Aa
Positive ANA with Lyme?
I have been experiencing extreme fatigue, muscle twitches all over my body, hyper active knee reflexes, and head/neck/back aches.
My doctor did some basic bloodwork that was all within normal limits except for a Positive ANA 1:320 Speckled. Now he is sending me to a rheumatology specialist as this is indicative of an autoimmune disease. I have been reading the symptoms of Lupus and I know the fatique and positive ANA fit, but not anything else. Maybe joint pain? Really, I just ache all over. I was thinking maybe MS or even Lyme disease, but what I read says that neither are indicated by positive ANA. I am going crazy trying to figure this all out as I wait to see the specialist. Can a positive ANA indicate Lyme? Any thoughts?
My doctor did some basic bloodwork that was all within normal limits except for a Positive ANA 1:320 Speckled. Now he is sending me to a rheumatology specialist as this is indicative of an autoimmune disease. I have been reading the symptoms of Lupus and I know the fatique and positive ANA fit, but not anything else. Maybe joint pain? Really, I just ache all over. I was thinking maybe MS or even Lyme disease, but what I read says that neither are indicated by positive ANA. I am going crazy trying to figure this all out as I wait to see the specialist. Can a positive ANA indicate Lyme? Any thoughts?
Angiotensin-1-Converting Enzym 55
Ana Ifa Profile
Homogeneous 1:320
Note (SEE NOTE)
Ana Ifa See patterns
Cyclic Citrullinate Pep IgG <1
Dna Antibodies, Native[Double] 1
There are no normal sayings on there.. His tech sent me the blood work threw a portal and it just has numbers, Don't know what they mean, like where the dna is it says the number 1? But I am waiting for a cancelation to get in earlier to see him.. The lyme I have been batteling for 3 years now and have taken meds 4 times and the last time did nothing really for me.. Been in the hospital 2 times with the same symptoms but worse and got iv meds I felt better for awhile but started all over again, My fingers go numb my knees hurt a lot and when I take deep breaths it hurts and NEVER ever had an anxiety attack but went to the ER and they said I had one, idk why but I did.... And sent me home.. I am going to wait and see what he says and if I do not like what hes got to say or do I will consult a second opinion, thank you for all the info you have given me and taking you time to message me back :) I hope for everyone on here get the help they need because Lyme is a horrible thing to deal with.. And my fatigue has been so, so bad my children say they never hardly see me anymore because when I am home I don't feel good and sleep, unless im waking up in pain threw my whole body.. But the numbers I don't know what they mean and have tried looking this up and cant find anything on them, but I am wondering why my ana ifa came up with the homogenous and at 1:320? Witch I know is only one dilution from the last one I had of 1:640.. And again Thank you for sharing and god bless you <3
Ana Ifa Profile
Homogeneous 1:320
Note (SEE NOTE)
Ana Ifa See patterns
Cyclic Citrullinate Pep IgG <1
Dna Antibodies, Native[Double] 1
There are no normal sayings on there.. His tech sent me the blood work threw a portal and it just has numbers, Don't know what they mean, like where the dna is it says the number 1? But I am waiting for a cancelation to get in earlier to see him.. The lyme I have been batteling for 3 years now and have taken meds 4 times and the last time did nothing really for me.. Been in the hospital 2 times with the same symptoms but worse and got iv meds I felt better for awhile but started all over again, My fingers go numb my knees hurt a lot and when I take deep breaths it hurts and NEVER ever had an anxiety attack but went to the ER and they said I had one, idk why but I did.... And sent me home.. I am going to wait and see what he says and if I do not like what hes got to say or do I will consult a second opinion, thank you for all the info you have given me and taking you time to message me back :) I hope for everyone on here get the help they need because Lyme is a horrible thing to deal with.. And my fatigue has been so, so bad my children say they never hardly see me anymore because when I am home I don't feel good and sleep, unless im waking up in pain threw my whole body.. But the numbers I don't know what they mean and have tried looking this up and cant find anything on them, but I am wondering why my ana ifa came up with the homogenous and at 1:320? Witch I know is only one dilution from the last one I had of 1:640.. And again Thank you for sharing and god bless you <3
Each test result should have a 'reference range' for each item, which are the usual boundaries to know whether your specific test result is within the normal (healthy) range or not (infection present).
Different tests from different labs have different reference ranges stated on the test result paperwork, so take a look at those. Any one of them that is close to the 'yes you're sick with this' range should in my non-medical opinion be counted as a positive.
AB means antibodies that your immune system makes, and some of these tests don't look for actual bacteria in your blood, but instead look for your immune system's reaction to the presence of the bacteria. It's like seeing a burglar's footprints in your flowerbed but not seeing the burglar: the footprints means the bad guy's likely been in your house.
I don't know all the ins and outs of these tests (your doc should walk you through them), but here's my understanding (my comment are inside ***asterisks***):
=================================================
LYME:
-- P23 AB IgM Present (***positive for antibodies (AB) your immune system has made again the presence of a fairly recent Lyme infection***)
-- P39 AB IgM Absent -- this marker was not found on the test, so it does not support a Lyme infection, but that doesn't mean you don't have Lyme
-- P41 AB IgM Present (***positive result like above***)
SUMMARY:
-- Lyme IgM WB Int Positive -- this means a likely positive Lyme infection, based on the test results above, and it is fairly recent.
=================================================
BABESIOSIS test results:
Babesia Igg & Igm AB Profile
Babesia Igg AB <1:10
Babesia Igm AB <1:10
It looks to untrained me that babesiosis likely NOT present, meaning likely no infection with this one.
=====================================================
I would call the doc's office and ask to be seen sooner, so you can get moving on treatment, if the tests are indeed positive. (Remember: I'm not a doc!)
Being nervous is normal when you're possibly ill, but Lyme bacteria also use up magnesium (Mg) in your body, which can make you nervous. You might consider taking Mg supplements -- any variety ending in "-ate" is supposed to be most absorbable: magnesium malate, orotate, aspartate, etc. The American diet is also said to be low in Mg, so when the Lyme bacteria are using it up too, it's easy to get low. I still take Mg every day, even though I've been done with Lyme for several years. I take about 400 mg of Mg per day (half in the morning, half in the evening), and that's about 100% of the minimum daily requirement. If I still had Lyme, I might try taking more, but if you get diarrhea, then back off on the dose, so I read.
Doc as a group are not usually interested in supplements and such, and my Lyme doc was that way: he didn't care whether I took vitamins and supps or not. But I think they were critical to becoming well.
Be sure to take the docs a list of all the vitamins and supps you are taking (both name and how much per day) so the doc can factor that in, tho some could not, as noted, care less.
--------------------------------------------------------------
You say, "Some people say I can have Lyme disease along with Lupus is that possible to have both?"
I'm not medically trained, but my guess would be that yes, you could have them both, but my first thought would be that a Lyme infection may be mistaken for lupus, which is (I think) an auto-immune disease, meaning that your body is turning on itself and needs to be stopped before doing any damage.
The problem with diagnosing someone with Lyme AND lupus at the same time is that to *kill* Lyme, your immune system needs to be up and running strong, but the treatment for lupus is to *suppress* your immune system, because Lyme turns on the body and damages it (an autoimmune disease). There is some thought among Lyme docs that what looks like lupus in a Lyme patient may instead be just Lyme symptoms. If your Lyme doc thinks you should be on steroids, I would quietly get a second opinion from another LYME doc without telling the first Lyme doc that you are doing so. Don't worry, just be aware at this point.
==============================
Be aware that there are specialist docs who view Lyme only through the prism of their own specialty. It's like the 'elephant and the blind men' story: one guy touches the elephant's trunk and says that an elephant must look like a snake; another touches the elephant's leg and says that an elephant must look like a tree, and so on.
Docs have the same problem as those blind men: they tend to see only what they are aware of, and rheumatologists may (not always, but may) see an over-active immune response (as in a rheumatic condition) where the problem is really Lyme and has nothing to do with an over-active immune response. That's why you need to see a Lyme specialist.
This is not to say a rheumie cannot be wise and openminded about Lyme, but that is a judgment you need to make. Your rheumie may be wise in the ways of Lyme, but I would want to know (1) what his diagnoses are and (2) what the proposed treatment plan is.
You may then want to get a second opinion before beginning treatment, just to be sure. You don't need to tell the rheumie you are going for a second opinion, so as not to get him all huffy, but get copies of ALL your test results to date and take them to a Lyme doc for a second opinion. It's what I would do. Your rheumie might be wise to Lyme already, but if you are not sure of that, then I would go to a Lyme doc for a second look. Sorry to keep repeating myself, but want to be sure I'm clear (it's been a long week). Docs who are ignorant of Lyme do not know they are ignorant of Lyme.
As a wise man once said: trust, but verify. Let us know how we can help. you can do this!! After all, you found us. :) No one here is medically trained that I know of, so you can't rely on us for medical advice, but we're happy to share our experiences. You sound like you are doing all the right things in analyzing your situation -- you go! -- and keep us posted, okay?
Different tests from different labs have different reference ranges stated on the test result paperwork, so take a look at those. Any one of them that is close to the 'yes you're sick with this' range should in my non-medical opinion be counted as a positive.
AB means antibodies that your immune system makes, and some of these tests don't look for actual bacteria in your blood, but instead look for your immune system's reaction to the presence of the bacteria. It's like seeing a burglar's footprints in your flowerbed but not seeing the burglar: the footprints means the bad guy's likely been in your house.
I don't know all the ins and outs of these tests (your doc should walk you through them), but here's my understanding (my comment are inside ***asterisks***):
=================================================
LYME:
-- P23 AB IgM Present (***positive for antibodies (AB) your immune system has made again the presence of a fairly recent Lyme infection***)
-- P39 AB IgM Absent -- this marker was not found on the test, so it does not support a Lyme infection, but that doesn't mean you don't have Lyme
-- P41 AB IgM Present (***positive result like above***)
SUMMARY:
-- Lyme IgM WB Int Positive -- this means a likely positive Lyme infection, based on the test results above, and it is fairly recent.
=================================================
BABESIOSIS test results:
Babesia Igg & Igm AB Profile
Babesia Igg AB <1:10
Babesia Igm AB <1:10
It looks to untrained me that babesiosis likely NOT present, meaning likely no infection with this one.
=====================================================
I would call the doc's office and ask to be seen sooner, so you can get moving on treatment, if the tests are indeed positive. (Remember: I'm not a doc!)
Being nervous is normal when you're possibly ill, but Lyme bacteria also use up magnesium (Mg) in your body, which can make you nervous. You might consider taking Mg supplements -- any variety ending in "-ate" is supposed to be most absorbable: magnesium malate, orotate, aspartate, etc. The American diet is also said to be low in Mg, so when the Lyme bacteria are using it up too, it's easy to get low. I still take Mg every day, even though I've been done with Lyme for several years. I take about 400 mg of Mg per day (half in the morning, half in the evening), and that's about 100% of the minimum daily requirement. If I still had Lyme, I might try taking more, but if you get diarrhea, then back off on the dose, so I read.
Doc as a group are not usually interested in supplements and such, and my Lyme doc was that way: he didn't care whether I took vitamins and supps or not. But I think they were critical to becoming well.
Be sure to take the docs a list of all the vitamins and supps you are taking (both name and how much per day) so the doc can factor that in, tho some could not, as noted, care less.
--------------------------------------------------------------
You say, "Some people say I can have Lyme disease along with Lupus is that possible to have both?"
I'm not medically trained, but my guess would be that yes, you could have them both, but my first thought would be that a Lyme infection may be mistaken for lupus, which is (I think) an auto-immune disease, meaning that your body is turning on itself and needs to be stopped before doing any damage.
The problem with diagnosing someone with Lyme AND lupus at the same time is that to *kill* Lyme, your immune system needs to be up and running strong, but the treatment for lupus is to *suppress* your immune system, because Lyme turns on the body and damages it (an autoimmune disease). There is some thought among Lyme docs that what looks like lupus in a Lyme patient may instead be just Lyme symptoms. If your Lyme doc thinks you should be on steroids, I would quietly get a second opinion from another LYME doc without telling the first Lyme doc that you are doing so. Don't worry, just be aware at this point.
==============================
Be aware that there are specialist docs who view Lyme only through the prism of their own specialty. It's like the 'elephant and the blind men' story: one guy touches the elephant's trunk and says that an elephant must look like a snake; another touches the elephant's leg and says that an elephant must look like a tree, and so on.
Docs have the same problem as those blind men: they tend to see only what they are aware of, and rheumatologists may (not always, but may) see an over-active immune response (as in a rheumatic condition) where the problem is really Lyme and has nothing to do with an over-active immune response. That's why you need to see a Lyme specialist.
This is not to say a rheumie cannot be wise and openminded about Lyme, but that is a judgment you need to make. Your rheumie may be wise in the ways of Lyme, but I would want to know (1) what his diagnoses are and (2) what the proposed treatment plan is.
You may then want to get a second opinion before beginning treatment, just to be sure. You don't need to tell the rheumie you are going for a second opinion, so as not to get him all huffy, but get copies of ALL your test results to date and take them to a Lyme doc for a second opinion. It's what I would do. Your rheumie might be wise to Lyme already, but if you are not sure of that, then I would go to a Lyme doc for a second look. Sorry to keep repeating myself, but want to be sure I'm clear (it's been a long week). Docs who are ignorant of Lyme do not know they are ignorant of Lyme.
As a wise man once said: trust, but verify. Let us know how we can help. you can do this!! After all, you found us. :) No one here is medically trained that I know of, so you can't rely on us for medical advice, but we're happy to share our experiences. You sound like you are doing all the right things in analyzing your situation -- you go! -- and keep us posted, okay?
Sorry for the many updates but can anyone tell me what they all mean? I am so confused with all this? I don't go back to my doctors till dec 18th and pretty nervous... Some people say I can have Lyme disease along with Lupus is that possible to have both? And thank you RobNOrl for the info, I have been dealing with lyme for 3 years now, but my rhumey thinks I might have lupus also?
P23 AB IgM Present
P39 AB IgM Absent
P41 AB IgM Present
Lyme IgM WB Int Positive
Babesia Igg & Igm AB Profile
Babesia Igg AB <1:10
Babesia Igm AB <1:10
P39 AB IgM Absent
P41 AB IgM Present
Lyme IgM WB Int Positive
Babesia Igg & Igm AB Profile
Babesia Igg AB <1:10
Babesia Igm AB <1:10
Erythrocyte Sedimentati0n Rate 1
Angiotensin-1-Converting Enzym 55
Ana Ifa Profile
Homogeneous 1:320
Note (SEE NOTE)
Ana Ifa See patterns
Angiotensin-1-Converting Enzym 55
Ana Ifa Profile
Homogeneous 1:320
Note (SEE NOTE)
Ana Ifa See patterns
Test
Result
Rheumatoid Arthritis Factor 8 - Negative
Comprehensive Metabolic Panel Profile
Sodium 139
Potassium 4.5
Chloride 107
Co2 29
Anion Gap 3.0
Gluc 78
BUN 8
Creatinine 0.65
CrCL[MDRD] 98.13
Calcium 9.2
Ast 25
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