anyone heard of this?

Positive IgM means active infection, no matter when you picked it up initially. If I were you, I would ask for treatment from the doctor who did the test, and then look for an LLMD close by where you live (make a new post about this) to manage your treatment. This is just my humble opinion...

Take care,

I am sorry this whole lyme deal is so difficult to get drs to pay attention to. I hope you have a sympathetic dr who will at least try to do some research. Good luck.

I can't really give advice on whether you should ask the dr what to do because drs are different. You want to take charge of your healthcare while at the same time making them think it is their idea. I have not had good luck with any drs I have seen to date and I am no longer willing to be on countless antibiotics. I know it works for some people but I have never been able to hold down abx, so I'm not wasting money on pills that I throw up.

Hello, Where do you live? I live in Oregon and have been told by too many Dr's Lyme does not excist here and all my Positive test are wrong.

After my 3rd positive test the CDC called me to ask questions about where I thought I got my Lyme and eveywere I had ben in the last few years. I said what do you mean I have Lyme none of my Drs will treat it. She said DUH, you definitly have Lyme and need to be treated.

She called my Nuero and asked him if he needed to know the treatment guidelines. That got me one month of Doxy. I was lucky that my PCP was willing to keep filling that RX for me.

That was a few years ago, I have actually been symptom free for 2 years, had a Baby Girl and a few weeks ago all my Nuerological symptoms are back. I am heading out right now to have an MRI and see my new Nuero who also thinks I don't have Lyme but MS, but she is my last Nuero in town that hasn't throwm me out. So I don't argue with her.

I can't believe i have to do this again. I am also now at a financial standstill and there is no way i can travel out of state to see any of my LLMD's. I am all on my own. I am so angry with our Health Care.

 

gotlyme, i hear ya they take our money b4 we can walk thro the door, just to say nothing really, its like putting your head agenst a wall, sooner ot later you know its going to hurt so you stop, its a shame too.


Thank you all for the posts,

Turquoise Sky, odd as this is i show pos for new but when i tell em its old due to not being bit in yrs they have no answer, 1 Dr. the ID said ( if you think its lymes i will put you on IV abx for 1 month) but only after i go to a nero and rule out MS. the nero i whent to friday said he didnt belive i have MS. but he said i have low blood flow to my legs wants to run test on them and also he wants to do a spinale tap, i do not want this done tho. as for the vitergo, i'm not sure its better or not, then new combo of meds makes me feel like i'm walking in the clouds and body is made of rubber....lol

Really Lyme, I live in Tx. and my ID said point blank, there isnt much lymes here. well i have only lived here for 3yrs. i was in Mn. Wi. Tn. Al. NJ. NY.Pa. in the last 6 or 7 yrs, so i could of got this anywhere,maybe i need to call the CDC, and maybe they can make the Dr. here treat me. i know when i go back to the ID next month he better have on his fighting suit couse i plane to fight em all i can for treatment. i wish you luck in yur battle of the lyme. or should i say the battle of the doctors..ugggg

KO-LD, yes i did take it with food, matter of fact i took in the middle of a meal, this seems to help me the most, but i know i had doxy b4 and cant remeber it making me so sick, but i do have a lot of trouble with most meds. this is 1 of my biggest fears in the disease.can i or will i be able to handle the meds called for to help me.


ok so i whent to the eye Dr. today and said i have in laymans terms a sty that whent wild, yukk so the good news is no sergery, but he belives lymes is behind it, that and my blurrey vison. so he relesd me from his care.needless to say i am still going nowhere fast.

thanks again for all your input, wishing everyone well soon,

RD

RAZZLE (Or anyone): If positive IgM means active infection, what about IgG?  In a couple of my references, I noted that positive IgG can mean an active infection or an old infection.  Would this mean that an IgG  reaction on a Bb specific band could mean there was an infection in the past that has resolved?  Is IgG specific to inactive and/or old infections?   And if so, appx how old is 'old'? Is it possible that IgG might also signal a current infection?

My very humble thanks for your educated opinion.  Already disclaimed: we know you are not a Dr or diagnositic lab, nor do you profess to be.  I will not hold you to your answer, but would appreciate your input.

 

No, IMHO, IgG is not specific to "old" infections. IgG means there has been exposure - whether that's current/ongoing infection or past/old infection.

If I remember right, the body starts to convert IgM into IgG after a couple of months...at least, that's what the "ideal" is. This "ideal" assumes, though, that the immune system is functioning normally, which in Lyme Disease, we already know is at least partially messed up by the Lyme itself. So the generation of antibodies can be suppressed completely, or the ability to generate enough to show up on the test can be compromised, the ability to generate IgM may be supressed but the ability to generate other antibodies such as IgG may not be, etc.

I think a key thing to look at with the IgG in particular is whether or not there are changes in results from one test to another (from the same lab). Changing bands means active infection. So for example, say on one test, IgG is positive at bands 39 and 41 and then the next test done at the same lab shows IgG positive at 23, 31, and 41. This would give good evidence of current, active infection based on an IgG test.

And keep in mind, too, that the test is only able to detect free-floating antibodies, not antibodies that have found a target to stick to (a part of the lyme bacteria, for example). I think this may be one reason changing bands is more significant...it illustrates the changes the bacteria make in an attempt to elude the immune system.

I hope all this makes sense...and it is just my interpretation of info I've read here and elsewhere, stuff LLMD/LLND's have told me, conversations with local support group members, etc.

Take care,