Chronic Lyme Is Notoriously Difficult To Diagnose
Diagnosing and treating Lyme disease can be a long and difficult process. Lyme disease tests often come back with false negatives, meaning patients believe they tested negative for the disease, but they are actually positive. This happens when the immune system is too weak to give accurate results when testing for antibodies. Another reason why false negatives are common with Lyme diagnoses is that physicians are often not trained to diagnose Lyme disease accurately, or do not live in an area endemic with tick-borne illnesses.
Lyme Disease Diagnosis Tests  
Why lyme disease tests produce false negatives
Why Lyme Disease Tests Produce False Negatives

There are two main tests doctors use for diagnosing Lyme disease: the Western Blot test and the ELISA test. These are most accurate a few weeks after the initial tick bite or exposure—after the body has had time to develop antibodies. Neither of the tests alone should be definitive proof of a negative Lyme disease diagnosis, as both often send false negatives.

The ELISA test: The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test detects antibodies your body will have created to fight the B. burgdorferi bacterium. Since it takes a few weeks for your body to create antibodies if you’ve been exposed to the B. burgdorferi bacterium, the test might not be positive right after exposure or during the early stages of Lyme disease.

The Western Blot test: This test—also called the protein immunoblot test—is often used after a positive ELISA test to double-check the initial test is accurate and also looks for antibodies to the B. Burgdorferi bacterium. This two-tiered Lyme testing ensures a more trustworthy diagnosis than either test alone. But since most ELISA and Western blot tests can only detect one strain of one species of B. Burgdorferi within a specific time window, it’s still easy for doctors to receive false negatives.

Other diagnosing tools like the MSIDS survey are also used by Lyme-literate doctors and is helpful in diagnosing Lyme disease when traditional testing proves to be inconclusive.

Lyme Disease Treatment

Effective Lyme disease treatment requires a targeted and personalized treatment plan for patients. Since Lyme disease is a complicated and resilient infection, treatment looks different depending on the stage of the illness.

How Lyme Disease and Its Treatments Work

Both oral and intravenous antibiotics are often prescribed for patients exhibiting the early stages of Lyme disease. Patients usually take a full course of either doxycycline, amoxicillin, or cefuroxime. Usually, the sooner antibiotic treatment begins from the initial bite or diagnosis, the more effective the antibiotics are, and the quicker recovery will be.

Some people continue to have symptoms after antibiotic treatment. This is often diagnosed as post-Lyme disease syndrome or Chronic Lyme disease, depending on the doctor and practice. There is currently no standardized treatment for post-Lyme disease, but patients have found relief from their continuing/Chronic Lyme disease symptoms from clinics like Envita Medical Center.

Understanding chronic Lyme disease complex and its treatment
Understanding Chronic Lyme Disease Complex and It's Treatment
Find A Doctor With Previous Lyme Disease Diagnosis Experience

When you go to a doctor who may not be aware of the dialogue surrounding Lyme disease and the complexities of the symptoms, it’s easy for them to misdiagnose your symptoms. Chronic Lyme is an excellent example of a diagnosis that doctors often don’t consider at first—or at all. Look for Lyme-literate doctors in your area to ensure your concerns are heard.

Video Disclaimer: Do not stop medical treatment based solely on anything in these videos and consult your doctor before undergoing any additional treatment as seen here.

MSIDS Disclaimer: This Questionnaire is not intended to replace the advice of your own physician or other medical professionals. You should consult a medical professional in matters relating to health, and individuals are solely responsible for their own health care decisions regarding the use of this questionnaire. It is intended for informational purposes only and not for self-treatment or diagnosis. This MSIDS survey is modified from the MSIDS questionnaire that is copyrighted from Dr. Horowitz.

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