Do children with Lyme disease get sicker than normal with viruses, etc

[colleenrn]

I recently had a Lyme disease Western blot done on my four children. Everyone had normal results except for my 9 year old son, who had Band 41 reactive. (BTW, he also had an elevated streptozyme even though he has been on 23 months of daily zithromax. my other kids titers were normal)

 

Whenever this child gets a virus, cold, ear infection, influenza, etc.. he gets FAR worse and more sick than my other 3 kids. Last week he ran 102 temp on and off for days, vomiting, achy when my other 3 kids were only sick for 48 hours (definitely an intestinal virus that was going through their school).

 

I am worried about him b/c he had been fever free for almost 2 days and spiked 101 temp, again. Could he have Lyme disease and that is why he always gets sicker? Do your children with Lyme get sicker than their siblings who don't have Lyme?

 

More questions, more frustration, more worrying...

 

TIA.

Colleen

Edited March 3, 2012 by colleenrn

[lyme_mom]

I recently had a Lyme disease Western blot done on my four children. Everyone had normal results except for my 9 year old son, who had Band 41 reactive. (BTW, he also had an elevated streptozyme even though he has been on 23 months of daily zithromax. my other kids titers were normal)

 

Whenever this child gets a virus, cold, ear infection, influenza, etc.. he gets FAR worse and more sick than my other 3 kids. Last week he ran 102 temp on and off for days, vomiting, achy when my other 3 kids were only sick for 48 hours (definitely an intestinal virus that was going through their school).

 

I was laying in bed last night worrying about him b/c he had been fever free for almost 2 days and spiked 101 temp, again. Could he have Lyme disease and that is why he always gets sicker? Do your children with Lyme get sicker than their siblings who don't have Lyme?

 

More questions, more frustration, more worrying...

 

TIA.

Colleen

Those symptoms are worrisome. Was this a labcorp western blot? Band 41 does not mean lyme but it is a necessary band to have if you have lyme. The standard western blots do not test for two important antibodies, numbers 31 and 34 so it would be good to have a better test done through igenex. However if your child is having such symptoms I would want to get him on antibiotics as soon as possible while waiting for the test results. Those symptoms could be lyme and anyone with lyme is definitely going to be more susceptible to other infections. I think that is why there are so many PANDAS kids with lyme. AMoxicillin is what they give kids for lyme. I would seek an opinion from a lyme literate doctor over the igenex testing if the cost of this is an issue. Good luck.

[matis_mom]

When we all got the flu in feb 09, ds got it like everyone else, but he just could not shake it off. We all recovered but he was just not the same after that.

Another thing is, I believe they tend to catch anything, especially strep in any form (throat, pink eye, etc). I would try to have him tested again. My son is only testing positive in some bands now, after a year on high dose antibiotics.

[justinekno]

Do they treat with Amoxicillin or Augmentin?

 

AMoxicillin is what they give kids for lyme. .

[colleenrn]

Since he already tested postive for band 41, can I just have the other "crucial" bands tested? The western blot was through Quest lab. He has been on daily zithromax for 23 months (21 months at time of test). That makes me feel a little better, but theis fever is very concerning. He, once again, got 101 temp last night, but was fine in the morning. He is home from school and I plan on taking it every hour b/c the past several days it has been right around 5-6 pm that he spikes the temp. Also, when he gets the temp his legs feel achy and he feels nauseated.

Colleen

[lyme_mom]

My llmd says the quest Lyme test is one of the worst. Lab orp is better. I'd do I've ex because it tests for bands 31 and 34. The other tests leave these out and are wrong 50 percent of the time. Better yet I'd see a Lyme specialist.