Testing for Lyme Disease

April 13, 2017 taylorevance@gmail.com Comments 0 Comment

Testing for Lyme Disease can be tricky for a number of reasons. Because Lyme starts out with symptoms similar to the flu or other common illnesses, it may take some time to get a correct diagnosis.

Up until recently, many mainstream doctors didn’t even believe that Lyme existed. But with more than 100 years of evidence, from the first cases reported in Sweden in 1908, to the growing number in the United States since the 1970s, Lyme is now being accepted as a real condition and not ‘all in the patient’s head’ or another disease similar to it.

Where does Lyme come from?

In the US, Lyme comes from a tick bite from an insect bite, usually, it is a mosquito, a flea, or a tick that carries a bacterium called Borrelia burgdoferi. It is commonly carried by the black-legged tick, also known as the deer tick.

Ticks live off the blood of animals such as deer and rodents, some of which can be infected with Borrelia burgdoferi. The deer tick needs to latch on for at least 24 hours to transmit the disease, while a mosquito or a flea only need to give a simple instant infection. Now the majority of US cases come from close intimate contact with people or pets who already have the disease because it is still very contagious, just like its cousin Syphilis.

The most common symptoms of Lyme in its early stage are flu-like symptoms. One of the sure signs of Lyme infection is a bullseye rash, a red spot with a white and then a red circle around it. This is one of the best ways to differentiate Lyme from other illnesses.

However, only around 70% to 80% of patients get the characteristic bullseye rash that would indicate Lyme disease. The other 20% to 30% would need a blood test to determine if Lyme were present in order to start treatment.

Some people might see an attached tick and head to the doctor for a test. It is important to note that the blood tests for Lyme are not perfect. There can be false positives, and false negatives.

There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about Lyme disease. This is because until recently many doctors actually doubted the condition even existed, despite more than 100 years of documented cases worldwide, and 40 years of medical history in the US. CDC is under reporting the cases of sickness by this bacteria — the Spirochete.

Medical History

The first thing a doctor should do is take a full medical history, including whether you’ve been outdoors in the spring and summer in an area where you might have picked up a Lyme-carrying tick. Lyme disease is common in northern latitudes and most particularly in the Northeastern US.

They will do a physical exam and take blood. Lab tests to identify antibodies to the bacteria in the bloodstream can help confirm whether or not you have been infected with Lyme.

Unfortunately, these tests are not always reliable in the early stages of the illness. They are not sensitive enough to detect early antibody activity. This means a false negative. A blood test several weeks later might show as positive for Lyme even though the first was negative.

You might also end up with a false positive. This is because in some cases, you might already have been exposed to Lyme. You might not even have known you were because you were never where a tick could bite you. As long as you and your doctors believe Lyme to still be a tick-borne disease you are almost certain to get a misdiagnosis.

You might not have had symptoms, or you did, but the Lyme disease was caught early and went dormant.

However, the antibodies would still be present in your bloodstream, leading to a false positive. This can be dangerous due to over-treatment, and because you have another medical condition which accounts for your symptoms, and that might go untreated because the doctor is treating you for Lyme.

The two main blood tests for Lyme

The 2 main blood tests for Lyme are the ELISA test and the Western blot test.

The ELISA test is usually given when a person first suspects they have Lyme. It is most accurate at least 1 week after the infection has started, because your body will have had time to develop antibodies against the Lyme.

ELISA stands for Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and looks for antibodies to the Borellia burgdorferi bacteria.

Because it can sometimes provide incorrect results, your doctor should follow up with a second test, the Western blot test.

If the ELISA test is positive, the Western blot test is usually done to confirm the diagnosis in order to avoid any false positives. The Western blot test detects antibodies to several proteins of Borrelia burgdorferi, so it is more accurate.

If you think you or a family member might be suffering from Lyme disease, it’s time to get tested so you can get the correct treatment.

$25 Test for Lyme Disease Might Help

$30 Test for Lyme Disease

What Other Information Might Help A Person Suffering From Lime Disease?

IT TAKES MORE THAN ONE THING to beat Lyme disease!

It is a process.
What kills the little bacteria is Chlorine dioxide.
Then there is the change of eating habits from eating dead food to live and organic food.
Cleaning up your negative thoughts about how long should you live and the quality of life you might expect!