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Pending Lyme Dx

Labs returned with concerning results.

Western Blot  
band IgM 23 and IgG 41 and 45 were "present abnormal"

CMV and EBV were both off the charts high

Liver enzymes High at 44 with normal range being 0-32

Can anyone tell me if IgM is considered a clinical Lyme diagnosis based on the fact that no other strain aside from Lyme can cause band IgM 23 to be positive? This has been my research findings and I'm worried that I most likely have an active Lyme infection along with 2 other coinfections being EBC and CMV.

Thank you

2 Responses
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1415174 tn?1453243103
COMMUNITY LEADER
p.s. I did see you posted on the Lyme site so that is good. CMV and EBV are not co-infections of Lyme. Again, it doesn't matter how high your titer is rather if it is IgM or a paired IgG sera from the acute symptoms in the beginning to the rise in titer later in about  a month to a couple of months for IgG. But the better test for EBV is the one that has the Early antigen, nuclear antigen etc. So you should also get tested if you haven't yet for the co-infections of Lyme which are: Babesia, Bartonella,
Anaplasma, and Ehrlichia.
Do you have a high fever or chest rash? Did you ever have the typical bulls eye rash? Of course only about 30-40% of people get that. But depending on where you live ticks can also carry relapsing fever, tularemia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF). But if you don't have the rash on the body and or high fever you most likely don't have RMSF. Hope this makes sense. Let me know if you have any questions.

mkh9
Helpful - 0
1415174 tn?1453243103
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hi and sorry you have these problems. We are not doctors on these forums but I am a microbiologist and can give you some advice. What are your symptoms? I sent you the link below to show you the other lab test possibilities. But having a positive IgM for Lyme is a positive test for Lyme if it is above the normal reference range or your acute and convalescent samples are 4 fold higher than each other (see below). You can also talk to the Lyme forum for other questions.

But I wanted to mention that having a high titer of CMV or EBV doesn't mean you have active disease with either one. Usually, most people have been exposed to these as children and come up positive by IgG as adults. So if your test of positive or titer was high it doesn't mean anything unless it was a four fold rise in titer from the beginning of symptoms to about a month later or for these maybe up to 3 months later they retest and if there is a significant rise in titer for IgG between the acute phase (initial infection) and the convalescent phase (when you are getting better or are chronic). So it depends on what test you had done.

Let me know what other tests you had for example if you had the EBV Early antigen, or EBV Nuclear antibodies and what the results and normal ranges for that laboratory were.

If you do have Lyme how long has it been since you were bitten by a tick? You need to be treated right away. The usual drug of choice is Doxycycline. A lot of regular doctors don't treat for as long as they should. So it is best to get a Lyme "literate" doctor  or LLMD because they are more open minded and well versed in Lyme. The problem with them is you have to find one in your area and also they are expensive and insurance probably won't pay for this. '

If you can't at least get started with treatment. I wouldn't wait. Even if they give you a shorter dose you can see the other doctor after or get another doctor while you are being treated. Do have  a talk with the people on the lyme site. They are good at directing you to treatment.

The acute and convalescent samples vary depending on the organism being tested. Some take longer than others to make your immune system go up. That is up to the doctor to decide and/or the laboratory.

http://www.igenex.com/labtest.htm

http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/index.php/doctors

Regards,
mkh9
Helpful - 0
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