Are there any ways to tell how long a person may have had lyme besides symptoms. My husband has never had a rash from a bite that we can recall but he has almost all the lyme symptoms but they also can mean other things. How does one determine how long they may have had it?

I've wondered if there's a test out there that can determine how long someone has had Lyme's. As far as I know the only thing that determines if the Lyme's is a recent infection or a past infection is the IgG or IgM antibiodies. Myself and my daughter has more bands positive on the IgM which means it's a long standing infection. If we had a lot of bands positive on the IgG, then it would mean we had a recent infection.

Good luck.

Good Question!

I thought IgG was a long standing infection and IgM recent?

No.

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Hi tammy1971 and welcome.

I'm sorry to hear your husband has Lyme symptoms.

I remember when I had symptoms but no diagnosis and treatment. It was horrible not knowing what was happening to me and have doctors telling me nothing was wrong and yet I was getting worse.

The best thing I did was to visit a Lyme literate medical doctor (LLMD). A good LLMD will treat based on symptoms alone and not on clinical test results. My LLMD began treating me on my first visit.

At that visit, she also took my blood and sent it to Igenex labs in California and it came back positive for Lyme. I had test results for both Igg and Igm.

I also did not recall any bites but I did recall an itchy rash. I had that rash years before, and since I was so sick and I had memory troubles at the time, it was very difficult for me to try to remember exactly when it first appeared.

By talking to my family and friends and jogging my own memory, I was able to pin down my bite to March of 2002 with some confidence. However, I could be wrong about that date.

My symptoms didn't hit full force until July of 2004.

The most important thing for me right now is to continue treatment until I get better. It may sound hard to believe, but I almost don't care when exactly I was bitten, just that my life stinks so bad from being so sick.

Sorry to say I have not heard of any test that can determine timeframe of the initial bite and infection. I wish I had an answer for you.

I hope you can get your hubby to an LLMD soon. Fighting Lyme is a tough road but you can do it!

Peace and health to you both,
Mickie