Western Blot

[Joan Pandas Mom]

Are the Western Blot tests ordered by PCP a complete waste of time?

[WorriedDADNMOM]

I don't know for sure. I am wondering too if it even makes sense that a PCP even knows WB. I am taking a family member to a LLMD at the end of August and am trying to get info from people/internet sources I trust.

 

Here is a link that Dr Nancy Ohara talks about as specific lab and specific tests and why this lab is better. She starts at the 3:45 mark for this info. Hope this helps.

 

[airial95]

Yes and no, it's a place to start. A + on the standard WB that your PCP orders from Quest or LabCorp in most cases would mean yes to Lyme, however, a negative doesn't necessarily mean you don't have it, and then you need to look further.

 

Insurance will cover the WB from Quest/LabCorp that your PCP can order, so it's not a bad place to start, as long as you are aware of the inaccuracies associated with a negative result. Igenex and other testing companies are not always covered by insurance, or you may be able to get reimbursed after the fact.

 

If you're kid is okay with blood draws, it won't hurt anything to do the standard WB first, but you may still need to order further testing.

[philamom]

My daughter has never shown positive with quest/labcorp elisa and western blot. I stopped testing through them. She is usually positive with Igenex. There have been a few cycles where she goes negative and then back to positive. But there are a few bands consistently positive every time (like band 83-93). She also had a positive Advanced Borrelia culture in December of 2011, and again this month.

 

We did have a positive RMSF (igg) through Quest and Bartonella through Quest Nicholas lab in CA.

Edited July 22, 2014 by philamom

[Rachel]

Can Lyme show up on a western blot several months after the bite has happened? I'm asking this question out of curiosity. When my son had this testing done, he had it done through several different labs. The results are all negative. His first WB testing was done about 2 months after his symptoms started. He had another WB test done 6 months later and thenanother WB about 10 months later. As I read through many post, I have picked up on other testing that indicated signs of Lyme through the immune testing. I really do not think that my son has Lyme because his early testing does not show any signs of this. However, I keep this diagnosis on the back burner because testing is so unreliable.

 

Thanks for the link on Dr. O'Hara. I'll watch it and maybe learn some more useful information.