Guest guest Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 nope but i recall being told to beware of ticks when i hike, which is something i do a lot in shrubs and on vegetative tick infected hills. so far, no ticks on me, and that's all i know. at one time i saw a lot of info in the press, but not lately, and can't remember anything i needed to know. perhaps just a blood test? time to take out the tabula internet s lyme disease? someone just emailed me from my thyroid website and suggested that I get tested for lyme disease - that all the symptoms I describe on my site are lyme disease symptoms and that lyme disease can mess with your thyroid. anyone know if this is true? anyone gone down the lyme disease path? what tests determine lyme disease anyway? thanks, Pam B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 Hey Pam - Lyme Disease can be contrated when you're bitten by a tick. Usually there's a big bull's eye bite at the site. I think someone probably mentioned the Lyme disease because the a lot of symptoms overlap with thyroid disease symptoms. Before the docs found I had GD, they tested for Epstein-Barr and Lyme disease. It's just a titer, kind of like for TSI. Below a certain level is negative, above is positive for Lyme disease. Just saw one of your follow up posts after this, and the only other interesting link I can see is that there's a note after my Lyme titer that says " Results with test values less than the lower threshold indicate that the patient does not have detectable IgM or IgG antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi. " Now I have never been bitten by a tick, but my titer was .37 with < .75 being negative. Don't know what would cause the .37, but it's interesting that there's those IgG antibodies again! Same ones that the Graves' antibodies come from. I don't think I'd worry about the Lyme disease. Might call the doc and ask if you were tested already. Likely that you might have been. Plus, you'd probably be really, really sick by now if you had it. lyme disease? > someone just emailed me from my thyroid website and suggested that I get > tested for lyme disease - that all the symptoms I describe on my site are > lyme disease symptoms and that lyme disease can mess with your thyroid. > > anyone know if this is true? anyone gone down the lyme disease path? what > tests determine lyme disease anyway? > > thanks, > Pam B. > http://www.webmosaics.com/thyroid/ > > > ------------------------------------- > The Graves' list is intended for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace expert medical care. > Please consult your doctor before changing or trying new treatments. > ---------------------------------------- > DISCLAIMER > > Advertisments placed on this yahoo groups list do not have the endorsement of > the listowner. I have no input as to what ads are attached to emails. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------ > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 > someone just emailed me from my thyroid website > and suggested that I get tested for lyme disease Hi Pam, I'm in an area that has a heavy tick infestation. Since I'm outdoors much of the time, I get bit frequently, as in several a day quite often. I'm told lyme can't be transmitted unless the tick is attached for 24 hours, so we are sure to check for them carefully. I've had several titer tests, all negative. Bertta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 22, 2003 Report Share Posted May 22, 2003 Hi Pam, Lyme disease often causes joint pain and symptoms of arthritis. I haven't heard of a thyroid association. We test for it by testing for antibodies to Borrelia burdorferi. During early infection, like the first month, antibodies haven't yet formed so the test will be negative or inclusive. After that, if you've been infected, you should have tests for both IgM and IgG antibodies. IgM antibodies are seen in acute or current infection, and IgM develop a few weeks later and persist. So a positive test for IgG antibodies can indicate an infection sometime in the past. Because most labs use an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) procedure, you can have false positive results with IgM rheumatoid factor, syphilis, and other spirochete infections. Usually two tests are ordered, one during the acute phase and another test 6 weeks later. If you have an acute infection, the second test results will be much higher. If you're in an area endemic for ticks, or know you were bitten, a test is a good idea. The test for Lyme disease isn't used as a general screen but as a tool to diagnose acute symptoms. Take care, Elaine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 22, 2003 Report Share Posted May 22, 2003 Hi , All antibodies are immunoglobulins (Igs), and most antibodies that hang around are IgG antibodies. In some cases they prevent further disease recurrences and in some cases they contribute to disease. IgM is usually associated with acute disease because they're the first produced after exposure to an infectious agent. The lyme disease ones are more likely to cross-react with rheumatoid factor, than our thyroid antibodies. Great description of the bull's eye ring. Best, elaine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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