Need Help Reading Lyme Test Results

So, it looks like you had reaction to two bands. You have been exposed to the lyme bacteria and the body has produced antibodies.

Since you've only had symptoms for a month, you may still be in the early stage of Lyme disease.
Getting treatment as soon as possible is what you should do (in my opinion)

Can you get on a round of antibiotics - will your PCP give you a prescription of doxycycline?

Also, you might want to get an appointment with a Lyme Literate MD and have him/her evaluate you.

Good luck!

Hi there,

I'm guessing your doctor will say that you 'equivocally' do NOT have Lyme, as he first said, because both parts of your test say "Negative".

However, what Girlie said is actually the correct result:those reactive bands wouldn't show up if you hadn't been exposed to the lyme bacteria.

It's confusing because the CDC has silly rules that you must have 2 of 5 specific numbers show up reactive on the IgM section to be considered positive, and/or 5 of 10 specific bands show up on the IgG to be considered positive. That's just their idiotic standards, which lyme-literate doctors know better than to follow. See if you can get the 4 weeks of antibiotics, and also see if you can find a knowledgable lyme-literate MD in your area.

Hi Perspektive!
Welcome to our community!! I'm glad you found us!

As for your test results, here is the site that I use to help interpret them:www.reocities.com/HotSprings/Oasis/6455/western-blot.txt


An IgM result means that you have an active infection. It once was thought to mean an 'early' infection, but has since been revised. IgG means that the infection is at a later stage. The more +'s you have beside a number, the stronger the reaction.


A "Lyme specific band" means specific for Borrelia Burgdorferi, sensu stricto - Lyme disease in the strictest sense. There is only one on the over 300 known strains of Lyme that is considered Bb, ss. Nothing else will turn a Lyme specific band positive other than Lyme disease.


Bands 18 & 41 (whether in IgM or IgG) are indicative of the tail of the bacteria, which can cross react with other Spirochetal bacteria such as Relapsing Fever, Pintas and Yaws, and Syphilis.


Considering that they made a vaccine out of the proteins from Band 23 (one of the ones that is positive on your test), if they don't recognize that as a sure thing that you have the infection - just find another doctor.


​If you haven't ​yet​, it would be helpful for you to start with reading through the thread at the top of the forum titled,"New to Lyme?...Start here!!", as it is packed full of important information, symptom lists, helpful links and pdf's, how to detox when one has these infections, information on probiotics and much more.​


For information on finding a​n ILADS ​(International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society)​ trained​ Lyme Literate Medical Doctor(LLMD) in your area, you will need to enable your email option in your profile in order to receive any recommendations, as we don't allow doctor's names and contact info to be posted on the forum for several reasons. You can enable your email option in your profile, under 'edit profile'. Be sure to click the submit button to actually save your preference.


​You can send me an email by clicking on my screen name or the small blue envelope under my screen name. I may have contact information for some LLMD's in your area as well.​ ​Please include your state and area that you would like to find a LLMD in and I will see how close I can get to your location.​


You can also email the Tick-Borne Disease Alliance at​[​​url]​medicalinfo@tbdalliance.org​ for LLMD referrals and you can go to ​tbdalliance.org/​​ to learn more about these infections.


You can also go to The Lyme Disease Association and search for LLMD's 3 times in a month. You have to register first. Here is the link:
www.lymediseaseassociation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=277&Itemid=74​​


​ You will want to find an ILADS (International Lyme And Associated Diseases Society) trained doctor, as ID Docs (Infectious Disease Doctors) believe Lyme is hard to catch and easy to treat, and don't believe in the reality of chronic Lyme. Go to the ILADS site to read the new (2014) Treatment guidelines to get you started on your Lyme journey.​​www.ilads.org/lyme/ILADS_Guidelines.pdf​​