New and confused with test results

Greetings to you all,

This is my first post on any forum regarding Lyme Disease.

I'm a mummy from the UK and I have two little ones, both with various medical conditions and both with autism.

My whole life I have suffered some kind of chronic illness and did the whole run-around with doctors telling me it's all in my head, etc.

I remember when I was very little, I sat with our dog and I saw many swollen ticks behind its ears. I didn't know what they were at the time.

I suffered from painful joints as a child amongst other things. I also had multiple circular red rashes on my face and body but I looked it up and they were more like 'ringworm' rashes rather than bullseye ones.

I had a major 'relapse' in my early twenties where I had what felt like the flu with vomiting for six months. I couldn't walk without help for some of those months.

When a family member died, I started having what felt like short seizures and I still get those when I am over-tired.

After I had my first child, I got what I now know to be more neurological lyme symptoms. It felt very much like MS.

This March (five years after the last major crash), I had another terrible crash and I'm still going through it. The MS symptoms are much worse. I could no longer drive my car for the month of March and April. I have severe short term memory loss, and what feels like the onset of facial palsy. For a few months leading to that, I keep waking up with a stiff neck and I get headaches almost daily. Dizziness and severe muscle weakness.

My legs and arms keep going numb. There are so many symptoms, I can't think of them all right now as my thinking is a bit cloudy as I type this.

I found out about Lyme Disease as I researched on Google a couple of months ago and I felt for the first time in my life that I had THE answer for what has been troubling me all of my life.

I started to research like crazy and I decided to get myself tested with Armin Labs in Germany.

I didn't do any co-infections as my funds are limited and I want to put my resources towards ongoing treatment. I can't currently afford a LLMD but I found a wonderful knowledgeable naturopath to start working with.

When my results arrived I was quite surprised to find that I tested negative for the Borrelia Elispot and the Borrelia IgG/IgM Seraspot tests. The strains tested were B. b. afzelii, garinii, and sensu stricto.
www.arminlabs.com/en/tests/elispot
www.arminlabs.com/en/tests/antibodies

However, my CD57 + NK-cells (absolute) was astonishingly low. I got a 3. The range is 100-360.

I know that the jury is out there on the validity of the CD57 test but I wonder if this is the reason I tested negative for Borrelia. Could my immune system be incapable of producing antibodies.

Their Elispot test measure T-cellular activity so I don't think the antibodies are even relevant for that. It is for the Seraspot though.

Sorry this is so long! I will stop now, but I would love you thoughts. I want to have a test that shows positive for Lyme, if possible. I know it sounds silly but I need to put a 'face' to this thing that has held me hostage all my life.

The Advanced Laboratory culture test is not available to UK patients, but I am interested in a urine PCR test by either Igenex or this Lyme panel from DNA Connexions
www.dnaconnexions.com/Lyme-Panel-Test-DNA-connexions.html

Thank you so much for taking the time to read. I really look forward to hearing from you!

Best wishes to you all!

PeteZa, thank you ever so much for your reply. I appreciated every single word! I read the 'New To Lyme' page a few times, but I must read it a few more times to absorb it all.

Yes, it must be really tough to stop all meds for testing.

I am going to go herbal and I am studying Cowden and Buhner at present.

I forgot to mention that I also ran a HPU test and I'm waiting on my results. If I have this, then I would want to address that before getting started on the Lyme treatment. Also I need to remove my amalgams!

So glad I found you all, thank you so much!

Lol, I will also be re-referring to the New To Lyme thread for a long time! It is packed with brilliant information and impossible for me to memorise!

I am also really drawn to the Buhner herbals. I am reading his revised 'Healing Lyme' book every moment I get to spare. I'm just finishing off chapter one.

I have a journal from since it all kicked off early March, and then I tapered off from it, so thanks for the prompt. I will be very focused with it from now on. I will know what I am reacting to when I start taking supports and herbals, etc. Thanks again for the great tip!

Yes about the detox! I bookmarked that link you posted, thanks so much. I have been taking tons of notes from Dr. Klinghardt on detox also. I haven't started on anything as of yet (no detoxing or herbals) but I have already cut out all sugar, started to remove toxins in the home, eating more organic, etc.

Thanks again PeteZa!

Oh and I thought of one thing that really helped me.

The most horrible thing is to run out of an herb in your treatment. I did it twice and one time I paid dearly with horrible symptoms returning. Lesson learned.

What I did was put my herbs that I am taking on the kitchen counter, since I have to take them 3 times a day. And, in my cupboard I had a backup bottle. When I ran out of the one on the counter I replaced it with the one from the cupboard and immediately ordered that herb. This was the only way I could keep all those herbs in stock and always on hand.

If you find a better way, let us know.

And, with brain fog I would take my herbs and an hour later wonder if I had taken my herbs. I was pathetically brain challenged. I still use the penny counter. I have 3 pennies and when I take dose 1 in the morning, the penny is moved. Then I know I have taken it and I do the same for dose 2 and 3. It saved me so many times because I honestly could not remember if I had taken my herbs or not.

That's what I've learned to do with my herbs as well, PeteZa!! Yes, brilliant thinking! I use a piece of paper if I need to write down if I've taken something though. Hash marks next to the name of the herb - hubby would move my pennies!!

Traveler, that is a good idea too. The thing is, I will get doubtful about if I actually did write it down or move the penny! I guess I will have to be very focused about what order I do things in, so that I can trust and depend on the process...

Step one: make the mark
Step two: take the herb

Something like that?

PeteZa, I will remember to be more light hearted with it all. I do feel tons better when I laugh at myself during a brain-fog moment. It just feels so much better when I stop resisting against everything that happening and willingly (and even happily) go on the ride to healing!

Hi there silly sheep! Thanks so much for saying 'hi'! I feel a million times better reading the posts already. Thank you all so much.