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Posted 10/13/2012 4:21 AM (GMT 0)
I got the results back today from the CD57 and Western Blot. My Dr is saying according to the CDC I don't have Lyme, that I need 5 bands to be positive.

My CD57 is 102 and the Western Blot showed as:

IgM P23 Ab - Present Abnormal

I was researching the New to Lymes and cannot figure out what this all means. Can anyone

that understands these tests help? Do I just give up on the Lyme Diagnosis?

I have been so sick for the past 6 months and have been told it's a fibro flare (I was diagnosed

8 yrs ago). I have been through the mill with Drs and tons of tests again, all coming up negative.

My current Dr is calling it Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Any suggestions you can provide would be

greatly appreciated. I want nothing more than to have my life back.

Thank you :-)

Posted 10/13/2012 11:10 AM (GMT 0)
Well I think that you should consider meeting with a LLMD. Band 23 is a band that is specific for Lyme disease. IgM is usually indicative of a current rather than a past infection, but in Lyme IgG and IgM don't matter as much because the bacteria has the ability to mess with your immune system and confuse the results.

Your CD57 is also a little low compared to 200-250 which is considered "normal." Did you have a known tick bite or exposure to Lyme in wooded areas, fields etc? If so, I would definitely consider looking into some sort of Lyme treatment. You are showing exposure, so unless you were aggressively treated for Lyme in the past, it is possible that you could have an active infection.
Posted 10/13/2012 6:58 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Wariormom!
Summer3 has given some great advise, and I would like to second her suggestion that you find a LLMD - a doctor that actually knows something about these diseases.

Here is a link to a really helpful little chart for the Western Blot bands: www.anapsid.org/cnd/diffdx/wb.html

As you can see, Band 23 is indicates Bb (Lyme) OspC (Outer surface protein C). So if it's being detected, you do have the infection and will need good treatment.

Chronic Fatigue/Fibro has no known cause, so it's just a condition which could easily be Lyme disease, especially in the light of having one of the bands for Lyme come back positive.

Since these diseases are now carried by even mosquitoes, mites, bed bugs, fleas, and biting flies to name a few, it's even possible that you have had Lyme and not Fibro. It would be a really good idea for you to seek out treatment for Lyme as it could resolve the "Fibro" as well.

Do you need help in locating a LLMD? We have some links I can post.
Posted 10/13/2012 10:16 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Summer and Traveler for your responses. I am so thankful I found this forum and the wealth of knowledge you all provide. What a scary journey this can be when the Drs won't help you, and your so sick. I know in my gut that it has to be Lyme and not a severe
Fibro flare or Chronic Fatigue. I am fighting for my health, family and getting my life back.
I have had a few friends also telling me they think I have Lyme, my husband and I just watched Under Our Skin and I was sobbing. I cannot believe what people have to go through to get treatment. My family wants me to go to Mayo, since we only live a few hours from there. It doesn't seem like the answer to this all. Especially when my GP told me this summer
he suspects it's Lyme that made me ill in 2005, when the ELISA came back negative he told me to get a 2nd opinion. My current Dr won't treat it because of the CDCs guidelines, but I cannot accept that. I know my body and it's very sick, I have to keep fighting.

Sorry this got so long, today after more researching the path we need to go is to find an LLMD in our area. I have tried a few sites that were mentioned here, registered and am having issues getting them to work. Can you help?

I appreciate this so much!
Posted 10/13/2012 10:57 PM (GMT 0)
Cute little saying on Lyme forums: Mayo isn't good for anything but a sammich. :) Another way of saying - don't waste time and money going there.:)

Post Edited (jwjjtt) : 10/14/2012 8:37:53 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/15/2012 9:19 PM (GMT 0)
Warriormom,
Believe me, that was not a long post!!! LOL!! You should see some of mine!! smhair

I would second Jwjjtt's opinion about Mayo. They will just shuffle you into an Infectious Disease doc who will most likely only give you two weeks of Doxy at 200 mgs a day and tell you whatever symptoms you have after that are just things you will have to learn to live with. Or insult you and tell you it's all in your head!

Your best bet for healing as much as you can is to go with an ILADS trained LLMD. This forum is full of posts from people who went to a well known hospital or just an ID doc and were told those things! It's scary and a real shame (bordering on criminal in my opinion) what those places are subjecting their Lyme patients to.

I would suggest that you start a new thread with the title something like :Looking for a LLMD in the _______ area". We have such wonderful, caring and helpful members here, there's a decent chance someone will know of a LLMD near you!
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