LYME DISEASE!?!?!?

“At least that is what they think. running girl pulled a tick off from behind my knee about 10 days ago. Two days ago I figured I must have run through some poison ivy cause a rash started forming behind my knee (a little itchy and burning). Today running girl asked me how my poison ivy was and I remembered the tick. Sure enough, bullseye rash. Went to the doc, blood sample drawn, full course of meds (doxycycline) prescribed, and wait to see how it goes I guess. He isn't sure that it is lyme but said this medicine would get it if it was.”

“Eeeek!!! If it is, at least you caught it in the very early stage where it can be killed off and do no harm.

Where were you hiking when you got the tick?”

“My backyard? Richmond, VA. running girl and I were taking a walk when she noticed it. I don't know how long it was attached but find it hard to believe it was more than 6-8 hours. Could have been though.”

“Get well soon bro!!”

“Scary stuff! Those little buggers can cause a whole lotta problems. Good luck and keep us posted.”

“Just an observation: Corona is good with Lyme.”

“Am I the only non drinker in here?
Jeeeeeze.”

“Do they have a vacination for Lyme Disease for humans? The dogs get it every year. Anyone know?”

“I just had my Rabbies & Distemper shot yesterday. My ass is still sore!”

“My sister and two of her kids had/have Lymes. They were all treated differently. If you want to email someone who has some experience, let me know.

My guess is that this early treatment will be very helpful.”

“I can be credited for saving his life.”

“Lyme is why I am creaky. But most people have one cycle of antibiotics and never have a problem unless they are bit again. You caught it very early before any painful symptoms so you should great.

I never saw a tick so only got treated after symptoms built up into something more than minor aches. That is the same story with a lot of us that have chronic problems stemming from LYME. So grab your buddies and check for ticks on each other regularly. The scalp, behind the ears, underarms, any PERSONAL folds you have, these are very popular tick hangouts. Change your clothes and check your arms after carrying in firewood. A friend of mine throws his clothes in the dryer and runs it after yard work to kill the ticks so they don't move about the house from the laundry hamper.

The vaccine for humans is new and some people claim it has caused arthritic symptoms in them. I'm waiting for the smoke to settle. I have enough aches without adding more. My guess is that some peoples' immune systems are in a heightened state and cause physical reactions to the vaccine.”

“don't let willow hear you say that.”

“Do pay attention to Ms. Creaky about personal areas. Ticks can get on your ankle and crawl up until they find a decent spot and that can well be you-know-where. Since deer ticks are itty-bitty, they?ll be next to impossible to notice there until a few days later and you?re in the shower and they?ve swelled to the size of a BB. Then every sniffle or muscle ache will inspire Lyme paranoia.

My test came back negative.”

“Sorry to hear about that Ms. Creaky. I wish you luck.

Wow Baume!! Your yard in VA, thats a long way from any of the Lymme hotspots I've heard about.”

“If they are that itty bitty, they are less likely to have LYME. The ticks get the bacteria from their first meal, on a mouse, rabbit, deer, etc. They grow a bit and can be seen. Try using a hand mirror. My father in law is very dark, which makes it hard to find a tick. He ignores the issue, and has been lucky so far. Wearing nylon pants tucked into socks helps, but it can be way too hot for that, so inspection is important if possible.”

“My wife is just finishing up a course of anti-biotics for her third round of Lyme's disease. I have had it once.

We are waiting on the vacine to see how its working in folks.

We have 4 acres of woods and field . . .about 15 miles from Lyme, CT. No coincidence that we are picking up ticks.

PS: The ticks are no bigger than this period "." Spotting them it nigh to impossible. We can see them on our 3 year old because he is small, chubby, fair, and unblemished. I have basically given up looking.”

“I have found many tiny ticks on the kids and husband. The cats used to come in with lots of bitty ticks on their faces. They are now indoor cats but we can't give up the gardens and outdoors, so we do the best we can. I'm sure that there are a lot of ticks that can't be seen but some of them can. Lyme has been found as far south as Florida and as far west as Michigan, maybe farther by now. I've been told that they are more common at the edge of the woods and in sandy areas than in the deep woods. Hopefully that is true.”

“Actually, Michigan isn't too bad comparitively. The Midwestern hotspot is, tah dah, Wisconsin, where I so wisely moved. I have had several students stricken by Lyme's and some have been permanently harmed because of late discovery of what ailed them.

It's noteworthy enough in Wisconsin that my Technical Reporting textbook, written by two UW system profs, has a Lyme's disease literature review as an example in the LR chapter.

Of course wood ticks are everywhere around here, and they get people panicked, but the tiny deer ticks are truly hard to find. I have enough moles and freckles to complicate any search. Not to mention that deer are everywhere, including backyards around here. The issue of Lyme's is part of the debate on whether our city should ban deer feeding in the city limits.”

“Baume, did the blood test (tyter sp?) reveal the spirochette? That is info you need to know.
The ticks are called deer ticks to differentiate from dog ticks. These buggers do not need to feed on a deer before biting you in order to have the disease. They are born with it.
The antibiotics often used to treat Lymes are often used to treat Eboli, syphollis and other resistant strains of spirochettes. Where it is advantageous to start treatment sooner than later, it is important to know if indeed you have the buggers.
Don't rely on the WWW for too much info. It is rife with horror stories. Get sound info from reliable sources. Be aware that if you indeed have it, subsequent tests for it may show a false-positive.

I am not a medical professional though my son had it (stage 2)when he was seven (1998) and my dog has had it recently.
Please keep us informed and best wishes.”

“Question: Is lyme disease geographically specific? I have never know of a case in Idaho.

Hope ya all heal fast.”

“Thanks Ken ? from your referenced site : ?Lyme disease: caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, is reported an average of 2 times a year in Idaho? That could easily be cases picked up outside the area. I?ll keep checking for ticks anyway. The check can even be fun with the right person.”

“See what I said above. After I found mine, of course I checked the wife too.”

“Sorry to hear of the chronic effects you suffer from young&creaky but it is good to hear of so many successfully treated cases from the rest of you folks. While Lyme's certainly isn't common in this area, it isn't unheard of. No word on blood test results yet. My Dr. did tell me of the false test readings possible. There were a few other symptoms last week that I excused as usual aches and pains as I have in the past but coupling that with the appearance of the bite area must have been enough to make him feel I needed to get started on the antibiotics. Thanks for all the well wishes.”

“Thanks all. I'm getting better and it made me clean up my eating habits and exercise with more discipline. I think antibiotics after a tickbite rash is very prudent, regardless of the tests. Good luck.”

“I just read the tail end of "Cold Remedies" and now I understand why Rad said "Don't let Willow hear you say that." A lot of what she said is true, but doctors often send their patients to the internet to get information. I did a lot of research when I first developed chronic problems from Lyme. My doctor encouraged me to do so. I learned a lot and checked with her on a lot of what I learned. She does not agree with what I said about the vaccine, and in fact, will not even acknowledge that there is a problem with the vaccine. Yet it is in the newspaper frequently that people are suing the vaccine manufacturer. So, in deference to what Willow warned about, talk to a doctor or several, and read as much as you can about a medical problem from reliable sources (not chat rooms) before making decisions regarding your health.”

“If I have finally learned how to link, here is a site with some different LYME info, stuff I have never heard before. Don't know how true it all is.

LYME INFO”

“I dub thee, "Young¬nearlyascreakyasIwas"

Good Job!”

“

Thanks, now let's see if I can do the other tricks.

Did the smaller font work? Or the Italics?”

“bold&creaky or Young&Bold?”

“got the vaccine last year. I hike with a guy that has lymes - he's in hell at times. There are lesions on his brain. Read everything about the side effects. It out-weighed Lymes for me. So far - no effect. There are alot of people with lymes here on the east coast”

“m&m, I'm glad you had no bad effects from the vaccine. It is hell for me at times, like this past Sunday and Monday. The antibiotics calm it but how long will that continue? I do the best I can to eat well, take vitamin/minerals, drink water and exercise, in hopes that I'll beat it. You know, force of will, all that. Time will tell, but in the meantime, gotta get up and go.”

“BTW, Violin, did you do a LOT of colorful words that float across the screen, just before Tarpy split into 32 personalities?”

“Y&C, eat lots of yogurt.”

“I'm almost in the same situation - Memorial Day weekend I picked up a deer tick in PA which I didn't find until I was in the shower Monday night. I'm waiting now to see if a rash appears. Wierd. But then, I've been very lucky for the past 14 years I've been hiking, so maybe this time too.”

“Good luck Ginny. I'd tell you what symptoms to watch for but there are so many different ways that people experience LYME. The most common is being unusually tired, maybe headachy. Aches and swelling can often be in one or more muscles, not just the joints. Most people do NOT get chronic LYME. My brother had a really severe case and it revisited him twice in the first year, and then not at all since (8 years).”

“My sister and two of her kids had Lymes. I emailed her the website mentioned above. She thought is was a good site. They are symptom free for the moment. It took forever her to be diagnosed properly when she got it. The symptoms make you think it could be any number of things.”