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Western Blot results Help
I have been very sick for some time and finally in July 2013 was tested with the western blot test and came back positive they said one line. Didn't understand and Had test done in Nov and now have what I can see 6 re-active. here is the test result copy from my patient portal.
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot LYME DISEASE AB(IGG),BLOT NEGATIVE (NEGATIVE) no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 18 KD (IGG) BAND NON-REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 23 KD (IGG) BAND REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 28 KD (IGG) BAND NON-REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 30 KD (IGG) BAND NON-REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 39 KD (IGG) BAND REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 41 KD (IGG) BAND REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 45 KD (IGG) BAND NON-REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 58 KD (IGG) BAND NON-REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 66 KD (IGG) BAND NON-REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 93 KD (IGG) BAND NON-REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot LYME DISEASE AB(IGM),BLOT NEGATIVE (NEGATIVE) no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 23 KD (IGM) BAND REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 39 KD (IGM) BAND NON-REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 41 KD (IGM) BAND NON-REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
TEST IN QUESTION- MISC QUESTION () Nov 13, 201
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot LYME DISEASE AB(IGG),BLOT NEGATIVE (NEGATIVE) no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 18 KD (IGG) BAND NON-REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 23 KD (IGG) BAND REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 28 KD (IGG) BAND NON-REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 30 KD (IGG) BAND NON-REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 39 KD (IGG) BAND REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 41 KD (IGG) BAND REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 45 KD (IGG) BAND NON-REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 58 KD (IGG) BAND NON-REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 66 KD (IGG) BAND NON-REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 93 KD (IGG) BAND NON-REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot LYME DISEASE AB(IGM),BLOT NEGATIVE (NEGATIVE) no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 23 KD (IGM) BAND REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 39 KD (IGM) BAND NON-REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
Borrelia burgdorferi Ab(Lyme)(IgG,IgM), Western Blot 41 KD (IGM) BAND NON-REACTIVE () no change from previous Nov 15, 2013
TEST IN QUESTION- MISC QUESTION () Nov 13, 201
Thank You you guys are so awesome and been helping me then you know. As you all might of been at one time sitting scared.. I can usual handle things but for some reason this scares the crap out of me. Because I can understand there are so many other things that can factor into everything.
Yes nine years is a bit and that is one reason I wanted to know what I should ask him. I also want to see what he wants to know. They said they are sending me so paper to complete and send back before appointment. Yippy my chickens will be happy it will be warm enough to let them out of the coop. been way too cold like -5 to -15 below with wind chill. Thanks for explaining this to me.
Yes nine years is a bit and that is one reason I wanted to know what I should ask him. I also want to see what he wants to know. They said they are sending me so paper to complete and send back before appointment. Yippy my chickens will be happy it will be warm enough to let them out of the coop. been way too cold like -5 to -15 below with wind chill. Thanks for explaining this to me.
Is this the part of the linked document you are referring to? (I've disguised the names, since we avoid naming docs (good or bad) in public for all kinds of reasons.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
But Dr. XXXXX, director of Infectious Diseases at XXXXXXX Medical Center in XXXXX, calls the ELISA test an accurate screening tool.
“If anything, (ELISA) may over-identify patients with symptoms that may not be Lyme disease but another condition,” XXXXXXX says.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Infectious disease specialists are among the biggest, strongest deniers of Lyme. It is counter-logical, because in any other area of medicine, they would be the strongest advocates for up to date information. It's politics and ego, imo, that has caused this -- and it's unfortunately not possible to rely on titles and positions held when it comes to reliable docs in the field of Lyme.
You may remember when AIDS first came to widespread public knowledge -- there was fear everywhere that AIDS was as easy to get as the common cold. To stop the panic, a white-coated MD from the Centers for Disease Control went on national TV and stated flatly that you could only get AIDS if you were gay or Haitian.
Well, the "logic" behind that statement was that so far, docs had only seen AIDS in those who were (1) gay and/or (2) Haitian. It is an error in logic to jump to the conclusion that ONLY those groups could get the infection, but it was the best the docs could do at the time, as ignorant and illogical as it was. Bottom line: MDs make mistakes, and sometimes they are big mistakes.
There is something similar going on in the logic of so-called mainstream medicine when it comes to Lyme: the docs who first diagnosed Lyme disease classified it as a minor ailment that would be definitely cured with a couple weeks of doxycycline antibiotics. What those docs did not know then was that Lyme is able to evade not only the human immune system but also can hide in the body in areas where the immune system doesn't easily go: cartilage, and slimy areas called biofilms which the bacteria make to hide in. What the immune system can't see, it can't kill. If Lyme is caught very early, some doxycycline can kill it all, but once the infection is settled in, doxy can't reach it. When that magic moment occurs is unknowable, and many of us (including me) have no idea when we were bitten.
The link you posted above is from 2005 -- now 9 years ago. Much has been learned since then about Lyme and its co-infections, and there are still arguments among the docs about what tests to use and how to treat for how long with what medicines. The doc your friend saw is of the old school of thought about Lyme. You are free to follow that approach, but if it doesn't work, remember to come back and we'll give you ideas on how to find a Lyme specialist who understands what Lyme and its coinfections are all about.
The reason the standard tests like ELISA are often inaccurate is because they rely on the human immune system's reaction to Lyme bacteria. Lyme bacteria, however, are able to suppress the body's immune reaction, giving what is called a 'false negative' reaction to the ELISA test -- that is, the test result says 'no Lyme', but the test is wrong, because it is measuring your immune system's reaction to Lyme bacteria, but the bacteria are stopping your immune system from making the thing that the test is trying to measure. Result: a negative test, but the test is wrong. Therefore: a false negative.
The tests used by Lyme specialists do not rely on your immune system's reaction to the presence of Lyme bacteria, but instead look directly for DNA of the Lyme bacteria in your blood. It is a *direct* test (find the Lyme DNA) versus an *indirect* test (find the immune system's reaction to the Lyme bacteria, if the Lyme bacteria haven't suppressed the immune system, which they do for their own survival.)
I think of it as the difference between finding a burglar in your house -- that's direct evidence of a crime -- as opposed to finding only the burglar's footprints in the flower bed. If the burglar stepped in the flower bed, then you've got evidence that he was there -- but if he jumped OVER the flower bed, or if the flower bed has gravel topping, there will be no 'evidence', but the burglar really truly WAS there -- you just can't prove it.
ELISA tests are looking only in the flower bed for footprints that may or may not be there, while the IGeneX tests look for -- and can find -- the BURGLAR himself.
I've had Lyme, and it took me a year and a bunch of clueless docs before I found my way to a Lyme specialist. And that's what I would do again -- only skipping over the 20 clueless docs and a wasted and wretched year of my life.
Best wishes to you --
----------------------------------------------------------------------
But Dr. XXXXX, director of Infectious Diseases at XXXXXXX Medical Center in XXXXX, calls the ELISA test an accurate screening tool.
“If anything, (ELISA) may over-identify patients with symptoms that may not be Lyme disease but another condition,” XXXXXXX says.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Infectious disease specialists are among the biggest, strongest deniers of Lyme. It is counter-logical, because in any other area of medicine, they would be the strongest advocates for up to date information. It's politics and ego, imo, that has caused this -- and it's unfortunately not possible to rely on titles and positions held when it comes to reliable docs in the field of Lyme.
You may remember when AIDS first came to widespread public knowledge -- there was fear everywhere that AIDS was as easy to get as the common cold. To stop the panic, a white-coated MD from the Centers for Disease Control went on national TV and stated flatly that you could only get AIDS if you were gay or Haitian.
Well, the "logic" behind that statement was that so far, docs had only seen AIDS in those who were (1) gay and/or (2) Haitian. It is an error in logic to jump to the conclusion that ONLY those groups could get the infection, but it was the best the docs could do at the time, as ignorant and illogical as it was. Bottom line: MDs make mistakes, and sometimes they are big mistakes.
There is something similar going on in the logic of so-called mainstream medicine when it comes to Lyme: the docs who first diagnosed Lyme disease classified it as a minor ailment that would be definitely cured with a couple weeks of doxycycline antibiotics. What those docs did not know then was that Lyme is able to evade not only the human immune system but also can hide in the body in areas where the immune system doesn't easily go: cartilage, and slimy areas called biofilms which the bacteria make to hide in. What the immune system can't see, it can't kill. If Lyme is caught very early, some doxycycline can kill it all, but once the infection is settled in, doxy can't reach it. When that magic moment occurs is unknowable, and many of us (including me) have no idea when we were bitten.
The link you posted above is from 2005 -- now 9 years ago. Much has been learned since then about Lyme and its co-infections, and there are still arguments among the docs about what tests to use and how to treat for how long with what medicines. The doc your friend saw is of the old school of thought about Lyme. You are free to follow that approach, but if it doesn't work, remember to come back and we'll give you ideas on how to find a Lyme specialist who understands what Lyme and its coinfections are all about.
The reason the standard tests like ELISA are often inaccurate is because they rely on the human immune system's reaction to Lyme bacteria. Lyme bacteria, however, are able to suppress the body's immune reaction, giving what is called a 'false negative' reaction to the ELISA test -- that is, the test result says 'no Lyme', but the test is wrong, because it is measuring your immune system's reaction to Lyme bacteria, but the bacteria are stopping your immune system from making the thing that the test is trying to measure. Result: a negative test, but the test is wrong. Therefore: a false negative.
The tests used by Lyme specialists do not rely on your immune system's reaction to the presence of Lyme bacteria, but instead look directly for DNA of the Lyme bacteria in your blood. It is a *direct* test (find the Lyme DNA) versus an *indirect* test (find the immune system's reaction to the Lyme bacteria, if the Lyme bacteria haven't suppressed the immune system, which they do for their own survival.)
I think of it as the difference between finding a burglar in your house -- that's direct evidence of a crime -- as opposed to finding only the burglar's footprints in the flower bed. If the burglar stepped in the flower bed, then you've got evidence that he was there -- but if he jumped OVER the flower bed, or if the flower bed has gravel topping, there will be no 'evidence', but the burglar really truly WAS there -- you just can't prove it.
ELISA tests are looking only in the flower bed for footprints that may or may not be there, while the IGeneX tests look for -- and can find -- the BURGLAR himself.
I've had Lyme, and it took me a year and a bunch of clueless docs before I found my way to a Lyme specialist. And that's what I would do again -- only skipping over the 20 clueless docs and a wasted and wretched year of my life.
Best wishes to you --
Can you please go to the link below, my friend was at this meeting and said the Dr I am see talking about Elisa test was good and since no names hes at the bottom!!!!! And no such thing as chronic Lymes Please read and let me know. I am thinking of going to get on antibiotics cause I feel right now I really need them been feeling so sick. No sleep or not hungry should say solid sleep.
http://lymespot.blogspot.com/2005/10/insurers-hit-on-lyme-disease.html
http://lymespot.blogspot.com/2005/10/insurers-hit-on-lyme-disease.html
I hope that in all your reading you find this common denominator and take it to heart:
That the sooner one gets treated for Lyme disease the better the chance of a quicker resolution of symptoms and the less chance, if it hasn't happened already, that the disease will affect the CNS.
That's the most important thing. Reading and learning can be parallel to starting treatment with a good llmd not an infectious disease doctor.
Don't wait, please.
That the sooner one gets treated for Lyme disease the better the chance of a quicker resolution of symptoms and the less chance, if it hasn't happened already, that the disease will affect the CNS.
That's the most important thing. Reading and learning can be parallel to starting treatment with a good llmd not an infectious disease doctor.
Don't wait, please.
That is to far from my house and area I lived near New Hampshire. I didn't really know about the different in the two doctors. So I am diffidently going to keep searching all I can to make sure I learn all I can, So I am prepared with my questions. So the more you tell me the more I can learn Thanks
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I had a hard time reading the closely packed text (a by-product of Lyme)
but if you have reactive band #39 you have Lyme disease.
Ricobord, a member here, can give you a much better explanation but what I recall ----- if you have a positive #39 then you have Lyme disease. That is one of the more definitive bands.
I hope you're on antibiotics. (You didn't say).