I have had 2 lyme test. However the testing for Lyme is very difficult and nothing is yet set in stone. While todays test are getting more accurate they are not anywhere near being at least 50% accurate. This is from the ARS the American Rheumatological Society.
In one episode of Mystery Diagnosis a fellow in his thirties went several years with Fibromyalgia type sysmpotms that could not be diagnosed untill he meet up with a rheumatologist. The rheumatologist had a suscpicion that he may have been suffering from Lyme. Sure enough he had a more expensive Lyme test from a company in California that showed he was positive for a different strain of lyme that all the local test he had undergone for lyme had missed.
The moral of the story is that the blood test are not as of yet geared to measure all the known strains of Lyme Disease. It has been stated and I don't remeber what the name of the Califirnia company that makes these more accurate test. Rheumatologist know that Lyme produces Lupus, Sjogren's, Fibromyalgia among other connective tissue diseas because of that bacterias abiltiy to mimic our own tissue. Lyme is not just any disease. It is very difficult to diagnose let alone treat. Some of the lyme strains travel to muscles, other travel to nerves etc etc. Well, it took this fellow three years of different antibiotics to get over his Lyme disease. Unfortunatly he may develope an autoimmune diseases in the future due to the bacterias infestation.
I count myslef in the catoagory of the "maybe exposed" since I did a lot of field biology work during one of my undergrduate degree. But, I have had two test done and both have returned negative. My PCP does want me to take the California Lyme Test. I see her June the 8th and we will see what she thinks. I believe I have BCFS but I would not mind knowing what caused it. Maybe it was Lyme....maybe it never was but an explination goes a long way for piece of mind. An if it excudes Lyme once and for all even better. The idea is to at least know what you don't have. It would be even better to know what you do suffer from. Not knowing is a real stress.
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