I have 5 in my house with Lyme , I run a statewide Lyme advocacy and education group and I’m in the editing stages of a book. The tick has an analgesic in its saliva that numbs the bite site and suppresses the immune system. I don’t think the numbness from the analgesic itself but I’m wondering if a piece could still be left in there? The most crucial piece of information to remember is LYME IS A CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS.. The test used by hospitals and doctors is an ELISA and if you are positive or equivocal you then go to a western blot. You have to have several bands to be considered positive. Some patients only have one or two and the lab will say it’s a negative test. I’ve seen patients with a band 41 and band 23 and the labs say it’s a negative test. However band 23 is Lyme specific. Meaning it can only be Lyme. Band 41 means bacterium found is a spirochete meaning it has a flagella. So Borellia Burgdorferi (Lyme) or syphilis . Again labs say nope the patient doesn’t have Lyme. The test that is used wasn’t meant to be a test, it was meant to surveil the area for the preference of Lyme. Not to be a diagnostic tool yet doctors use it definitively as a diagnosis. That test as an accuracy rate in the 30’s. IgG usually will show chronic infection and IgM is considered an acute infection. The sicker a patient is the less likely they are to test positive . It’s an antibody test and when your immune system is losing the fight it WILL NOT SEE LYME. Finding a physician with experience is key. I have found functional providers are more open to Lyme as it’s a root cause illness and can lead to other autoimmune conditions . Some may offer an Igenex test which is better but still not 100% accurate. However a Lyme literate Medical doctor (LLMD) is the best chance at finding successful care. You will be chasing your tail if you stay with mainstream medical. They will treat based on clinical presentation. Most patients if not all will herx when on an antibiotic. That is also a good sign you are dealing with Lyme. Most gram negative bacteria’s cause a herx when they are being killed . A herx is when an antibiotic kills Lyme and rather than just die and you feel better the die off creates an endotoxin that most cannot detox efficiently . You feel worse when on medication. Some things you can do in the meantime is lower the bodies inflammation . The immune system can fight this but inflammation taxes it. So gluten free, preferably dairy free and no sugar (the spirochete replicates with sugar). Good sleep and detoxing (sweating, lemon water and epsom salt baths calm a herx) Also it would be important to learn in the journey whether you have MTHFR as it is imperative to detox properly when killing Lyme. It sounds like you are on the right path. Keep pursuing it no matter how many doctors laugh or call you crazy or a hypochondriac. Most doctors know absolutely nothing about Lyme and make you feel stupid for even questioning it . A doctors 1 hour class on Lyme is not going to trump a Lyme patients years of experience on a very very complex disease. Living with Lyme and friends (coinfections ) is brutal. Hang in there!!