HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Testing Myself for Lyme Correctly

Support Forums
>
Lyme Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 10/31/2013 1:09 AM (GMT 0)
Hello all,

I have recently tested incredibly high for mercury after a year of terrible anxiety, depression, heart palpitations, brain fog and fatigue (many other things). about .2995 in a hair analysis. Nobody could tell me what was wrong until I read an article that caused me to get tested for heavy metals. The cause (i think) was eating Sushi very often amongst other fish as I have no amalgams......

I have read many places lymes disease can cause retention of mercury and cause illness so I would like to at least know if I have it. I was bit by a tick in Napa 3 years ago (removed within 12 hours) with no "bulls eye", just soreness in the muscle for a few weeks. Nothing else. Then last October I could not think straight and ended up quitting my job in April after horrible fear and anxiety where I am usually very outgoing and centered.

I am going to labcorp to get a blood test and I heard there is a specific approach to testing to prevent false outcomes. My doctor has me doing the following tests:

1)223586 Lyme Disease Antibodies, Total and IgM Responses and
2)163600 Lyme Disease, Serum, Western Blot

I dont think my doctor specializes in this sort of thing so I felt I should at least ask some people who have experience.

Any feedback would be great.

Any additional tests I should have done? There are many more options according to labcorp.

Thank you!!!!
Posted 10/31/2013 2:04 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Wino!

Welcome to our forum. I'm sorry to hear you have not been feeling well. Your symptoms very well could be from Lyme disease. Most physicians are not able to treat this disease adequately nor diagnose it correctly. I would recommend checking out our "New to Lyme" thread. There is a lot of good information on there, symptoms - how to get a physician, how to detox <- very important!

I'm sorry I took both of those test and neither were reliable for me. I tested negative 3 times through labcorp and positive through Igenex. The test aren't accurate at all. Many have not tested positive through any test but still have lyme and have responded positively to treatment.

The test in general, are inaccurate. Labcorp only tests for a few antibodies and igenex does at least 12 I think. If you are having the symptoms I would recommend getting evaluated by an ILADs trained physician and getting tested through Igenex. You can wait and see what your labcorp test comes back as but it would be unusual (sadly) to test positive.

~beth
Posted 10/31/2013 5:57 PM (GMT 0)
Even if your lyme test returns negative this doesn't rule out the presence of coinfections. These bacteria (bartonella, babesia, ehrlichia, RMSF, mycoplasma, etc) can be the main reason for the symptoms associated with lyme.
Posted 10/31/2013 10:47 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you both,

SOunds like a complex matter.

I looked into Igenex and the test is $475 where the combined 2 tests from Labcorp is about $700, but I will probably pay much less do to the allowable amount paid?

Do you know if Igenex takes insurance, if not it still sounds like the better idea to get tested from a more reliable source?

Do you agree opugirl? Just go direct to Igenex?

Thanks!!
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply