Can no bands on WB still be lyme or no?

My husband is currently ill.  Low RBC and dropping hemoglobin.  Total exhaustion and weight loss.  Has exhibited signs of lyme/bartonella but recent lyme WB through Quest had no bands at all.  Anyone ever get diagnosed with no bands on first testing?  Also, is it possible to have bartonella without lyme?

I have sent blood to Igenex and am moving ahead on other avenues such as gastro and hematology.  Thanks.

Oh, springsjean sorry to hear your husband isn't well.

After I had been treated for Lyme for a while, my husband started exhibiting some of the symptoms of lyme: Swollen, painful knees; irritability; brain fog, neck and back pain and crunchiness and unexplained chills and sweats among them. He was tested for Lyme by Quest and it came up negative, no bands. With Igenex it came up positive.

His lyme -- and he is not always willing to admit he has it although he fully understands that the Borrelia spirochete behaves like syphilis -- did not behave like mine. He had no herx even though our llmd tried three different kinds of antibiotics. Instead, I have put him on a series of herbal remedies that have been helping me. His irritability is gone (except, of course, when I am actually being irritating!), his knees only hurt him as much as a 64 year old who has been very active should, his brain fog has lifted, and his neck and back are much better.

Hope you get some answers soon!

Yes they did mention that he is anemic.  The problem is that all of the counts have been dropping steadily so something is going on, either infectious disease, disease destroying blood cells, bleeding or disease causing his body not to make red blood cells. 

He is totally exhausted, depressed and at times uncharacteristically upset. 

We shall see what Igenex shows and try and get some answers in the meanwhile. 

Thanks everyone!! 

Yes his thyroid has been checked. Went to gastro today who dismissed the anemia and said probably depression. Ugh these doctors I tell you if just once they would be compassionate and/or stick to their field. My husband is like a totally different person than a year ago and I realize they don't know that but why do blood work to dismiss when something comes back abnormal to tell me that he "only" mildly anemic. While I hope it's "only" depression, depression is real and needs to be addressed and not dismissed.

springsjean,

Go to a different gastro doctor. He needs to do a scope to see what's going on! So many times I was told that there is nothing wrong when I had a growth in my stomach causing me to vomit. I couldn't keep anything down. Get him checked! This could be serious.

Supportive thoughts and prayers to you and hubby, Springsjean.

Yes I agree lymster. I believe depression is a real illness but something is causing it. You don't just wake up one day unable to see the bright side of things. My husband went from being laid back, never rush, quiet but dry sense of humor to sighing all the time, and now complete breakdown. I saw it happening. I saw him changing and told him something wasn't right for over a year and now that he is depressed and can't pick his head up oiff the pillow, now they say depression. He may very well be suffering from complete exhaustion but SSRIs are not a way of getting him well. For me, they helped me get through each day so I could focus on what was wrong with me and they did just that. But for him, to me the anemia is a sign something is wrong and I am determined to get to the bottom of it. My poor husband tends to believe what doctors say and right now that is that nothing is wrong with me. I am the opposite and have learned from experience and you just have to keep pushing until you have an answer other than things are all in your head. Thanks so much everyone.

@Brittany, I thought bartonella was what attacked red blood cells? Babesia does also?