= - I mean when our primary care order Lyme test ( I know it's not accurate ) which one they order ? Look at the test result. That's why seeing a good Lyme doc is important. All these tests can be ordered by any MD, but the problem is that many docs don't understand the answers or know what to do next. It may also be used to detect persistent infection in the cerebrospinal fluid of people who have nervous system symptoms." = Your other questions: - Are these two tests available by general physician doctors ? Yes. It's used for people who may have chronic Lyme arthritis. It's not as effective at detecting infection of blood or urine. This test helps detect bacterial DNA in fluid drawn from an infected joint. = 3 - Separately, PCR testing can be used, which does not rely on the immune system as W.blot and ELISA do: "Polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In this two-step approach, the Western blot detects antibodies to several proteins of B. If the ELISA test is positive, another test - the Western blot - is usually done to confirm the diagnosis. = 2 - Because ELISA (above) can sometimes give a false positive result, Western blot is often used as a second step: "Western blot test. This test may not be positive during the early stage of Lyme disease, but the rash is distinctive enough to make the diagnosis without further testing in people who live in areas infested with ticks that transmit Lyme disease. But because it can sometimes provide false-positive results, it's not used as the sole basis for diagnosis. The quotations below are from the Mayo Clinic website, discussing Lyme testing: 1 - ELISA can sometimes give a false positive result: "Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test: The test used most often to detect Lyme disease, ELISA detects antibodies to B. Lyme disease is known to inhibit the immune system and 20 to 30% of patients have falsely negative antibody tests.". "Different laboratories use different methods and criteria, so you can have a positive test result from one lab and a negative test result from another. Some of the bands are more significant than others and your doctor may decide you have Lyme disease even if your western blot does not have enough bands or the right bands to be reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for surveillance purposes. If your blot has bands in the right places, and the right number of bands, it is positive. The pattern produced by running the test with your blood is compared to a template pattern that represents known cases of Lyme disease. "Western Blot Test "The read-out from the Western blot looks like a bar code. Because of this, the best antibody test to use for diagnosis is the Western blot. However, current ELISA tests are not sensitive enough for screening and may miss over half the true cases. Doctors commonly order an ELISA first to screen for the disease and then confirm the disease with a Western blot. "Two primary antibody tests are used to diagnose Lyme disease: the ELISA and the Western blot. Tests that measure antibody levels are indirect tests because they measure the body’s response to infection rather than the presence of the bacteria themselves. When your body is invaded by the Lyme spirochetes, your immune system makes antibodies to fight the infection. This is from a website called LymeDisease - dot - org: - "The most common tests measure the patient’s antibody response to infection. Western blot and ELISA are the two tests commonly used. Then keep a copy and give another copy to your new doc for your file. I would call the previous doc's office and request a copy of the test results. and every time I go from sitting to standing position it's awful( more dizziness and pounding heart ) Is this Lyme symptoms ? Or something else in my brain or nervous system ? Or heart ? Maybe it will reveal something I know it's not accurate as well but some people still test positive on it, so at least this could give me a clue on why I feel like crap.so I can then order Igenex to confirm And yeah by way, do u feel worse around your period time ? Dies that sound like Lyme ? Or that should point to other illness ? Today my dizziness is worse and my heart is jumping like crazy. Are these two tests available by general physician doctors ? I mean when our primary care order Lyme test ( I know it's not accurate ) which one they order ? Last year my general doctor tested me for Lyme and I got the results as Serum levels and it was negative, so is this Elisa test ? Or western blot ? Is this serum test is the only one available out there ( not considering private labs like Igenex ) The reason I ask is because I was hoping that if the test I had was Elisa ( and I know it's not accurate) that I can at least let my doctor order western blot this time if they have it.
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