How often is Bells Palsy a symptom of lyme disease? How accurate are blood tests for lyme disease?
Sep.11, 2011 in
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My son was put on steroids after being diagnosed with bells palsy. Since he was bite by a deer tick 5 months before any symptoms I am worried he has lyme disease. The blood test was completed and came out negitive. Could the steroids have caused a false negitive?
Tags: 5 months, Bells, bells palsy, bite, blood, blood test, blood tests, Deer, disease, Lyme, lyme disease, palsy, son, steroids, symptom, test, TICK
September 11th, 2011 at 11:36 pm
There is absolutely NO test that can rule out Lyme. The tests are awful. Researchers have found that these tests miss 35 to even 50% of culture-positive Lyme disease cases, depending on what study you read.
Best info I can give is to go to http://www.ilads.org (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society) They list accurate info on testing, symptoms, and so much more. Additionally, http://www.lymedisease.org/ is good, as are http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/ and http:www.lymeinfo.net
Also, read Cure Unknown:Inside the Lyme Epidemic and watch the new movie, Under Our Skin, due to be released in theaters in next several months. Or see their website.
Be sure to note that the Infectious Disease Society of America’s Lyme Disease Treatment Guidelines authors were investigated by Ct. Attorney Richard Blumenthal due to alleged serious conflicts of interest by many of the panel members who wrote the treatment guidelines. The findings of the Attorney General can be found at: http://www.ct.gov/ag/cwp/view.asp?A=2795&Q=414284
Show your physician the above information. Most don’t know the truth about Lyme disease.
Good luck to you and your son and God bless you!
Hope This Helped!
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September 12th, 2011 at 4:36 am
aaargh!! DEB- FIRST, TAKE YOUR KID OFF ALL STEROIDS UNTIL LYME DISEASE IS RULED OUT BY A QUALIFIED [LYME-LITERATE] DOCTOR!! Why? Steroid use can lead to PERMANENT neurological damage if the disease IS present & allowed to get into places where it normally couldn’t, due to the local immune-response suppression that steroids cause. {sigh} PLEASE take heed of this warning.
Now… Bells Palsy is not a “common” symptom but not rare either, though it occurs more in children, and especially when the bite is in the head/ neck area.
As far as the accuracy of Blood tests for Lyme, they are woefully inadequate & miss ABOUT 1/2 the actual cases of Lyme. (I hate having to repeat this over & over, but do some research. It’s sadly true.)
Lyme disease remains a clinical diagnosis (see CDC & even IDSA guidelines). The typical ELISA test relies on the body’s ability to generate sufficient antibodies to the Lyme spirochete PIECES to be detected by the test. Sometimes there aren’t enough…for various reasons.
Finally, steroids can suppress immune response, but I haven’t heard that they particularily interfere with the common blood tests for Lyme.
(Oh… and My neurological Lyme symptoms started 4 months after the tick bite. A very common period of time, as I understand.)
personal experience & 3 years of research
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September 12th, 2011 at 10:36 am
I believe these were answered, sorry didn’t see replies, will leave as is and best of luck.
Steroids are a NO NO with Lyme and that’s how many of us get worse who finally find the Lyme diagnosis… If you suspect Lyme, make sure you make an appt with an LLMD, only one in La.. All the testing except a SMALL handful of labs int he courntry are completely inaccurate, the Western Blot by preferrably IGENEX is needed. There are over 300 strains inthe world and 100 + in N America.. The standard tests only use about TEN strains and many are from Europe which is not acceptable.. Even the testing is only 65% accurate in sensitivtiy- again , unacceptable.. Anything from steroids down to regular/occasional TYLENOL use can give false NEGATIVES and that’s why lyme has to be based on a clinical diagnosis- most of us have our bodies messed up with meds given in error (esp steroids) and by the time we do get the right test, alot are falsly negative… Meds, CMV EBV Mono, etc can all alter the test.. Let me know if you have any questions.. I am a leader on MDJunction.com for the Lyme group, will try to check back here, am spread thin,I live in Folsom and am bound and determined to help people realize the facts about this horrible disease..
Not a lecture, a passionate statement.. Best of luck. Sometimes my spelling is off/lyme brain but the knowledge is there.. Be your own and his own advocate. the best of docs won’t know this unless Lyme literate.. Trust me! It’s everywhere, mosquitoes, fleas, not just ticks. Heck they have even found the bacteria in DUST…
Again, let me or others know if you need anything
I have tons of research under my belt, wish I didn’t have to have done all this work on my own!
Pam Weintraub ‘Cure Unknown’
The Lyme Disease Solution’ K Singleton md
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September 12th, 2011 at 3:36 pm
The most common blood tests for Lyme aren’t actually for Lyme itself. They look for antibodies to Lyme. Steroids suppress the immune system, so the body doesn’t produce antibodies–hence, a negative test, even though the person may actually have Lyme disease.
That’s only one of the reasons you might get a false negative response. There are others, too.
Bell’s Palsy can exist without it being Lyme, but Lyme often presents with Bell’s Palsy. So, if you son has Bell’s Palsy, that’s a good reason to thoroughly look at the possibility of Lyme, even with that negative test.
Good sources of info about Lyme disease:
http://www.lymedisease.org
http://www.canlyme.com
http://www.lymenet.org
http://www.lymeinfo.net
http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org
http://www.ilads.org
http://www.lymedoctor.com
I have tons of research under my belt, wish I didn’t have to have done all this work on my own!
Pam Weintraub ‘Cure Unknown’
The Lyme Disease Solution’ K Singleton md
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