What Can The Same Positive and Negative Bands on 4 Tests Mean?

hi,

just checking i understand your question

are you saying that each time you test
-over an extended period of time - years?
-with the same test company / assay?
-you get essentially the same results - i.e. the same bands are positive each time ?

Sorry I was not as speciffic. These are reinfections from ticks. I went through Quest Diagnostics each time, and they went to a lab in Pittsburgh, PA.

Each of the 4 times I tested positive for Lyme I took Doxy for 3 weeks. And I was cured each time. Then I would get reifected with an attached tick that I would have to remove and I got sick again. So, I was wondering why the reinfections showed the exact same positive and the same negative bands. After reading the responces, it sounds like my body produces the same antibodies after each reinfection.

The same doctor who ordered the tests and prescribed Doxy 4 times will not prescribe me Doxy for my positive 12/4/23 blot test untill I see an infectous disease specialist this Monday. He doesnt believe I could have Lyme reinfections 4 times. He doesn't beleive that I had an attached tick on me, even though I had two nymphs that were engorged. They were only on me overnight. *It seems like the nympths can drink alot of blood very fast.

Thank you for your opinions!.

OK - thanks for the clarification

i think people are trying to interpret the serologic tests too simply - "infected", not infected, etc
serology is simply not a sufficiently direct or specific technology to do that in chronic or complex infections

its not a direct test - but an indirect method that attempts to asses the status of an infection by measuring the immune systems reactions - rather than the infectious organism itself.

the issue is there are many intervening factors that mean the one is not always indicative of the other

for instance - there are published papers that show a person can continue to make antibodies to borrelia ( the lyme disease causing pathogen) for many years after a single infection.

in addition we currently have no way of establishing is the borrelia have truly been eradicated - or are still present after infection
it could instead be that they are present in a large proportion of all humans - but are kept in check by our immune systems most of the time like most other pathogens
after treatment - what we refer to as remission or recovery could simply be symptoms resolving and the immune system taking control again

as a result i dont think we can draw any additional conclusions from the ongoing positive antibodies

we do see some people have fluctuating bands on serial tests - and others like yourself have the same bands elevated - but i think its fair to says its more a measure of what the immune system is doing rather than the pathogens themselves.

all that said - if you still have lingering symptoms i would suggest you seek out a LLMD if you are able

as you are finding - the belief systems of the vast majority of western so called ID doctors tend to be in opposition to long term infection with borrelia and associated tick born infections - despite 40 years of peer reviewed published papers by some of the most highly regarded microbiologists in the world demonstrating exactly that.
as a result they tend to deny the possibility of ongoing infection and on that basis then deny ongoing treatment

the science is undeniable at this point - so its not a science problem that can be solved with more research - or by putting such papers in from of them - but an ideological one

because the facts conflict with the current ideology of the medical profession the vast majority simply reject the facts - and reject the patients views, concerns and requests for treatment as a consequence.

LLMD's specialise in treating these poorly understood diseases and the underserved patients who are suffering from them - but you have to choose wisely.

Educate yourself said...

I wish doctors could look for Lyme the old fashoined way with a blood smear under a microscope and look for the borrellia bacteria itself.

unfortunately - this is not a reliable technique for Lyme - it works well enough for some blood borne infections - but Lyme especially when chronic is not present in the blood in sufficient numbers - as it resides mainly in the tissues.

there is however a lot of misinformation around on this topic - including clinics that offer this service (usually the more alternative medicine oriented ones) - and videos on youtube etc - so its a common belief that Lyme is easy to find with microscopy.

people often baulk at this - but think about it, if it were that simple, all the best known and most respected LLMDs would have a $500 microscope in their office and do this routinely - but none of them do.

Thanks for the advice. I have always responded well to Doxycycline. I will see to it that I My doctor prescribes it to me.

I am a fan of boosting my immine system when I am on the antibiotics. I think the elderberry is a good supplement to take with the vit. C and Zinc. They are sold in one gummy like Olly or Nature's way, etc.