Tick bites and Lyme disease
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Soundchasm
Minister of Fire
Keep an eye on things for sure. I've only ever had one deer tick. It was on my shin, but I didn't find it for a few days because I had banged my shin a few days before that and, so help me God, I thought it was part of the scab. What a bizarre coincidence.
That was when I found out that deer ticks were about the size of sesame seeds. I can't quite make out the scale but your ticks seem pretty small. Better safe than sorry.
That was when I found out that deer ticks were about the size of sesame seeds. I can't quite make out the scale but your ticks seem pretty small. Better safe than sorry.
D8Chumley
Minister of Fire
Looks like I'm in the HOT zoneView attachment 169489
Very interesting subject. To be honest, when I first read this thread, I thought you all were crazy to even think about seeing a doctor for a tick bite. I mean seriously, treatment for a tick bite removed before it's full of blood and without any symptoms!!
What a bunch of pansies
Well, jokes on me. Looks like NE is an entirely different world when it comes to risk. Just one more sign that God loves the South.
For the record, when we were building our family's lob cabin, I had dozens of ticks removed from me over the years. No one even thought about having a Lyme test done if they got removed within a day or two and you had no symptoms. My parents knew somebody that knew somebody who had a friend who lived next to a man that had Lyme disease once. That was the extent of our experience with the subject.
D8Chumley
Minister of Fire
Looks like I'm in the HOT zoneView attachment 169489
Very interesting subject. To be honest, when I first read this thread, I thought you all were crazy to even think about seeing a doctor for a tick bite. I mean seriously, treatment for a tick bite removed before it's full of blood and without any symptoms
Well, jokes on me. Looks like NE is an entirely different world when it comes to risk. Just one more sign that God loves the South.
For the record, when we were building our family's lob cabin, I had dozens of ticks removed from me over the years. No one even thought about having a Lyme test done if they got removed within a day or two and you had no symptoms. My parents knew somebody that knew somebody who had a friend who lived next to a man that had Lyme disease once. That was the extent of our experience with the subject.
I have had it a few times. it can cause flu like symptoms, or not. at all, it can cause the bullseye rash at the bite or somehwere else, or not at all. it can showup false negative on tests. most doctors mistreat it and have totally false information about it.
I personally can confirm it does not take a full 24 hours to get it. if the ticks in there you are at risk. Also dont let them test you immediately after the bite it will show up false anyway
im in CT though so as others have said its big around here
I personally can confirm it does not take a full 24 hours to get it. if the ticks in there you are at risk. Also dont let them test you immediately after the bite it will show up false anyway
im in CT though so as others have said its big around here
Andy S.
Feeling the Heat
Wow... this thread brought back some memories. My 10 year-old son was stricken with Lyme several years ago. I won't use (hopefully) too much bandwidth but the story has been helpful to people in the past so I'll tell it here in case it is useful to others. He presented with what was originally diagnosed as a stomach virus. It kept getting worse - a process made gradual by the various medicines he was prescribed to treat his symptoms but worse all the same. He was tested for Lyme and the test was negative. Over a two-year period he had two colonoscopies, two endocscopies, was to GI specialists at CHOP and St Christophers, was referred to an infectious disease team (think "House") and just kept getting worse with no diagnosis but with docs starting to throw out "irritable bowel syndrome" which is often times a catch-all when no other diagnosis is available.
Due to extended family history (my Aunt) with Lyme, we kept on bringing it up during the process. The docs would throw in the test (Western Blot) with the other blood work orders to shut us up and it kept on coming back negative. After missing most of two years of school in favor of tutors to keep him with his grade and all activities, my aunt faxed me an article written by a "Lyme literate" doc (LLMD) on the subject of gastro-intestinal Lyme. It was like reading a story about our son.
My wife took it to his doc and the doc said that Lyme has been ruled out. On a whim, my wife called the LLMD and left a message on his VM. His practice was closed for Passover but she got a return call within an hour. After listening to the history, probing for detail and listening intently, the doc said he would open his office and urged her to bring him in right away. She put him in the car and drove the three hours to see him.
They spent two hours together and my wife left with a prescription for Doxycycline and some specific blood tests (after a tearful hug much the one from the movie "As Good as it Gets" when that doc promised the mom her son would get better). The instructions were to start the Doxy right away, wait 10 days and then get the blood work done. We did as instructed. The blood tests showed Lyme and various co-infections. As it happens Lyme spirochetes "hide." The course of Doxy started attacking them and they jumped off the page when the bloodwork was done.
This doc then put our son on a specific course of several antibiotics that repeated over time. He is now Lyme-free, symptom free and trying to catch-up on the social aspects of missing two years of life.
The moral of the story? Lyme is often scorned by the mainstream medical community and certainly given short shrift by the CDC (an organization for which I have complete and utter contempt). It has given rise to the LLMD community and the internet is chock full of stories like the one I've told here. It can attack any part of your body, and present as anything from psychosis to MS to sore feet and it "hides." If you or a loved-one have ***ANY*** inexplicable symptoms for which you've been to a doc and cannot get relief or a diagnosis, do yourself a favor and do research on "Lyme literate" along with the unexplained symptoms and then get yourself to the closest LLMD you can find. Sorry to run on but this story has been helpful in the past and I share it in hopes it may help someone now.
Due to extended family history (my Aunt) with Lyme, we kept on bringing it up during the process. The docs would throw in the test (Western Blot) with the other blood work orders to shut us up and it kept on coming back negative. After missing most of two years of school in favor of tutors to keep him with his grade and all activities, my aunt faxed me an article written by a "Lyme literate" doc (LLMD) on the subject of gastro-intestinal Lyme. It was like reading a story about our son.
My wife took it to his doc and the doc said that Lyme has been ruled out. On a whim, my wife called the LLMD and left a message on his VM. His practice was closed for Passover but she got a return call within an hour. After listening to the history, probing for detail and listening intently, the doc said he would open his office and urged her to bring him in right away. She put him in the car and drove the three hours to see him.
They spent two hours together and my wife left with a prescription for Doxycycline and some specific blood tests (after a tearful hug much the one from the movie "As Good as it Gets" when that doc promised the mom her son would get better). The instructions were to start the Doxy right away, wait 10 days and then get the blood work done. We did as instructed. The blood tests showed Lyme and various co-infections. As it happens Lyme spirochetes "hide." The course of Doxy started attacking them and they jumped off the page when the bloodwork was done.
This doc then put our son on a specific course of several antibiotics that repeated over time. He is now Lyme-free, symptom free and trying to catch-up on the social aspects of missing two years of life.
The moral of the story? Lyme is often scorned by the mainstream medical community and certainly given short shrift by the CDC (an organization for which I have complete and utter contempt). It has given rise to the LLMD community and the internet is chock full of stories like the one I've told here. It can attack any part of your body, and present as anything from psychosis to MS to sore feet and it "hides." If you or a loved-one have ***ANY*** inexplicable symptoms for which you've been to a doc and cannot get relief or a diagnosis, do yourself a favor and do research on "Lyme literate" along with the unexplained symptoms and then get yourself to the closest LLMD you can find. Sorry to run on but this story has been helpful in the past and I share it in hopes it may help someone now.
Fred Wright
Minister of Fire
Deer ticks are bad in Delaware and Lime diagnoses are common in pets and people. We're in the high risk zone. I've gotten a few attached to me over the years while cutting trees but they get pulled with the device Applesister mentions. We got it for the dogs but it works well for people, too.
I won't even walk in the woods during seasons when ticks are active. Spread flea and tick treatment around the doggie run perimeter every year, haven't seen a tick on the pudder dogs in a long time. I used to kill snakes 'til I read that snakes keep the field mouse population under control. Having some barn cats around helps.
I won't even walk in the woods during seasons when ticks are active. Spread flea and tick treatment around the doggie run perimeter every year, haven't seen a tick on the pudder dogs in a long time. I used to kill snakes 'til I read that snakes keep the field mouse population under control. Having some barn cats around helps.
Can you explain a little more? Im not up on this one?
Sawyers?
I guess Im gonna have to go with sprays for a while here, I have alot of outside work to do yet.
Threw all my outdoor clothing in hot wash. Im wigged.
Wished they had Advantix for people.
MJSully
New Member
Sawyer's is Permethrin. Synthetic chemical for control of ticks and other insects. You can treat your clothing and supposed to last through several washing. Good idea to treat boots as well.
That is an amazing story Andy and I thank you for taking the time to post it here. I hope others will read it and perhaps it should be copied to a 'sticky' where others can find it easily. I agree completely that DRs miss so many things and people spend years suffering because of it.
That's why I posted earlier to make sure you have multiple Lyme tests done if the first comes back negative.
saskwoodburner
Feeling the Heat
Another option for permethrin is to find a bulk jug of concentrate, and dilute it yourself. the stuff I bought a few years back ended up being about $25/liter for 33? or 38 % strength. I need to mix water at a 65 to 1 ratio! I've no doubt praised permethrin in other threads, but this stuff is magic. I treat carpet sparingly, dog beds, my clothing, my bedding (sparingly), and even the hallway carpet runners. I even spray it in the yard.
We never had ticks at all, and suddenly they showed up 5-6 years ago. Needless to say, we don't worry about ticks much now. Even with advantix, ticks will still hitch a ride inside on dogs, that was our biggest transmission. Now they come in on the dogs, jump off onto the floor, and die. That's all you find....dead or dying ticks.
My outdoor clothing is usually sprayed a bit heavier with the stuff at the .5% ratio, and if you keep a tick on these clothes, it will be dead to the world in about 10 minutes. I mean, it will be alive, but trying to do handstands and going in circles, and then onto its back.
Look into it, and take the war to those lil buggers.
One major caveat with permethrin, its toxic to cats http://www.vetprof.com/clientinfo/permethrincats.html
Andy S.
Feeling the Heat
You're welcome and thanks for the kind words. Everybody has their "stuff." I'm convinced that trying to help prevent it from becoming someone else's "stuff" is a sign it hasn't gotten the best of you.
Andy S, thanks for sharing your story, unfortunately there are so many people with similar storys. I was misdiagnosed, then under medicated, then finally medicated correctly. got it again the next year... this time bit next to my balls by the way!( if anyone isnt scared enough yet). that was a few years ago.
got bit again this spring, fully embedded tick, bad rash rash. I demanded the doxi, 3 weeks no ifs and or buts, no tests. im not getting sick again... im fine now
got bit again this spring, fully embedded tick, bad rash rash. I demanded the doxi, 3 weeks no ifs and or buts, no tests. im not getting sick again... im fine now
hamslam42
Member
For all you out there using those tick twister devices, will those work on the small deer ticks that are about the size of a sesame seed? I had one this past summer on my shoulder that I pulled off w/ tweezers, that was before I knew it was a tick. I thought it was a small piece of metal shrapnel that got lodged in there from some other work I had been doing. I had no idea the deer ticks were so small...and I'm wondering if those devices will actually work with the small ticks.
I've seen different sized ones. The ones we got from the vet were quite small.
I pulled a tick off the dog this morning. We normally stop applying Advantix in Nov. but she got another dose this morning after I found the tick.
mwhitnee
Minister of Fire
The classic bulls eye rash happens to only about 10% of people who have been infected.
I was bitten by a tick for the 1st time around 2 1/2-3 months ago after 30 +years of not having one. I think I probably had it on me for about 5 days. How do I know? Because I was scratching my head and arms off. It was so bad it was waking me up at night.
Then I found it on a Sunday on my stomach and shortly after the symptoms started fading. But they lingered. I had hives- horrendous itching on my wrists and hands for about a month which slowly faded to nothing. Cortisone hardly touched it but Prednisone helped.
I was tested immediately and about 6 weeks later with negative results.
I was bitten by a tick for the 1st time around 2 1/2-3 months ago after 30 +years of not having one. I think I probably had it on me for about 5 days. How do I know? Because I was scratching my head and arms off. It was so bad it was waking me up at night.
Then I found it on a Sunday on my stomach and shortly after the symptoms started fading. But they lingered. I had hives- horrendous itching on my wrists and hands for about a month which slowly faded to nothing. Cortisone hardly touched it but Prednisone helped.
I was tested immediately and about 6 weeks later with negative results.
never forget this happened to you, you may develop symptoms in the future, joint pain/weakness and other weird stuff, the tests are often incorrect.
mwhitnee
Minister of Fire
Yes its important to remember, false positives and false negatives are common. Good thing is I know they were hives, like an allergic reaction to a bug bite. The hives moved around my hands and wrists. View attachment 169653View attachment 169653
Attachments
Had one of the earliest cases in Rennsselaer county in 1990, luckily the Doc I went to picked it up and got me on the antibiotics ( in those days it was often missed)
Again in 2012, no bullseye rash this time either, But my current Doc tested and got right on it. 3 weeks of antibiotics took care of it.
Docs are aware these days and getting the antibiotics early works. ( BTW - x Gov Pataki had it 4 times and he looked pretty good on the debate stage)
First time felt like a sudden severe flu, but different somehow. After a week of dragging myself around on a business trip, I developed a red "T shirt rash" that sent me to the Doc.
Second time, I got shoulder aches/pains and fatigue that again felt somewhat different than the usual 62 y.o. wood choppin' fool soreness.
Never saw a tick either time.
Be sensitive to how your body feels and act on it.
Andy S.
Feeling the Heat
Please Google 'Lyme rash" images and compare your photo to some of the examples you see. Based on your story and that picture I would bet a cord of seasoned Oak against a bundle of sopping wet grocery store wood the you have Lyme or one of the many co-infections. LLMD - as soon as possible.
Phoenix Hatchling
Minister of Fire
mwhitnee
Minister of Fire
LocustPocust
Burning Hunk
Funny you say that.. I commented to my father during the debate on how good George looked.
LocustPocust
Burning Hunk
It kind of frustrates me that Lyme is considered a "trendy disease", dismissed as paranoia. I read an article declaring Lyme and some other diseases "Fake", and accusing people of not wanting to be "healthy or normal".
My particular case of Lyme was mild, but I know a man who's "Fake" disease turned into Bell's Palsy which lingered on and off for years. I also know a man who suffered permanent tissue damage and now is in a wheelchair.
Major complications are rare, almost always from someone not getting treatment early. Doxycycline is a great medication.
My particular case of Lyme was mild, but I know a man who's "Fake" disease turned into Bell's Palsy which lingered on and off for years. I also know a man who suffered permanent tissue damage and now is in a wheelchair.
Major complications are rare, almost always from someone not getting treatment early. Doxycycline is a great medication.
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