I also have peripheral neuropathy and fatigue - and have had 3 negative Lyme tests and finally got a positive ELISA at Johns Hopkins and then a positive IgM Western Blot thru Ignenex Labs, CA. I live on the east coast, so I had my blood Fed Exed to CA. It's that important, so please look into it. Take care and keep us posted.
The Wblot/ELISA tests rely on your immune system reaction to determine whether you have a positive (+) test or a negative (-) test for Lyme. Sounds solid, but it turns out that the Lyme bacteria can suppress your immune system, with the result that the Wblot/ELISA tests showing negative ('no Lyme infection') could be wrong, and you could indeed have Lyme.
There is a newer test called PCR, short for 'polymerase chain reaction'.
This is the standard testing for lyme that most non-lyme specialists order. I just wonder how much it costs if the test is negative and no further testing is done. It should be a lot less. The ELISA is not very reliable and misses a large percentage of lyme cases. #2 is the western blot in itself.
I think this is what it means but I'm not sure.
In sum, if you get a positive Lyme test on a Western blot or ELISA test, it is likely accurate, but if you get a negative test on Western blot or ELISA test, it may be inaccurate: the test say you don't have it, but in reality, you very well could. PCR testing is not affected is this way, and is far more accurate as a result. PCR testing is offered *only* by IGeneX Labs and is considered highly accurate.
An MD's signature is required to have this testing done, just as with W.
s reaction to the Lyme bacteria, the PCR test looks for DNA of the Lyme bacteria in your blood -- that is, a direct test, rather than an indirect test like W.blot/ELISA.
Docs who are not particularly up to date on Lyme do not 'believe' in the PCR test but do believe that W.blot/ELISA is fully accurate. If you need help finding a Lyme specialist who understands all this, let us know.
Last year my general doctor tested me for Lyme and I got the results as Serum levels and it was negative, so is this Elisa test ? Or western blot ?
Is this serum test is the only one available out there ( not considering private labs like Igenex )
The reason I ask is because I was hoping that if the test I had was Elisa ( and I know it's not accurate) that I can at least let my doctor order western blot this time if they have it..
I tested negative on all 3 (4)'tests according to the CDC and IDSA.
IFA (an alternative screening test to the ELISA),
CSF antibody test,
IgM Western Blot (CDC Negative / IGeneX positive),
IgG Western Blot (both CDC & IGeneX negative).
I was "Not Negative" (halfway between positive and negative) on the Bartonella antibody test and negative on the Bartonella FISH test. My LLMD diagnosed me with Bartonella based on these results.
That's a question for your doc about the HIV, and a good one to ask. A wild guess from me is that the HIV and Lyme tests aren't affected by the presence of the other infection, but it's strictly a guess. Do call the doc who did the HIV test and ask the question, or ask your current doc (even if he thinks you couldn't possibly have Lyme). Always better to know than to wonder.
(If this is a duplicate message from me, just ignore ... I thought I had responded.)
I'm not medically trained, but I had Lyme several years ago, and your symptoms are quite similar to what mine were ... but Lyme is tricky, so not everyone has the same list of indicators.
others, their results from their Western Blot(s) and ELISA.
I have had 4 negative Lyme Serology, 1 IND for a co-infection and then 4 positive bands on my western blot. I am curious to see how many people have had negative tests for the ELISA and how many bands came back positive on the WB and which bands were positive.
s not, because it is now known that the Lyme bacteria can and do *suppress* your immune system, and your immune system activity against a Lyme infection is exactly what the W.blot/ELISA tests look for. The test result of the W.blot/ELISA tests can then wrongly say that you have no antibodies against Lyme, and therefore do not have Lyme, when actually it may be that the Lyme bacteria are just not being located and reported on the test results.
More than you ever wanted to know, I'm sure ...
) and corresponding with people on different Lyme forums including this one, I convinced my GP to order a Lyme blood test. Unfortunately Canada uses the faulty 2-tiered Elisa blood test which has a very high inaccuracy rate. It came back Neg but I was still not convinced of those results. I then took the Igenex test and saw both a LLMD in the U.S and a LLND here in my own city. Both diagnosed me with Lyme and 2 co-infections (based on clinical diagnosis of symptoms backed up by lab work).
but that particular test often returns a false negative, meaning you can have a raging case of Lyme, but the test say 'no Lyme here.' The reason the test is not reliable in someone with Lyme is that the test looks in your immune system for a high level of antibodies trying to kill the Lyme bacteria ... but Lyme is tricky and is very good at suppressing your immune system activity ... so the test say 'no Lyme here', and you are told that you are not infected.
What to do?
======================
(In a nutshell, the IGeneX test looks for Lyme DNA in your blood, which is a direct test -- either the Lyme DNA is there (a positive test result) or it is not (a negative test result). The other, older tests, W.blot/ELISA, use an indirect method of determining whether there is evidence of Lyme in your blood: the test looks for your immune system's reaction to Lyme bacteria.
If there is no reaction from your immune system, the W.
hmm, I think you have a pretty good reason to start reading all you can about Lyme disease, btw there is no "s" in lyme disease.
Here's what I did:
go to lymenet.org
click on Flash Discussions
then Medical Questions it's a large site filled with lymies and they offer tons and tons of support and info. There's a link called Newbie Links on the Medical Section. I would also suggest you post this very question there.
other sites to visit..ILADS.org canlyme.
Band 41 is present in Lyme. But it's also present in so many other conditions it's almost written off as not important. Even periodontitis (gum disease) might give a Band 41.
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