Before I get into the results, I would just like to remind everyone that none of these bugs are contagious, unless I bite you and bleed on you...so since I'm not a vampire, don't be afraid to visit. :)
Both tests that were done for Lyme disease came back positive, which means I am a certifiable Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed case. Congratulations me!!
I also tested positive for several co-infections. Co-infections are other bacteria that ticks carry in addition to Borrelia Burgdorferi (the Lyme bacteria.) My doctor said that most patients with Lyme have one or two co-infections. I ended up with several, including two different strains of Babesia, which is similar to Malaria.
These are the co-infections I tested positive for:
Babesia Microtii (infection of the red blood cells)
Babesia Duncani (infection of the red blood cells)
Erhlichia (infection of the white blood cells)
Hemobartonella
Chl. Pneumonia
Herpesvirus 6 (a respiratory infection similar to pneumonia)
I also tested positive for:
Epstein-Barr Virus
Human Parvovirus
HLA Haplotype (associated with Narcolepsy...hahaha)
So basically, the test results show that I'm a walking petrie dish filled with bacteria.
They also did a full screen of my immune markers, which helps to show how my immune system is doing with fighting all of this stuff. Understandably, the results showed that my poor little immune system is pretty overwhelmed, and a couple of the numbers rank me among HIV or chemotherapy patients in terms of my immune function.
Mostly, I'm just feeling relieved and validated that there is a reason I've been feeling so horrible for the last 5 years! My doctor said she is amazed that I have been able to be up and around at all given what my body's been dealing with. I'm actually relieved to finally have some solid answers about what's been happening to me and why. The better news is that there's treatment for it. I also feel very blessed to have stumbled onto all of this, but more about that later.
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