do I have lyme disease or not?
tested positive for bands 18,34,58,64,68? what does it mean? - 0.0% - 0 votes
should I worry? - 100.0% - 1 votes
sapin
New Member
Joined : Oct 2013
Posts : 7
Posted 10/10/2013 7:11 PM (GMT 0)
I did the blood test for the Lyme since I have numb legs (since last June). The results from the CDC said I tested negative for Lyme western blot. However I did get IGM bands 18,34,58,64,68. the doctor wants to treat me for these bands with antibiotics for 2-3 years if not more. he says I have a Lyme-related disease.
What does this mean these bands exactly and should I be worried about having so much antibiotics in my system.
Could I have a vascular system malfunction instead?
Help
BarnGurl
Veteran Member
Joined : Sep 2013
Posts : 1426
Posted 10/10/2013 7:48 PM (GMT 0)
Try antibiotics and see if symptoms improve. I think Id be more worried about
not taking the antibiotics than having this amount in your system. You can take a lower amount see how you react and work up to a higher dosage to see how you tolerate it. Disease moves quickly and can impair many body systems.
Post Edited (BarnGurl) : 10/10/2013 2:42:20 PM (GMT-6)
Traveler
Elite Member
Joined : May 2007
Posts : 36573
Posted 10/10/2013 9:42 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Sapin,
No one here can tell you if you have a vascular issue, that may be going on as well - and could be due to tick-borne infections even.
What I can tell you is that Band 34 is specific for Lyme disease. It wouldn't be positive if you didn't have Lyme.
Band 18 reacts when the tail end of a spirochete infection is ongoing. There are several spirochetal infections though, one of them being Lyme. Others can be syphilis, Yaws and Pintas and oops, I forgot the other one! Sorry.
I would highly suggest that you go to our "New to Lyme? Start Here!" thread that sits at the top of the forum and read through the whole thing. There's a ton of important information there, but what I really would like for you to do is to read through the symptom lists there. See if you don't have a bunch of those symptoms. If you do, don't wait to start treatments, as waiting will only allow the bacteria to get a better foothold in your body, making it much tougher to put into remission.
If using the abx dosages that are needed to treat these infections if a big issue for you, there are several herbal protocols that members here are finding work very well also.
ToddPaul
Veteran Member
Joined : Nov 2012
Posts : 1017
Posted 10/10/2013 9:47 PM (GMT 0)
What lab did you test through? The reason I ask is that if it wasn't through IGenex then you may come up with other critical bands besides 34 as they have the best test for Lyme. If it was then you aren't considered Lyme + by CDC or even IGenex standards though you could still have Lyme as the test isn't very accurate.
It's rare to have only one symptom with Lyme but possible. You have no other symptoms?
sapin
New Member
Joined : Oct 2013
Posts : 7
Posted 10/11/2013 1:48 AM (GMT 0)
So far I have no other symptoms and the test was done at the CDC in NY, that is what the doctor said. I never felt or remember having a tick bit nor any indication of this happening to me. Could I get Lyme without a tick bit?
Traveler
Elite Member
Joined : May 2007
Posts : 36573
Posted 10/11/2013 7:11 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, many insects can now carry these diseases because they are so prevalent any more. Fleas, mosquitoes, bed bugs, spiders, biting flies, sand flies, horse & deer flies - really any bug that can bite you and survive has the potential to pass these infections, simply because so many are infected any more.
As far as you not noticing the first symptoms of these diseases, it could be explained in a couple of ways -if that's what you have. You could have had a cold and not noticed the "flu-like feeling" that many have, or could have been dealing with a lot of stress or something else that kept you distracted. I was a young child when I was infected, so no one thought anything about my "flu".
I would urge you to check out other possibilities that could be causing your symptoms, but keep Lyme in mind always - even if your symptoms seem to disappear, as Lyme is good at that! A person's immune system can gain the upper hand once again and put the symptoms into remission, but the symptoms will usually come and sometimes with a vengeance. Remember you did have a positive on one band that is specific for Lyme disease though.
Having the test done at the CDC may not have shown all the positive bands either. I don't know what they do for their testing, but I do know that we are in a "war" with the CDC and the IDSA (Infectious Disease Society of America) as they say there is no such thing as chronic Lyme disease and that 3 weeks of low dose abx is all that's needed to cure the infection - soooo off base!!! This is even though all the good science (non-biased) that's being done shows how ridiculous this is!
Have you taken a look at the Master symptom list in our "New to Lyme?" thread and compared how you are feeling to that list of symptoms yet? If so, what do you think? How many of those symptoms do you really have? That will tell you a lot.