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Help me understand Lyme & Mycoplasm Connection


nojo

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I've posted a few times before, We been somewhat immersed in our own issues so I haven't followed all the board as regularly, and I hope someone doesn't mind clarifying a few things for me. A brief history: DD7 pulled out of school last Thanksgiving to homeschool. She has severe asthma, always sick, we saw Dr. Latimer, pretty much confirmed PANDAS, Cunningham test 174. Initially our daughter did well at home, seemed to improve, started healing, eating food not always sick. We were hoping that by giving her body a chance to heal she would become stronger to fight off constant germs (IGG levels below normal, failed subclass 1 + 2, failed pneumo titers). Now that we are around kids again this summer (1 week camp) she is instantly sick, strep of course, scarlett fever while on antibiotics, and have been backsliding ever since. The best thing about our 6 months of isolations is I saw her heal, I know that she doesn't have to live like she is living currently and she can have a better quality of life. I don't think that that means staying isolated from others.

 

We are going to see an immunologist in 1 month. When they draw blood, I want to be thorough and I keep seeing the lyme and mycoplasm connection to PANDAS. What is this? How do I know if this is connected? Is is just through the bloodwork? Is it through symptoms? She does not have any joint pain? What would be my reason for asking for a lyme panel?

 

As for the Mycoplasm, isn't that the germ that is like walking pneumonia? Currently we are also having some unusual issues regarding her lungs. After many hospitalizations and lung issues, 2 separate pulmonologist are questioning whether she truly has asthma since her lung function is measuring over 120% above a healthy person.

 

Also, when my daughter gets strep, a clear indicator for us, she gets a lacy rash on her cheeks. She is very fair, she gets a purple cast under her eyes, and her cheeks have a distinct red "veiny" sort of pattern. Does anyone else seem to have this as an indicator? This is as well as our more blatant behavioral signs.

 

I appreciate someone taking the time to explain the correlation between Lyme and Mycoplasm and how this was discovered...by the symptoms a person has, or should all suspected cases do the bloodwork?

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The red 'veiny' sort of pattern is Uveitis and very common with LD. See my comments regarding our visit to the LLMD yesterday. Our younger son has Uveitis.

 

-Wendy

 

I've posted a few times before, We been somewhat immersed in our own issues so I haven't followed all the board as regularly, and I hope someone doesn't mind clarifying a few things for me. A brief history: DD7 pulled out of school last Thanksgiving to homeschool. She has severe asthma, always sick, we saw Dr. Latimer, pretty much confirmed PANDAS, Cunningham test 174. Initially our daughter did well at home, seemed to improve, started healing, eating food not always sick. We were hoping that by giving her body a chance to heal she would become stronger to fight off constant germs (IGG levels below normal, failed subclass 1 + 2, failed pneumo titers). Now that we are around kids again this summer (1 week camp) she is instantly sick, strep of course, scarlett fever while on antibiotics, and have been backsliding ever since. The best thing about our 6 months of isolations is I saw her heal, I know that she doesn't have to live like she is living currently and she can have a better quality of life. I don't think that that means staying isolated from others.

 

We are going to see an immunologist in 1 month. When they draw blood, I want to be thorough and I keep seeing the lyme and mycoplasm connection to PANDAS. What is this? How do I know if this is connected? Is is just through the bloodwork? Is it through symptoms? She does not have any joint pain? What would be my reason for asking for a lyme panel?

 

As for the Mycoplasm, isn't that the germ that is like walking pneumonia? Currently we are also having some unusual issues regarding her lungs. After many hospitalizations and lung issues, 2 separate pulmonologist are questioning whether she truly has asthma since her lung function is measuring over 120% above a healthy person.

 

Also, when my daughter gets strep, a clear indicator for us, she gets a lacy rash on her cheeks. She is very fair, she gets a purple cast under her eyes, and her cheeks have a distinct red "veiny" sort of pattern. Does anyone else seem to have this as an indicator? This is as well as our more blatant behavioral signs.

 

I appreciate someone taking the time to explain the correlation between Lyme and Mycoplasm and how this was discovered...by the symptoms a person has, or should all suspected cases do the bloodwork?

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Wendy, when I read your post, and then looked up Uveitis, it refers to the eyes. My daughters has this pattern on her cheeks not on her eyes. Her eyes are clear, but rimmed with the dark, allergy like shiners with the lacy rash below. Am I interpreting Uveitis as only affecting the eye and not the surrounding areas? If not I may be answering my own question about if we need to delve further into the Lyme issue. Thanks for taking the time to answer, before I had posted I did read your other post, I still wasn't clear about what the signs of a co-infection are. Noelle

 

The red 'veiny' sort of pattern is Uveitis and very common with LD. See my comments regarding our visit to the LLMD yesterday. Our younger son has Uveitis.

 

-Wendy

 

I've posted a few times before, We been somewhat immersed in our own issues so I haven't followed all the board as regularly, and I hope someone doesn't mind clarifying a few things for me. A brief history: DD7 pulled out of school last Thanksgiving to homeschool. She has severe asthma, always sick, we saw Dr. Latimer, pretty much confirmed PANDAS, Cunningham test 174. Initially our daughter did well at home, seemed to improve, started healing, eating food not always sick. We were hoping that by giving her body a chance to heal she would become stronger to fight off constant germs (IGG levels below normal, failed subclass 1 + 2, failed pneumo titers). Now that we are around kids again this summer (1 week camp) she is instantly sick, strep of course, scarlett fever while on antibiotics, and have been backsliding ever since. The best thing about our 6 months of isolations is I saw her heal, I know that she doesn't have to live like she is living currently and she can have a better quality of life. I don't think that that means staying isolated from others.

 

We are going to see an immunologist in 1 month. When they draw blood, I want to be thorough and I keep seeing the lyme and mycoplasm connection to PANDAS. What is this? How do I know if this is connected? Is is just through the bloodwork? Is it through symptoms? She does not have any joint pain? What would be my reason for asking for a lyme panel?

 

As for the Mycoplasm, isn't that the germ that is like walking pneumonia? Currently we are also having some unusual issues regarding her lungs. After many hospitalizations and lung issues, 2 separate pulmonologist are questioning whether she truly has asthma since her lung function is measuring over 120% above a healthy person.

 

Also, when my daughter gets strep, a clear indicator for us, she gets a lacy rash on her cheeks. She is very fair, she gets a purple cast under her eyes, and her cheeks have a distinct red "veiny" sort of pattern. Does anyone else seem to have this as an indicator? This is as well as our more blatant behavioral signs.

 

I appreciate someone taking the time to explain the correlation between Lyme and Mycoplasm and how this was discovered...by the symptoms a person has, or should all suspected cases do the bloodwork?

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We are going to see an immunologist in 1 month. When they draw blood, I want to be thorough and I keep seeing the lyme and mycoplasm connection to PANDAS. What is this? How do I know if this is connected? Is is just through the bloodwork? Is it through symptoms? She does not have any joint pain? What would be my reason for asking for a lyme panel?

 

As for the Mycoplasm, isn't that the germ that is like walking pneumonia? Currently we are also having some unusual issues regarding her lungs. After many hospitalizations and lung issues, 2 separate pulmonologist are questioning whether she truly has asthma since her lung function is measuring over 120% above a healthy person.

 

My DS12 was on massive allergy and asthma medications before he was diagnosed with PANDAS. What happened was, after no change and neg. allergy tests, the allergist took him off all the meds and gave him an asthma breathing test, that was $40 out-of-pocket, and declared that he did not have asthma. This was a long and exhausting process after all his illnesses and proved nothing. After that is when we went to our pediatrian, who just happed to treat PANDAS and diagnosed our son. He did get sick recently (Dr. thinks it is mycoplasma,walking pnuemonia, that is his trigger or was originally) with a cough out-of-the-blue (one second to the next) and had a hard time stopping. We tried asthma inhaler since we were in Yellowstone with no luck. Just had him relax and that really helped until we got him on Abx the next day which helped get rid of cough totally within 1 1/2 weeks.

 

My son also tested neg. on lyme test (not igenex). We did lyme panel since everything else came back neg. and he has not gotten better. He has headache, stomachache, muscle aches, & fatigue (and has for 5 months now).

 

Hope some of this helps.

We are still trying to get into to see an immunologist so best wishes with that. Also looking into IVIG.

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  • 5 months later...

My son had a positive IGeneX LD test and also has a positive Mycoplasm Pneunomiae (MP) IgM. I am confused about the link between LD and MP and welcome any comments or suggestions.

Mycoplasma can be transmitted many ways. One type of mycoplasma is carried by infected ticks and can be transmitted at the same time as lyme disease in a tick bite. Therefore it is a co infection.

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Hi Nojo,

 

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is the bacterium responsible for "walking pneumonia."

 

I am not sure it is worth testing for if you are going to do antibiotics anyway, since Mycoplasma responds to the -mycin family of drugs, such as azithromycin. The issue with testing for this is:

 

 

  1. Unless there is active infection, or recent infection, a positive IgM is unlikely (and this is what clinicians want to see before they make anything of it)
  2. There is no agreement, generally, about how the IgG is to be interpreted
  3. In the general population, there is a high percentage of individuals show show elevated and very elevated titers

If there is unremitting chest signs, suspicion of pneumonia, and elevated IgG to Mycoplasma, then I think that would be clear indication for treatment.

 

I do believe that my son's very elevated IgG to Mycoplasma corresponded to his last acute and episode of overnight ocd and tics etc. Even my son's PANDAS docs don't know what it means to have elevated IgG. I will never know!

Edited by Phasmid
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Nojo,

 

I can tell you that we have chased strep for years for my dd because of PANDAS with strep infections. Most recent onset of motor tic/compulsion, we had full immune work up through Dr. B and mycoplasma pneumonia came up positive IGM (current) no other symptoms. Follow up test showed slight increase in IGG and IGM normal. She was put on zithromax by chance and did improve well at first.

 

In reading alot about myco p, there are proven, researched links to neurological issues, like with lyme. It is a nasty bug, like all of them.

 

You asked about co-infections, on the lyme board I have read that ticks can carry strains of mycoplasma, although I have read not the myco p.

 

My guess is your immunologist will be open to all testing. Just do it all!!! Lyme, myco p, viruses, immune complexes. See if your immunologist will do lyme through Igenex. We broke up the blood draws into 5 vials each time so my dd could handle it. You never know what you will find. We were very surprised at the myco p!

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