Dobela Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I have been searching the lists but apparently not doing it right.... We have a friend that I believe has Lyme Disease. He has all the symptoms and markers except for the rash. His doctors are stumped and even though he has been sick for a good month now they are reluctant to test. Which tests does he need to ask for? All I can remember is that some are not as reliable as others. Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I should know but I can't remember. We (our doc) ordered test from a lab in California, then did the blood test locally but sent it back to CA. Then we had to find a lyme literate doctor to read it (Baltimore). I'll see if I can't find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 IGeneX labs. That's where we got the test. And a lot of people test negative and have it anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I have been searching the lists but apparently not doing it right.... We have a friend that I believe has Lyme Disease. He has all the symptoms and markers except for the rash. His doctors are stumped and even though he has been sick for a good month now they are reluctant to test. Which tests does he need to ask for? All I can remember is that some are not as reliable as others. Thanks so much! A Western Blot test is the most reliable, and will check for other tick borne infections. He should ask to see his results, because if the test is done at the wrong time, it will show "Lyme Exposure", but not an active Lyme...even though you could be sick as a dog from it. If your friend shows bands...and it comes back as Lyme Exposed, I would insist on a course of 28 days of Doxycycline. Good luck! Lyme is a tricky bugger. Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Aren't there still a lot of false negatives even with the Western blot (all anti-body tests actually)? http://www.anapsid.org/lyme/lymeseroneg.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmasmommy Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Aren't there still a lot of false negatives even with the Western blot (all anti-body tests actually)? http://www.anapsid.org/lyme/lymeseroneg.html Yes, Western Blot is very unreliable. It only checks for 8ish strands of Lyme and there are hundreds. IGenex is the test you want but it is expensive and they don't take insurance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Also, if his doctor refuses to order the tests, you can order your own at MyMedLab.com (they go through LabCorp). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Aren't there still a lot of false negatives even with the Western blot (all anti-body tests actually)? http://www.anapsid.org/lyme/lymeseroneg.html yes....sigh... and even when there are several bands, doctors will still call it negative if they aren't the "right" bars or there aren't "enough" bars. Terrible. Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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