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I am able to lead normal life. My joint pain almost resolved (80%). Now I have severe nerve damage related issues. My neurologist put me into Gabapentin tablet for 6 months. My kidney pains often and lymph nodes too.Do you have crepitus?
Han did not mention anybody got joint damage, that means less chance/no chance
This decease different from Lyme decease. But if possible please test for that also
How is it used?
Lyme disease tests are used to determine if a person with characteristic symptoms has been infected by Borrelia burgdorferi. If the doctor suspects a recent infection, then she may order both an IgM and IgG antibody blood test. If they are negative but symptoms persist, then the tests may be ordered again a few weeks later.
Acute and convalescent samples may be used to track progression of the disease by looking for changes in the amount of antibody present. If the tests are positive, then a Western blot test is ordered to confirm the findings.
Lyme disease can sometimes be challenging to diagnose. If a person has removed a tick from his skin, had a known tick bite, and lives in or has visited an area of the country where Lyme disease is most prevalent, then the timing of the potential infection can be closely estimated. However, the tick is about the size of the head of a pin and the bite may not be noticed. Not everyone will develop the characteristic rash, and the symptoms that a person does have may be nonspecific and flu-like in the early stages, with joint pain that develops into chronic arthritis and/or with neurological symptoms that appear months later.
A blood test for antibodies to the bacterium is the preferred test for the diagnosis of Lyme disease. However, if a person has central nervous system symptoms, such as meningitis, then IgM, IgG, and Western blot testing may sometimes be performed on CSF.
Occasionally, PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing is performed on a sample because it is a more sensitive way of detecting an infection with B. burgdorferi. This method is useful in detecting the infection in samples such as fluid collected from a joint. It looks for the genetic material (DNA) of B. burgdorferi in the joint fluid (synovial fluid).
Very rarely, a sample, such as a skin biopsy, may be cultured to grow the bacterium.
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When is it ordered?
Lyme disease testing is ordered when a person has symptoms suggestive of an infection with B. burgdorferi and lives in or has visited a region where deer ticks or black legged ticks are common, especially when the person has recently been bitten by a tick.
Some symptoms of Lyme disease may include:
When someone does not have typical symptoms or a history of a tick bite and has not been in a region where Lyme disease is prevalent, then the doctor may rule out other causes for the person's symptoms before suspecting and testing for Lyme disease.
^ Back to top
What does the test result mean?
A healthy adult who has never been exposed to the B. burgdorferi bacterium will not have any antibodies.
If a person's IgM, IgG, and Western blot tests are positive, then it is likely that the person has Lyme disease. If the person's antibody concentrations rise over time, then it is likely that the person has an active B. burgdorferi infection.
If someone tests positive for only the IgM antibody, then the person may have a very recent infection or a false positive test result.
If an IgM result is not detectable but the IgG and Western blot tests are positive, then it is likely that the person tested either has a later stage infection or had an infection at some time in the past.
If all tests are negative, then either the person's symptoms are due to another cause or the antibody levels are too low to detect at that time; retesting a few weeks later may be needed to confirm or rule out infection.
The following table summarizes results that may be seen with Lyme disease antibody tests.
IgM antibody IgG antibody Western blot Likely Interpretation
Positive Positive Positive Likely Lyme disease
Positive Negative Negative Early infection or false positive
Negative Positive Positive Late or previous infection
Negative Negative (usually not performed if IgM and IgG are negative) No infection present; symptoms may be due to another cause or antibody levels too low to detect
If PCR testing is performed and the result is positive, then it indicates a recent infection with B. burgdorferi. If the PCR test result is negative, then no infection is present or the levels of DNA are too low to detect.
^ Back to top
Is there anything else I should know?
Once a person has had Lyme disease, he will typically have detectable amounts of B. burgdorferi IgG antibodies in his blood for the rest of his life.
Borrelia burgdorferi belongs to a class of bacteria called spirochetes. Other spirochete diseases, such as syphilis and leptospirosis, can cause false-positive results, as can other conditions such as HIV infection, mononucleosis, and a variety of autoimmune disorders.
Han did not mention anybody got joint damage, that means less chance/no chance
This decease different from Lyme decease. But if possible please test for that also
How is it used?
Lyme disease tests are used to determine if a person with characteristic symptoms has been infected by Borrelia burgdorferi. If the doctor suspects a recent infection, then she may order both an IgM and IgG antibody blood test. If they are negative but symptoms persist, then the tests may be ordered again a few weeks later.
Acute and convalescent samples may be used to track progression of the disease by looking for changes in the amount of antibody present. If the tests are positive, then a Western blot test is ordered to confirm the findings.
Lyme disease can sometimes be challenging to diagnose. If a person has removed a tick from his skin, had a known tick bite, and lives in or has visited an area of the country where Lyme disease is most prevalent, then the timing of the potential infection can be closely estimated. However, the tick is about the size of the head of a pin and the bite may not be noticed. Not everyone will develop the characteristic rash, and the symptoms that a person does have may be nonspecific and flu-like in the early stages, with joint pain that develops into chronic arthritis and/or with neurological symptoms that appear months later.
A blood test for antibodies to the bacterium is the preferred test for the diagnosis of Lyme disease. However, if a person has central nervous system symptoms, such as meningitis, then IgM, IgG, and Western blot testing may sometimes be performed on CSF.
Occasionally, PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing is performed on a sample because it is a more sensitive way of detecting an infection with B. burgdorferi. This method is useful in detecting the infection in samples such as fluid collected from a joint. It looks for the genetic material (DNA) of B. burgdorferi in the joint fluid (synovial fluid).
Very rarely, a sample, such as a skin biopsy, may be cultured to grow the bacterium.
^ Back to top
When is it ordered?
Lyme disease testing is ordered when a person has symptoms suggestive of an infection with B. burgdorferi and lives in or has visited a region where deer ticks or black legged ticks are common, especially when the person has recently been bitten by a tick.
Some symptoms of Lyme disease may include:
- A characteristic "bulls-eye" rash that spreads from the site of the bite
- Fever, chills
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Intermittent jointpain
- Meningitis
- Facial paralysis (Bell's palsy)
- Weakness and numbness in the arms and legs
- Memory problems
- Less commonly, heart problems such as irregular heartbeat and eye inflammation
When someone does not have typical symptoms or a history of a tick bite and has not been in a region where Lyme disease is prevalent, then the doctor may rule out other causes for the person's symptoms before suspecting and testing for Lyme disease.
^ Back to top
What does the test result mean?
A healthy adult who has never been exposed to the B. burgdorferi bacterium will not have any antibodies.
If a person's IgM, IgG, and Western blot tests are positive, then it is likely that the person has Lyme disease. If the person's antibody concentrations rise over time, then it is likely that the person has an active B. burgdorferi infection.
If someone tests positive for only the IgM antibody, then the person may have a very recent infection or a false positive test result.
If an IgM result is not detectable but the IgG and Western blot tests are positive, then it is likely that the person tested either has a later stage infection or had an infection at some time in the past.
If all tests are negative, then either the person's symptoms are due to another cause or the antibody levels are too low to detect at that time; retesting a few weeks later may be needed to confirm or rule out infection.
The following table summarizes results that may be seen with Lyme disease antibody tests.
IgM antibody IgG antibody Western blot Likely Interpretation
Positive Positive Positive Likely Lyme disease
Positive Negative Negative Early infection or false positive
Negative Positive Positive Late or previous infection
Negative Negative (usually not performed if IgM and IgG are negative) No infection present; symptoms may be due to another cause or antibody levels too low to detect
If PCR testing is performed and the result is positive, then it indicates a recent infection with B. burgdorferi. If the PCR test result is negative, then no infection is present or the levels of DNA are too low to detect.
^ Back to top
Is there anything else I should know?
Once a person has had Lyme disease, he will typically have detectable amounts of B. burgdorferi IgG antibodies in his blood for the rest of his life.
Borrelia burgdorferi belongs to a class of bacteria called spirochetes. Other spirochete diseases, such as syphilis and leptospirosis, can cause false-positive results, as can other conditions such as HIV infection, mononucleosis, and a variety of autoimmune disorders.
I hope that others dont try to get that same med as its soo cruel on those animals.. the rinos are left to slowly bleed to death after having their horns cut out of their heads (often taking big parts of their face with it as its hacked out). The bears keep for their bile.. suffer immensely with much shorted lives. The WWF has been doing a huge campaign to try to stop the practices.