LLMD told me my western blot was negative but I have a few bands?

Welcome, jq!

Your LLMD told you that the tests were negative??!!!

Do you have the WB test results in front of you? It should say Igenex positive for the IgG (bands 41 and 83/93 = positive )

It's not CDC positive though.


You do have lyme disease...first and foremost because of your symptoms that prompted the testing.
LD should always be a clinical diagnosis..with tests used as a back-up.

I think you need a new LLMD.

Since you are new here, it would be helpful for you to read through the "New to Lyme?..start Here!" thread - that sits at the top of Page 1. It's full of useful information.

jq said...
It’s not from igenex, she used “Medical Diagnostic Laboratories”. I was really confused when she called me and told me everything came back negative especially with all my symptoms, and then even more confused when I saw this on my results she mailed me.

oh, okay.

So, if that was Igenex, it would be positive with those two bands on IgG +

I still think you need a new LLMD.

Dr. Horowitz (well-known LLMD - one of the experts) even said this in an interview:


"We need to teach doctors how to make a clinical diagnosis of Lyme disease after ruling out other diseases, supporting that diagnosis by finding borrelia-specific bands on the Western Blot, which show evidence of exposure. This would include finding the 23(OspC), 31(OspA), 34(OspB), 39, and 83-93 kDa bands on the Western Blot. If the patient has classic Lyme symptoms such as migrating joint and muscle pain, with good days and bad days, and symptoms that come and go, made better or worse with antibiotics, you need to use your clinical judgment and recognize that those are classic Lyme symptoms. "

jq said...
Yeah I’ve watched a bunch of Dr. Horowitz stuff. I would also have to agree with you on finding a new LLMD. It’s crazy cause the one I went to was the president of ILADS at one point, and also a founding member.

According to the labs page about their western blot my result is equivocal: https://www.mdlab.com/wp-content/themes/mdlab/pdf/Lyme_intep_9_2013_web.pdf

Any idea of a good LLMD in NJ? Also thanks for the quick responses.

Yes, the labs that don't specialize in tick-borne diseases often don't recognize what a positive test is.

To find a LLMD - you should start a new thread so members can see the subject: "Looking for LLMD in NJ" should be the title of your thread.

Then enable your email through "my Profile" so members can send you recommendations.

You can also contact me via email and I will send you names from my list of LLMD's

I'm curious about who the "LLMD" was. Would you email me and let me know? If he is on my list - I will put a notation about not recognizing Lyme specific bands and what is actually a positive test result.

Okay - I will check for it in a bit.

Since it's getting late here...I may not get back to you until the morning.

Got it. Thanks again. I’ll make another thread tomorrow. I should get some sleep too :P