LLMD in or near NYC

[Imajerk]

Hi, I was visiting my doc's for a routine exam and bloodwork. The PA asked if she wanted me to go over my old blood work. She did. Among those papers in Aug 2010 I had requested a lyme test because I found a tick in my neck a month earlier. THAT tick turned out to be a wood tick, not engorged, and easily removed, so it hadn't been there long.

The PA read that the Ig that tested for new, acute infections was negative BUT, there was another Ig that said "reactive." She said "Oh, that's for old infections. We don't concern ourselves with that."

WhaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAA???!?!?!?

So um, er, I am going to make another appt to ream out my doctor and get re-tested I suppose. If this means I have had lyme for years then I am doing really well compared to what often happens to folks, but I don't want to mess around! What burns me up is that when I called for test results back then, no one ever mentioned the "reactive" result. I mean, it's not as if I was known to them as an established lyme patient.

I THINK this was an ELISA test but don't quote me on it. I should have  asked more Qs then and there but it was still hitting me.  The CanLyme website said false positives are rare. True? False?

Anyway, if anyone knows of a LLMD my way I'd love to know. I live in NYC.

[Imajerk]

Hi. Was going over this conversation and meant to say, Jackie is saying Stonybrook is not such a good choice for updated Lyme info anymore, or testing I think? Frustrating.

[Ricobord]

The 5 bands issue could refer to the IgG portion of the Western Blot.  The IDSA want to see "5 out of 10" bands on it before they'll diagnose you if you've been sick longer than about 6 weeks.  

Less than 6 weeks, they look for "2 out of 3" bands on the IgM portion of the WB.  

The dispute is about how many bands and which bands.

If you Google "Tom Grier Lyme Tests", he has a good article explaining the basic science of the tests and the controversy over interpretation.

[JackieCalifornia]

IFA is an antibody test in the same was ELISA and W.blot are.  Different docs use different ones.

[JackieCalifornia]

It was a made-up example, to illustrate the point that the bands are not hard and fast answers, they are indicators that are sometimes indistinct and difficult to interpret.  We as a society have become accustomed to a yes/no, up/down dichotomy in so many things, but Lyme doesn't play by those rules.  That was all.

[Imajerk]

Sorry to interrupt here but what's an IFA?

[Imajerk]

Hi Jackie. I'm just curious as to whom you are really aiming the 5 out of 10 marker question to, because I don't believe I said anything about a number of markers. I never even saw such a thing on any test result. It just mentioned one Ig as "reactive."