Testing, where to start?

Have you done any lyme testing?

If not - the best bang for your buck is the Igenex WB IgM and IgG for $250.

You had asked for LLMD/LLND referrals in another thread... maybe you should look into that.
A lyme Literate dr wouid be your best option.
They will often clinically diagnose the coinfections.

We do have some mold knowledgeable people here - one member in particular is WalkingByFaith - she can help you with mold testing.

For viruses and Candida - some lyme docs test right away- others don’t.

I was going to say that I'm sorry you have to do so much of the background research on this yourself, but honestly I think that's true for a lot of us. No two doctors treat this disease the same way, and no two patients respond the same way, so what people do varies a lot. In some ways it's good that your provider will be responsive and is open to you guiding your own treatment!

Lyme and co-infections - IGeneX Western Blot or DNA ConneXions urine test. Keep in mind all Lyme testing involves controversy and false negatives because Lyme both hides and messes with your immune system, so diagnosis often is clinical (meaning based on signs and symptoms). Some doctors also test CD57 natural killer cells, which tend to be very low when Lyme is in someone's system, and it's covered by insurance.

Viruses - Usually IgG testing for viruses is covered by insurance, but you have to do each virus individually. Some common ones seen with Lyme are Epstein-Barr, CMV, Coxsackie, and HHV6. Some doctors assume low-level viral activity and assume that supporting the immune system in general will address the viral activity, so don't bother testing.

Mold inflammation - Several tests are covered by insurance and used to assess chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS) from biotoxins including mycotoxins, but some doctors are moving away from this because some of the results can be abnormal due to other factors, including Lyme and co-infections. https://www.survivingmold.com/diagnosis/lab-tests

Mold in your home - The ERMI dust sample test from Mycometrics is the most comprehensive test for your home. They also offer the HERTSMI test, which is cheaper but only checks for the five most dangerous molds. These are important so that you will know if your exposure is coming from your home or not, so that you can relocate or remediate.

Mold in your body - Great Plains urine test tells you which mycotoxins are in your system, so you know which binders will work best for you.

Mast cell disease - There are histamine tests and tryptase tests (must be done within 12 hours of a reaction) covered by insurance. My doctor diagnosed me with this from the simple fact that high-histamine foods cause me immediate histamine reactions.

Other - food sensitivities testing, GI Effects stool analysis from Genova Diagnostics, thyroid panel, salivary cortisol testing.

Sounds like a good book to read (and maybe also for your doctor!) would be Toxic by Neil Nathan. Also check the website RawlsMD.com for suggestions.

Good luck!

lolol The least luxurious type of rock star!

I forgot to add that a good stool test will look for candida overgrowth in the GI tract, but I'm not very familiar with other types of candida testing.

I really like testing because I love information, lists, spreadsheets, data ... but ultimately it's all just fragments of an infinitely complex puzzle we'll never know in its entirety. A lot of testing can be so expensive, and so much of it confirms what we already know or have assumed. You probably have imbalanced gut bacteria and some degree of leaky gut. You probably have some low-level viral activity, and probably some co-infections along with Lyme. You can try a low-histamine diet and quercetin to see if your mast cell issues calm down. Lots of people treat with antimicrobials (pharmaceutical or herbal) for Lyme and co-infections without a positive test. My point here is that testing is cool and all, but you can move forward without it.