THE TICK THAT BIT ME

Stuff I’ve been tested for and WHY 05/08/2012

I apologize for the inconsistent posting lately; it’s been a busy couple weeks. No tick-lit today, so I’ll owe you some later in the week!

Tonight’s question: How did my doctor find 3 crazy infections that five other doctors missed? (One of which went undiagnosed for 7 years!)

This is the small binder I carry with me to doctor’s appointments. I have about half a file drawer dedicated to the rest.

Answer: He sent me to get tested for a whole lot of stuff.

How did he know what to order? He considered my risk factors and exposure to disease vectors (like ticks and pets). Is it important for your doctor to know if you’ve been out of the country? If you used to live in another state? If you have pets? If you hike or camp? If you’ve had food poisoning? Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes!

Below, rather than listing the name of each disease/infection I was tested for, I’ve listed the names of the tests as they appear in my lab reports from Quest Diagnostics. (No, Quest did not pay me to mention their name. I just happen to like them, since they’re always nice to me and their tests helped find my infections.) They’re sorted according to why my doctor thought to order them.

Quest sends me pretty labs in color (as if that matters). Tip: always check the box on your lab slip that says “mail patient a copy” or something like that.

DISCLAIMER: Just because I’ve been tested for something doesn’t mean that you need to be. Only you and your doctor can decide what you should be tested for based on your history, risk factors, and symptoms.

Tick exposure

Borrelia hermsii AB IFA

Anaplasma phagocytophilum IFA

Ehrlichia chaffeensis IFA

Lyme Disease Antibody (IgG/IgM) Western Blot

WA1 (Babesia duncani) IgG Antibody, IFA

Babesia microti Antibody IgG/IgM

Cat exposure

Bartonella Species Antibody test w/reflex (FYI: One of my cats has tested positive for Bartonella, but I was negative. He’s never scratched or bitten me, but I have been bitten by a different cat.)

Toxoplasma IgG Antibody

Toxocara Antibody, ELISA (serum)

Having food poisoning in Mexico and China

Entamoeba histolytica IgG, ELISA

Giardia lamblia AB Panel, IFA

Helicobacter pylori IgG

Helicobacter pylori breath test

Salmonella and Shigella Culture (this was not fun, but I’m glad they were negative)

Camphylobacter Culture

Additional tests:

Immunoblobulins G, A, and M (to see if I was deficient, as this would affect the results of antibody tests and would mean I might need additional treatment, like IVIG—luckily I was not deficient)

CBC (to see if I was low on any particular kinds of blood cells, which might indicate an infection)

Questions? Feel free to comment/e-mail. For whatever reason, I seem to enjoy discussing labs.