Igenex Lyme testing- which tests to order?

[jph]

If you've had Igenex Lyme testing done, would you please share which tests you had done or recommend having done?

I don't want to go through yet another dr, and my sister, who is a dr, is willing to order the test for me if I provide her with a filled out form from Igenex. (but knows nothing about interpreting the results, which is fine). Thanks!

Edited July 21, 2014 by jph

[rowingmom]

I would image the tests you need to order would depend on which area of the country you live in. Some infections are more endemic in some areas.

 

We live in Southern Ontario and our LLMD originally ordered:

 

Lyme IgM Western Blot

Lyme IgG Western Blot

CD57 NK test

B microti IFA (G/M)

Babesia FISH (RNA)

HME PANEL (monocytic) - ehrlichia

HGE PANEL (glanulocytic) - anaplasma

B henselae IFA (G/M)

Edited July 21, 2014 by rowingmom

[jph]

Thank you for sharing. We've traveled all over but your list and suggestion gives me something to go by.

[LNN]

We just did the basic panel for $200. It's not all inclusive and there are many co-infections you need to be aware of, but we were tapped out of money. So we did the basic just to get a starting point. You run the risk of not getting a "conclusive" result because you didn't test for everything, but if you do the basic and it has positive or indeterminate bands, then you can start treatment without having to spend additional money on other tests. You have to make the decision that's best for your situation.

[DsMom]

DS had Fish, both Western Blots and Bart I believe. Those gave us some good information to work from.

Good luck~

[Hopeny]

The Stonybrook western blot is a good insurance covered alternate to Igenex, the physician MUST request "REPORT ALL BANDS" to include all Lyme specific bands, the bands and interpretation have been covered in detail in other posts. You can order the test kit and order online. You may also want to consider the new Milford Labs test which I paid out of pocket for. this test is thought to be much more accurate than the western blot and looks for DNA of two most common strains. Because it doesn't look for all strains it would not rule all borrelia out but a positive would be undeniable as it tests for the DNA of the bacterium. Quest and Labcorp are adequate for Ehrilcica, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Anaplasmosis and Mycoplasma IGG/IGM. Babesia and Bartonella are hard to test for. I'm offering these alternatives which may be less costly than Igenex, Igenex is the gold standard. I have another post on the Western Blot which might be helpful. My LLD also just ran a Borrellia Hermsii IGG and IGM (from Labcorp I think) on a hunch and it came back IGG positive, so after two years we learn that my daughter likely did not have common Lyme Borrelia Borgdorferi but a different strain, you may want to consider this, insurance paid. Hope this helps.