Newby Here just got back Igenex Report

Hi there everyone

So I just got my test results back and wanted to get some expert opinions. Please see below and let me know if you think there is something going on here. Thank you very much...this Stinks BTW!

IgM                                                                        
18 kDa -                                                              
22 kDa -
23-35 kDa -
28 kDa -
30kDa -
31 kDa - IND (indeterminate)
34 kDa - IND
39 kDa - IND
41 kDa - +
45 --------73 kDa -
83-93 kDa - IND

IgG
18 kDa -
22 kDa -
23-35 kDa -
28 kDa -
30kDa -
31 kDa - IND (indeterminate)
34 kDa - IND
39 kDa - IND
41 kDa - ++
45 --------73 kDa -
83-93 kDa -

[hv2laf]

Definitely have exposure to it. Your IGeneX lab is pretty close to mine.

What kind of symptoms do you have? If your not sure, google symptom checklist for Lyme run through it then list the ones your are absolutely sure you have.

[JackieCalifornia]

What does your doc say?

[skarey]

I don't think this test screams lyme, you really don't have many +'s.  However, lyme is a clinical diagnosis.  What are your symptoms?  What else has been ruled out?

[skarey]

Looking back on it, the only positive's you have are on the 41.  I beleive that this band is NOT lyme specific and the majority of the normal population test positive to this band.  However, some of your IND are on lyme specific bands.  It may be in your best interest to do an antibiotic challenge and see if those IND turn Positive.

Good luck.

[Fuel1212]

My symptoms are tingling/numbness when sleeping. Fatigue, felling crappy after eating. I have already had thyroid cancer, and have no family history of this. I am now on Thyroid meds for life. I also feel like my muscles are never really relaxed. Like they don't repair themselves when sleeping. And sometimes I am highly sensitive to sounds and get like a nails on chalkboard feeling.

My doctor thinks I was definitely exposed. I am starting antibiotics next week. He said I need to do a probiotic as well as liver and kidney support taking the abx for 21 days can mess you up.

Anyone else have any stories/ideas?

BTW thanks for chatting I need to get more familiar with this i guess

[JackieCalifornia]

I had to take magnesium supplements to avoid muscle cramps and heart irregularities.

What kind of doc is your MD?  21 days of abx is better than nothing, but it's not as long as many of us are treated.  Lyme bacteria have the ability to hide in cysts when faced with an adverse environment, and then come out to play when things lighten up.  They also have a long reproductive cycle, unlike most other bacteria.  These factors have led Lyme Literate MDs (meaning MDs who understand the unique situation Lyme presents, and who take an aggressive treatment approach) to treat with combinations of meds, to break open the cysts, and to treat for extended periods of time counted in months and even years, not days.  

Non-LLMDs often treat with a short course of single abx, and tell you you're well even if you continue to have symptoms after treatment.  The CDC and IDSA call this 'post-Lyme syndrome' -- in other words, you may think you're still sick, but you're not, because The Doctor Says So.

Taking probiotics is important, your doc is right about that.  Otherwise really nasty bacteria can take over your intestinal tract and then you've got another, different problem to deal with.  I'm not a fan of yeast-based probiotics, but they work for most people.

Sound sensitivity is something I also had, and it's fine now, after treatment.

[JackieCalifornia]

And PS

I thought I had responded to your inquiry about your test results a couple of days ago, but I guess it didn't post.

The bands you have that are marked 'IND', meaning indeterminate, are bands specific to Lyme bacteria:  no other bug will light up those bands, just Lyme.  Because the tests look at antibodies your body makes against the bacteria, if your body has just gotten tired of trying to kill the little beasts, antibody production may drop off from what it was shortly after infection ... it doesn't mean you don't have Lyme, it means your immune systems is just tired of the struggle.  I saw this happen with some similar tests I had done ... in the months after infection, the antibody reaction just faded away to a low level...but I was still sick.

If it's been a while since you were infected (and many of us don't know WHEN we got bitten), IND may be the best reading you'll get.  Sometimes MDs do what's called an 'antibiotic challenge' (a short course of abx) which has the effect of nudging your immune system to produce more antibodies, and then the tests will come back more positive.  I don't know if your MD views 3 weeks of abx as a challenge test, or if that's to be the whole course of treatment.  If the latter, that's of concern, because of the persistence of Lyme over a long period of time and its slow reproductive cycle.

Lyme can also hijack your endocrine system, including thyroid, which can produce hypo-(low)-thyroid symptoms.  My LLMD put me on thyroid supps, but they upset my stomach, so I stopped pretty quickly.  If you are tolerating them, then that might help keep your body on even keel while you are treating the Lyme.

[22dreams]

Your tests results are enough to support a clinical diagnosis by your doctor. Exposure is evident. My former LLMD looks at IND lyme-specific bands as positives. "IND" show up as "shadows" and it's a matter of test sensitivity and/or lab tech's abilities.Igenex is still only 70%s sensitive and cannot test for all the strains in existence. Co-infections may be part of the picture as well.

Your "feeling crappy" and fatigued after eating could be Postprandial Hypotension.
A form of dysautonomia where blood pressure decreases after eating causing fatigue, weakness, dizziness and other symptoms.

Autonomic instability can be a feature in advanced neurological lyme.
I have had symptoms this year that I have never encountered before. They have started to wax & wane in some respects so it's not a constant. I'm taking it as a good sign. Since I've been drinking Electrolyte-enhanced water, it's improved--I don't know if it's a coincidence.

Time for Lyme & the LDA sponsored a study on chronic lyme & dysautonomia by Neurology Research Foundation in 2007 but I have been unable to find the results.

I would definitely start at least 2 probiotics BEFORE starting antibiotics and during treatment. Be sure to take 2 hours AWAY from taking the antibiotics.
I currently take 3 different probiotics. Theralac is supposedly a better brand. I also take UltraFlora DF & Saccharomycin DF.

If you encounter difficulty, your Md can prescribe an anti-fungal to kill the "bad" growth. Most ppl seem to do better on Nystatin than Diflucan. But you'd still need to take probiotics.

what did your doctor suggest for "liver & kidney" support?
I know that some patients take Milk thistle (Silymarin).
and drink lots of water.

[Fuel1212]

Good idea to start those probiotocs before my meds come in Monday. For Liver function Lipoic Acid and for Kidney Cytozyme-KD both by Pure Encapsulations.

I may also look into the electrolyte water any brands?

My hormones are also messed up. My serotonin is very low..still in normal, but low. My testosterone is very low also. My doctor gave me a ACTH adrenal 24 urine test and thinks my adrenals are whack also.

My doctor is very awesome and open to my opinions. He treats by symptoms and thinks as most of you, that there is definitely an exposure. (Check out my photos>>> I actually took a picture of the lyme bite that I had no idea what it was at the time just thought it was weird<<<<) Woke up one morning with some pain behind my leg, looked back there and weird circle bruise? Let me know what you think? I would be very interested to hear your opinions.

You guys are really great, I hope we can all get fixed and use this place to help others. I know I have been doing alot of research about this. Please check that photo out sorry to be pushy :)

Fuel

[22dreams]

Hi Fuel,

I was taking Alpha Lopaic Acid and Milk thistle for the liver---need to get back on that regimen. Glad that your post nudged my memory.

Adrenal fatigue or insufficiency is common in lyme patients as well as it messing up hormones. Your doctor seems to know what he's doing.

I've been picking up Trader Joe's electrolyte-enhanced water.

Sorry, I really have no opinion on rashes. I've had a few different kinds - mostly as part of a herxheimer reaction with antibiotic treatment.

Cheers.

[Galsal59]

The responses read here are awesome as a means of explaining about the indeterminate test results.  Have been through this before, since had LD myself, as well as Son and Spouse.