Lyme testing, USA

[maddietod]

I had a lyme test last October, and my doctor said it was negative. And it does say negative, all bold caps, on the front page.

But then it says IFN-y Secretion (Phytohemagglutinin 147, low). And on the next page it says that "...this scenario may result in a false negative result for the Lyme Antigen stimulation. Consider retesting in 2-3 months after eliminating possible causes of immunosupression."

I feel like I'm going in circles. My CFS specialist, Dr. Rey, said she won't treat anything until I get rid of the lyme (I had tested positive by western blot). So I got a better test and was "negative." Maybe.

Any ideas about a direction to turn in? Is there a more definitive test that my doctor can order? What possible causes of immunosupression can I eliminate?

This is the lyme test: https://www.neurorelief.com/index.php?p=cms&cid=486&pid=149

 

[Valentijn]

Any ideas about a direction to turn in? Is there a more definitive test that my doctor can order? What possible causes of immunosupression can I eliminate?

Elispot-LTT from infectolab? It looks for quite a few different proteins and such produced by Borrelia. I think there's a company in the US which runs the same test.

Are you taking any drugs or herbs, etc, which might effect your immune system? If not, then you've already got that part accomplished

 

[maddietod]

I don't take any medications, and only take a few very normal supplements. I'll look into the elispot.

 

[Dreambirdie]

Lyme testing is like going down the rabbit hole.
Jamie Deckoff-Jones wrote about this on FB. You might consider asking her.

 

[maddietod]

Yeah, that's how I feel too. I went down that rabbit hole last year, then got the "negative" result. I just now read the second page ('test again') when I was organizing old papers. It's always possible that there's new information out there.