Aa
INFECTIOUS DISEASE
HAD A TICK BITE IN DEC, HAD A LYMES TEST 1 MONTH LATER.CAME BACK NEGATIVE LEFT EYE TWITCHES.STILL .IS THERE ANY CONNECTION.SHOULD I HAVE ANOTHER TEST
Some people get fed up waiting on docs and order their own tests through IGeneX (tho I'm not sure how that works ... ), but I would find a Lyme specialist to order the tests, because the doc would know what to order, and are a boatload of different tests, and none of them cheap. The doc could figure out what to test for.
I would also get more tests done. The screening test has been shown to be wrong about half the time.
There's a specialty lab that does more advanced testing and they find more cases than other labs. It's called IGeneX. I had the full Lyme panel done there and the only test that showed positive was my IgM Western Blot. Two previous tests I had done at a military hospital lab were both negative. IGeneX reports far more 'bands' than other labs, including the Lyme specific ones that other labs ignore.
There's a specialty lab that does more advanced testing and they find more cases than other labs. It's called IGeneX. I had the full Lyme panel done there and the only test that showed positive was my IgM Western Blot. Two previous tests I had done at a military hospital lab were both negative. IGeneX reports far more 'bands' than other labs, including the Lyme specific ones that other labs ignore.
Welcome to MedHelp Lyme --
Yes, I would have more testing done, but it's not just the test that is important -- it's the doctor who is reading the test that is key.
There is a split in the medical community about how to diagnose Lyme and how to treat it. So-called mainstream docs rely almost entirely on the usual tests, which you probably had (called W. blot and ELISA -- they are usually done one and, if the first one comes back positive, then the second one is done to be sure it wasn't a false positive.)
The bad news is that getting a negative (no you don't have Lyme) on these two tests doesn't mean you don't have Lyme. The tests are not very accurate.
A Lyme specialist, however, understands that, and may use another test (called PCR) that looks for evidence of infection in a different way from the other tests, and will also consider your history and your symptoms. The Lyme ticks often carry other diseases that also need to be tested for.
This all sounds very complicated, which it unfortunately is, but finding the right doc is the key.
If you need help finding a Lyme specialist, let us know. I understand you can get a referral at
contact @ ilads [dot] org
ILADS is International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, and is the main organization for Lyme specialists.
Let us know if we can help further -- best wishes to you.
Yes, I would have more testing done, but it's not just the test that is important -- it's the doctor who is reading the test that is key.
There is a split in the medical community about how to diagnose Lyme and how to treat it. So-called mainstream docs rely almost entirely on the usual tests, which you probably had (called W. blot and ELISA -- they are usually done one and, if the first one comes back positive, then the second one is done to be sure it wasn't a false positive.)
The bad news is that getting a negative (no you don't have Lyme) on these two tests doesn't mean you don't have Lyme. The tests are not very accurate.
A Lyme specialist, however, understands that, and may use another test (called PCR) that looks for evidence of infection in a different way from the other tests, and will also consider your history and your symptoms. The Lyme ticks often carry other diseases that also need to be tested for.
This all sounds very complicated, which it unfortunately is, but finding the right doc is the key.
If you need help finding a Lyme specialist, let us know. I understand you can get a referral at
contact @ ilads [dot] org
ILADS is International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, and is the main organization for Lyme specialists.
Let us know if we can help further -- best wishes to you.
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