HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

New and curious about lyme test results

Support Forums
>
Lyme Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 8/5/2014 1:46 PM (GMT 0)
Hello,
I am a 38 yr old female who began experiencing strange physical and emotional symptoms 2 years ago... headaches, severe anxiety, numbness/tingling throughout body (and a lot of muscle twitches), aches and pains, and fatigue.
This is how it began. Eventually the numbness/tingling and headaches went away, but the twitches remain and recently I began feeling sunburn-like sensations in my body.
I was tested for Lyme once last year and just recently tested again (awaiting results).

I'm just not sure how testing works and how a positive diagnosis is determined... When I had the Western Blot test last year, I asked my GP if I should wait a month or so and re-take it to be sure she said no that this test was definitive, but I have heard that it is not definitive. I'm not sure which test I was sent for this year, but how do you know when a negative result is really a negative result?

Thanks.
Posted 8/5/2014 11:40 PM (GMT 0)
Hi searching,
Welcome to the forum!

Unfortunately, your GP is woefully uneducated about Lyme disease and the tests for it. If you look at the "New to Lyme? Start here" thread you will be better equipped.

Lyme disease needs to be diagnosed clinically the tests can be helpful, but more often are not. You see, the tests look for antibodies to the disease, but the very nature of the disease is that it suppresses the immune system so antibodies are not present. In addition, there are many strains of the disease and the tests are not able to detect most of these. And the existence of other tick-borne co-infections can also affect the results.

There is a test through Igenex labs that is more sensitive and that has been helpful for many people. But your best bet would be to check out the symptom lists to see where you stand and then find a Lyme Literate doctor, one associated with ILADS.

Glad you found us!
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply