ELISA and Western Blot

[ott70]

So does anyone ever prove positive with the ELISA test? It seems everyone is against it. I see a rheumy on Tuesday and just want to know how to handle telling her I want to be tested for Lyme disease. I see that Igenex is highly recommended but does insurance cover it? Bluecross Blueshield for me. What if the doc has never heard of Igenex? I live in Colorado where few cases have been reported, so I'm probably going to end up with a non-LLMD no matter what.

[speechgeek]

My ELISA was negative and I had band 23 on the Igm western blot positive. I am not CDC positive for lyme however I am positive in the lyme world. I lost a lot of gross motor and fine motor function and since on oral antibiotics I am 99% back to normal.


Remember to not only ask"Was my western blot negative/postive" but " Did any bands come back positive and which ones."

Rebeccah

[Tumbleweed23]

The ELISA test is about 55% inaccurate. You might as well flip a coin!

I don't think insurance companies cover the tests performed by IGeneX. The recommended tests are the IgG and IgM western blots (#188 and #189)--together they cost $190.

What you should do is call IGeneX (look for the number on their website) and ask that they send you a blood test kit. You'll receive it within 10 days or so. You bring it to your doctor and ask him/her to sign the form and you have your blood drawn. You FedEx the kit back (no shipping fees). For more accurate results, do this on a Monday or a Tuesday so that your blood doesn't sit on the lab's shelf over the weekend.

I don't know if there are any LLMDs in Colorado, but there are some in Texas and California. If you go to LymeNet dot org, you can post a query in the section "Seeking a Doctor".

Good luck!

Tanya