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Doxycycline-Will It Interfere with New FULL Lab Retesting From IGeneX, Inc. (or Anyone Else)?

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Posted 8/26/2016 8:01 PM (GMT 0)
After MY test and the results came up positive for only Lyme markers on igG p39 ab and igG p41ab using LabCorp (through my insurance), my new Neurologist who ordered these tests said "oh, not to worry THAT doesn't mean anything" but then ordered $2500.00 in new testing for Cancer screening! Well I just fired him and when advising my primary care doctor who nearly fainted, agreed to let me try a 28 day course of oral Doxycycline, taking 100 MG twice per day for those 28 days. He BEGGED me to do it with IV using a PICC line but I begged off that...But I just began this antibiotic course 2 days ago. The test kit from the new Lab company will arrive next week and I suspect it will ruin any testing as long as I am on this antibiotic?

ANY suggestions to prevent me from spending a LOT of money I really can't afford to waste is most appreciated and THANK you to everyone here who has been so helpful!
Mike
Posted 8/26/2016 8:13 PM (GMT 0)
Well, I'm not sure you even need to do the Igenex test...since you have positive band 39 which is lyme specific.


As you know (from previous thread) - some Dr.'s provoke with antibiotics, others take you off.

My opinion is to go off the abx for a week or two...before testing. - it's just an opinion...though.

I am curious to what others will say.
Posted 8/26/2016 8:26 PM (GMT 0)
When I tested I had just been on abx. I called the Igenix lab and the girl told me that it depends on the test. I was doing both Western Blots (188 & 189). She said those are fine with abx, but there are some that are not.

I would call them and ask about the tests you are taking.

It appears that you have Lyme. Is there a reason that you are doing further testing at this time? Is your Dr. requesting it? The reason I ask is that you know you have lyme. The co-infections are even harder to detect than lyme is and often is diagnosed through a LLMD rather than testing.
Posted 8/26/2016 8:28 PM (GMT 0)
I'm not of much help, as Girlie just said what I believe as well - it's best to be off abx for about 2 weeks. At least that's what I keep reading from LLMD's.

The issue is that you need to be producing antibodies for testing positive - and Lyme lowers the immune function so that we don't produce any - or enough, as in your case - antibodies.

As Girlie pointed out though, a good LLMD will recognize Band 39 as a Lyme specific band and will treat based on that alone.
Posted 8/26/2016 8:28 PM (GMT 0)
So you say that #39 IS prrof I DO have Lyme? I mean WE freaked because as the Nurse Practitioner for this "SUPER Neuro" who was calmly reading off all the lab results to us and nearly dozing off as she read, the BOLTED upright and spun herself out when she BLURTED those 2 results and excused herself saying, "now don't panic but I have to call the head of this clinic (MY doctor actually due to my COMPLEX case...) saying I can't let you leav, this is SERIOUS. So she comes back in 20 minutes saying, "oh, he said you can go, nothing we need to worry about right now". Then she wnet and brought me a stack of papers to sign off on for a ton more testing and IT was all for some knd of Cancer screening! I read it, ironically ALL the print was in red ink and it stated over & over about how ordinary insurance will likely NOT cover this expense and it was about $2500.00 etc! We walked out without intention to ever go back. It takes 4 MONTHS to get an appointment with the guy and now this? So called my Primary care, told him and HE agreed this was NOT to be ignored and asked what the HELL was going on with this other guy. Told we had no clue....So here I am.

You thing my marker IS enough proof? Given I have lost ability to even walk anymore, even using both of my trekking Poles for support, with both of my arms now becoming too weak to even hold on or do things (which is why we all suspected MS but all THOSE tests found no lesions so?), I am just SO confused. From what I read on my own, it looked to ME that it WAS conclusive that I did have Lyme? I am honestly getting lost on this.
Posted 8/26/2016 8:31 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, band 39 indicates BmpA - Bacterial Membrane Protein "A" from the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria (Lyme bacteria).

A "Lyme specific band" means specific for Borrelia Burgdorferi, sensu stricto - Lyme disease in the strictest sense. There are only two on the over 300 known strains of Lyme that is considered Bb, ss. Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia mayonii. Nothing else will turn a Lyme specific band positive other than Lyme disease - - even though there are over 100 different strains of Borrelia in the US that cause human illness.
Posted 8/26/2016 8:34 PM (GMT 0)

Denikeef said...
When I tested I had just been on abx. I called the Igenix lab and the girl told me that it depends on the test. I was doing both Western Blots (188 & 189). She said those are fine with abx, but there are some that are not.

I would call them and ask about the tests you are taking.

It appears that you have Lyme. Is there a reason that you are doing further testing at this time? Is your Dr. requesting it? The reason I ask is that you know you have lyme. The co-infections are even harder to detect than lyme is and often is diagnosed through a LLMD rather than testing.

Well this IS the mystery to myself, my wife who is now scared half to death, AND my primary care doctor. Someone on THIS forum suggested to me yesterday that I use this other lab since LabCorp was awful and don't even test for several bands, whatever THAT means? I mean to ME who knows NOTHING other that in the space of just a few WEEKS, has become unable to walk or now even simply stand UP unassisted! Now THAT is pretty darned scary to experience especially to my primary doc who began all the tests for MS and referred me back to the surgeon who did my 6 spine fusions 3 years ago who upon HIS reexamination of me, thought I have MS and longer story short, here I am:-( I am an PLENTY scared.....
Posted 8/26/2016 8:43 PM (GMT 0)

Traveler said...
I'm not of much help, as Girlie just said what I believe as well - it's best to be off abx for about 2 weeks. At least that's what I keep reading from LLMD's.

The issue is that you need to be producing antibodies for testing positive - and Lyme lowers the immune function so that we don't produce any - or enough, as in your case - antibodies.

As Girlie pointed out though, a good LLMD will recognize Band 39 as a Lyme specific band and will treat based on that alone.

Wow....
I swear, if i had even ONE leg that still worked, this Neuro would have a very, VERY big kick to the crotch on the way. Sorry, just that my life has been literally ROBBED from me, cost us a fortune financially and led me to start figuring a path to ending life before it gets much worse to save my wife from financial ruin and seeing me deteriorate much further.

OH-I am leaving out the BIGGEST part, the Neuro, and he is the founder, COO< CEO etc who founded this place and is the biggest in all San Diego (with only ONE other in all of the County!), after all these test, in our follow up 2 months ago suggested I seek help with the VA as he felt it could be Agent Orange related. So back at that point, my wife was getting very uncomfortable with the guy. And he is the NICEST guy, but we only got to him after the first guy they sent me to in his clinic admitted he was basically a SLEEP doctor and not all that comfortable with my cases "Complexity".
What, ME worry?
Posted 8/26/2016 8:54 PM (GMT 0)
One of my reasons to thinking that you should be off them is because a well known LLMD prescribes the antibiotics with a pulsed approach - 2 weeks on and 1 week off.
He feels this allows the immune system to 'kick in' and start fighting it.

..and since the Lyme WB is based on the ability of our immune system to produce antibodies - then it makes sense to me to be off the abx when testing...at least a week..or two.
Posted 8/26/2016 9:22 PM (GMT 0)

lucynethel said...
Wow....
I swear, if i had even ONE leg that still worked, this Neuro would have a very, VERY big kick to the crotch on the way. Sorry, just that my life has been literally ROBBED from me, cost us a fortune financially and led me to start figuring a path to ending life before it gets much worse to save my wife from financial ruin and seeing me deteriorate much further.

OH-I am leaving out the BIGGEST part, the Neuro, and he is the founder, COO< CEO etc who founded this place and is the biggest in all San Diego (with only ONE other in all of the County!), after all these test, in our follow up 2 months ago suggested I seek help with the VA as he felt it could be Agent Orange related. So back at that point, my wife was getting very uncomfortable with the guy. And he is the NICEST guy, but we only got to him after the first guy they sent me to in his clinic admitted he was basically a SLEEP doctor and not all that comfortable with my cases "Complexity".
What, ME worry?

Well, fortunately, you are in an area with plenty of doctors that DO know how to treat what you are dealing with - or at least part. No one knows for sure if they have other things going on besides Lyme until the Lyme has been treated and the person has healed properly.

With the severity of your symptoms, I would encourage you to keep Bartonella in mind as a likely co-infection, as it's known that when Lyme and Bart combine in the body, more severe Neuro issues are almost a guarantee.

I would encourage you to find a good LLMD that has a lot of good experience for treating these infections and not mess around with any other doctors at this point. Walking is kind of an important thing! :-)

For information on finding a​n ILADS ​(International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society)​ trained​ Lyme Literate Medical Doctor(LLMD) in your area, you can send me an email by clicking on my screen name or the small blue envelope under my screen name. I may have contact information for some LLMD's in your area as well.​ ​Please include your state (or province) and area that you would like to find a LLMD in and I will be happy to share the names I have.​


You can email the Tick-Borne Disease Alliance at [email protected]​ for LLMD referrals.


You can go to The Lyme Disease Association and search for LLMD's 3 times in a month. You have to register first. Here is the link:
www.lymediseaseassociation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=277&Itemid=74​​


ILADS has their own referral system as well:
ilads.org/ilads_media/physician-referral/

And www.LymeDoc.org


​ You will want to find a well trained doctor, not one that has self proclaimed themselves as a LLMD or an ID Doc (Infectious Disease Doctor), as ID docs believe Lyme is hard to catch and easy to treat, and don't believe in the reality of chronic Lyme. Go to the ILADS site to read the new (2014) Treatment guidelines to get you started on your healing journey:
www.lymenet.org/BurrGuide200810.pdf
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