. It is not known to cross-react.

Most infectious disease doctors will not treat you appropriately for Lyme. In your situation, you are not CDC positive so you may not get any treatment from an ID. If you do, it will likely be a short course of a single antibiotic. The problem with this is that one antibiotic cannot attack the spirochete, cyst and cell wall forms of Lyme. It is also unlikely that you will be cured with a short course of treatment if you have been sick longer than a few weeks.

Do you currently have symptoms? How long have you had symptoms?

I would suggest finding a LLMD who will test and treat you appropriately. There are two sets of guidelines IDSA and ILADS. An ID will almost always treat via IDSA guidelines. This set of guidelines basically states that unless you have a physician-confirmed rash, a positive ELISA or CDC positive WB, you should not be treated. You will likely not be tested for co-infections. If you are treated, you get a short course of a single antibiotic. If you still have symptoms, you are told that it's post-lyme syndrome which is untreatable and due to "aches and pains of daily living" or a psychological disorder.

Most doctors that follow ILADS guidelines suggest treating based on clinical diagnosis and test results. They utilize top tick testing labs like Igenex. They test for co-infections like bartonella, babesia, mycoplasma, erlichia etc. They treat with longer courses of antibiotics and sometimes herbs or alternative treatments. They generally do not abandon patients who continue to have symptoms after 2 weeks of doxycycline.

Doctors known as LLMD's follow ILADS guidelines. I would do as much research as you can to see which guideline you are more comfortable with and then go to a doctor that follows that guideline. If you need help finding a LLMD, you can post a new message with a title of "Seeking a LLMD in __________. Someone will be able to help find one in your area.

thank you grace.....in fact i know a md ..dr richard horowitz, who is right down the road from me...i shall look into seeing him and getting his opinion.....funny... he was my pmd years ago before lyme was an epidemic. the other md i do have an appointment with is dr stokes...located in poughkeepsie new york.....i dont know if she is llmd.....doe sanybody out here know ???

Epona9 how are you doing? Have you made any progress?