HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

What Stock Do You Place in the WB

Support Forums
>
Lyme Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 7/14/2009 11:41 PM (GMT -5)
OK heres the deal. I had a WB done in April and it was positive thro LabCorp on IgM only.

the ID i was sent to doesnt belive in lyme, and told me i had a fales positive, so he ran another test. i found out today that he did a WB an ELISA thro Qust. and they both came back negitive. the WB only took 24hrs to get the report. i know when it was done thro labcorp it took over a week to run it. this sounds very odd to me.

my way of thinking is he did what he needed to do it get the nevitive test so he by law doesnt have to treat me.

after finding all this out from his nurse. i told her i want to know whats next, i want to know what he is going to do about the nuero issues i am going thro now, along with everything else.

as he told me on my last visit to him. that it could be so many other things to cause all my sx. (yep like lyme disease) its not like he has tested me for anything else. just sent me to a nuero to rule out MS. did that and then i get this crap.

i do not understand why in thw world he would say after ruling out MS he would treat me with IV abx then do something totaly different.

any and all feedback is welcomed, thanks :)

Posted 7/15/2009 3:14 AM (GMT -5)
RD,

I say, stop going to him for now. I know you want to get treated but do you really want to risk your life with this doctor treating you the wrong way? I know you think your life is at stake already from this disease but this doctor doesn't seem to know what he is talking about. He gave you antibiotics to take 3 days on and 10 days off. He's a nut!

I'm waiting on the info I told you about abd I will also talk to my doctor. My appointment is August 5th. If they cannot help you themselves, maybe they know someone who can.

Hang in there!
Posted 7/15/2009 5:50 AM (GMT -5)
Sounds like it's time to find another doctor... I've fired a number of doctors for changing their tune from one appointment to the next.
Posted 7/17/2009 2:41 AM (GMT -5)
She's limited to doctors because she's on a state medical insurance plan. That's why she's having so much trouble. She can only see the doctors they tell her to see. And the ones she is sent too know nothing about Lyme or just plain won't treat her. Grrrrrrr!
Posted 7/17/2009 7:56 AM (GMT -5)
RD,
What stock do I hold in WB's? Not a lot! I would have one band present from one lab and a different one present at another, from blood drawn at the same time/same day. It is a crap shoot! The fact that you had such a strong one though from LabCorp. suggests definite Lyme. Why would he want another one done? Before I found my LLMD and had been referred to an ID Dr. He drew and Elisa again, which was High positive, it was followed up with a WB. Since the band was IGM, he said, "it is not Lyme, you would have sero-converted by now." Meaning I should have had IGG bands. Which low and behold now I do! I have found through my own research that IGM bands are very significant and can mean a new infection or a past infection that is now active.

It sounds to me as if he wants the MS ruled out and then he is willing to treat the Lyme. Odd, if he does not believe you have it, why say he will do antibiotics. Maybe he is just trying to cover himself? Who knows.

I wish you all of the best.

Heather
Posted 7/17/2009 9:24 AM (GMT -5)
Hi RD!

I'd start looking for another doctor- but I wouldn't necessarily through this one out the window yet. Keep looking to see if you can find a doctor who believes in Lyme- or just another doctor in general (just in case), but in my opinion, there's nothing wrong wrong with having a doctor look into the other possibilities.

After all- you could have Lyme AND something else (I hope not, though!). Also- the more things you get tested for that you don't have, the more evidence you have in favor of Lyme. So when my doc asks to test me for everything under the sun, I smile and say yes. Not because I think I have it- but because this way I can PROVE I don't.

As for the Western Blot...I think this is the one thing that makes me the most mad. Lyme-literate folks tell you that the test doesn't matter (as it's a clinical diagnosis)- but they want to test you anyway. Non-lyme-literate folks pretty much won't do anything without a positive test- but when you get a ppositive, they call it a mistake!

Basically, although both sides interpret it differently (false positives vs false negatives), they both say it isn't very accurate!

If only they'd stop arguing with each other, and start trying to find a better test! Seriously- what other disease gets by with a test this bad!?
Posted 7/17/2009 10:07 AM (GMT -5)
Somewhat related question....someone who tested positive, had the clinical diagnosis, etc. If you successfully get better, what kind of changes could you expect in diagnostic testing? I suppose CD-57 count going up is one thing...what about WB? Would the numbers on that change at all?
Posted 7/17/2009 10:18 AM (GMT -5)

lymekiller said...
theres only a 3 percent chance its a false positive from igenex

I don't know if this was a reply specifically to my post- but I want to clarify-

I DO NOT think that Igenex gives false positives- I'm with ILADs in believeing you are far more likely to get a false negative (I'd take any positive as proof of Lyme)

I was just explaining how frustrating it is that regular docs rely so much on testing- but then call practically every positive "false"

IMO- if you do enough testing, nearly everyone will get a false negative. So a doctor ordering a repeat WB isn't really a good thing- he is just looking for excuses to throw out the old one.

Posted 7/17/2009 9:17 PM (GMT -5)
the infectious disease soc is contracted w labs that produce negative results. Let an infectious disease doc do your test and it will be neg. This is an issue under investigation the 30th
Posted 7/17/2009 11:40 PM (GMT -5)
all i can say is in my own opinion, if you show positive on a Bb specific ban then it has to be do to haven a spirochepte in your blood at the time. no other way can explane it otherwise. wicth i has band 23 positive in my WB. nothing else can make it positive if i didnt have lyme.
Posted 7/18/2009 12:49 AM (GMT -5)
Yep Nicky, I think you're right. RD's doctor was probably looking for an excuse to throw out her positive test and not treat her.
Posted 7/18/2009 2:06 AM (GMT -5)
hello i know that's what he was doing so he could ease his mind and know i couldn't sue his butt off.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply