Lyme Disease

[Mamu]

Anyone here ever had Lyme Disease. I go for my blood work today. I'm hoping for a negative report but I expecting the worst.

Did I have a tick bite, not that I know of but did get a, (what I thought was a bug bite) Now symptoms are pointing to lyme disease.

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

Darned computer! I was all but finished typing when I got an error and had to shut down. Let's see if I can write this again.

First of all, . Here is a dose of to get the negative report you're hoping for. If you are diagnosed, and get treatment in the early stages, you will likely be okay.

DD was diagnosed two or three years ago. We didn't know that she had been bitten, and her symptoms were varied and didn't display simultaneously. She had a fever one day but not another. Then there was a pain in her knee, later behind her ear, but she never had the signature rash.

One day she complained about having trouble with drinking and that her mouth wasn't working (she was age 13 or so). She sat directly across from me and I could see the Bells Palsy setting in. I panicked a little inside. I quickly looked up Bells Palsy online (without her knowledge, I didn't want to scare her), and found that it was linked to Lyme Disease. I promptly phoned the doctor for an appointment and DD was seen first thing the next morning. They sent her for blood tests - it was Sat. morning and had to go to the ER for the blood work, but had results in less than an hour. She tested positive for Lyme and was treated with antibiotics for a month.

I'm happy to report that she has had no relapse since. The doctor's visit was about two weeks after the bite occurred. It took a reminder from my mother, after the doctor's visit, to recall when and where the bite happened. Without her recollection, I don't know that we would have remembered the outing at the state park to go fishing.

Extra and for your results.

 

[zalansky]

I had the bullseye rash in Sept 2006 after visiting friends and family on Long Island. Since i live in Tampa, my primary care doctor dismissed it as a spider bite. When I got symptoms two weeks later, I knew it was Lymes, since I had compared my rash to others online. I demanded to be tested and it came back with a low positive number so my doctor gave me two weeks of Doxycycline. It helped my symptoms pretty much completely. I had no idea that relapse was possible, or that co-infections are possible. Read up on that. Lymes needs to be treated very agressively, with a standard dose of at least 4-6 weeks if anti-biotics initially. I did not get that in the beginning and have been suffereing with bad symptoms again - went and had another Lymes test yesterday. They gave me 30 days of meds based on my history and I am going to see a Lyme specialist in the next few weeks. Its a horrible thing to have. Read up on it as much as you can if it is +. Knowledge is power.

Hugs and good luck.

http://www.lymediseaseresource.com/optin_lyme.html

http://www.healthboards.com/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=82

 

[Mamu]

I do have Lyme Disease and was put on Doxycycline and have to return on June 25 for more blood work.

I thought it was a spider bite too. The bite was on the shoulder right on the arm seam of my shirt and the seam kept irritating it. Last week I noticed the bull-eye that grew daily. I do have swollen glands too.

My home borders conservation land and we do have deer so I'm always very careful. I'm in the yard most of the day gardening. Before entering the house I remove my clothing and take a quick shower. I do use repellents. All my precautions and I still ended up getting Lyme Disease. These aren't dog ticks, there deer ticks and there so small even with my glasses on, I can barely see them.

The doctor said Lyme Disease is on the rise this year with a record # of cases being reported.

 

[Mellie2162]

I do have Lyme Disease and was put on Doxycycline and have to return on June 25 for more blood work.

I thought it was a spider bite too. The bite was on the shoulder right on the arm seam of my shirt and the seam kept irritating it. Last week I noticed the bull-eye that grew daily. I do have swollen glands too.

My home borders conservation land and we do have deer so I'm always very careful. I'm in the yard most of the day gardening. Before entering the house I remove my clothing and take a quick shower. I do use repellents. All my precautions and I still ended up getting Lyme Disease. These aren't dog ticks, there deer ticks and there so small even with my glasses on, I can barely see them.

The doctor said Lyme Disease is on the rise this year with a record # of cases being reported.

Heres hoping you get better soon.

My dh had Lyme several years back. He didn't have the rash. He had very high fevers, aches, and was just extremely tired. He could barely stay awake for more than a few hours at a time. Oh and he had really harsh headaches. They put him on doxycycline and after a week or so he couldn't tolerate that anymore and they had to switch him to something else. It took him a long time before he felt like himself again. That was a hard one on him. Oh and our pug got sick the same time with Lyme, she used to sleep right up under his arm in bed, we think the same tick may have bitten both of them. I dont know if that can happen or not, but it just seemed odd.

 

[jenna]

Thank you for those links zalansky. I am convinced that my husband has Lyme Disease. After reading the info. on those links I'm sure of it. He is a land surveyor and is constantly in the woods. I've recently pulled two ticks off of him. He's had the symptoms for a while though, before these recent bites. The ticks are very bad even around our house. My son had one in his hair a couple of weeks ago.

I am pushing him to go get tested, but he's dragging his feet. I'm going to follow through with this though. We never noticed any rash, but who knows.

Good luck Mamu with your treatment!

 

[zalansky]

Jenna - less than 50% of the people who have Lymes did not have a rash. My sister was also just diagnosed and never had a rash either. Push them to get tested. Hugs!

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

DD had Lyme Disease 10 years ago, when she was 10. We never saw a rash. We think she got a tick bite when she was away at Girl Scout Camp. Her only symptom was Bells Palsy. They told us at the hospital that they're seeing Bells Palsy more frequently associated with Lyme. They put her on antibiotics for a month and she's been fine since. She recovered from the Bells Palsy completely in two weeks.

Good luck to you!

 

[okeydokey]

DD had Lyme Disease 10 years ago, when she was 10. We never saw a rash. We think she got a tick bite when she was away at Girl Scout Camp. Her only symptom was Bells Palsy. They told us at the hospital that they're seeing Bells Palsy more frequently associated with Lyme. They put her on antibiotics for a month and she's been fine since. She recovered from the Bells Palsy completely in two weeks.

Good luck to you!

My son had the Bells Palsy from Lyme disease also. He was maybe 5 at the time. It went away quickly after starting the antibiotics.

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

DD had Lyme Disease 10 years ago, when she was 10. We never saw a rash. We think she got a tick bite when she was away at Girl Scout Camp. Her only symptom was Bells Palsy. They told us at the hospital that they're seeing Bells Palsy more frequently associated with Lyme. They put her on antibiotics for a month and she's been fine since. She recovered from the Bells Palsy completely in two weeks.

Good luck to you!

My son had the Bells Palsy from Lyme disease also. He was maybe 5 at the time. It went away quickly after starting the antibiotics.

This is how it was with DD too. The Doxycycline will leaving you feeling tired. Fortunately for DD, she was treated right after the school year ended. She could sleep all she wanted. Once she was finished with the meds, she was back to her old self.

 

[Kathi OD]

You should also know that the tests can either have a false positive OR a false negative result. Lyme Disease is extremely difficult to definitively diagnose.

Good Luck w/ your tests.

 

[profdsny]

According to DAWN CT, Lyme Disease is just a myth. So, don't worry about it.


http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1814050&page=1&highlight=Lyme+Disease

 

[TheBigBadWolf]

Yes, Lyme is difficult to diagnose so don't let a negative test result convince you that you don't have it.

I got Lyme disease last summer after being bitten by several ticks. I had the classic bullseye rash, which I initally thought was a spider bite. I went to the doctor and he said it was just a tick bite (it was several inches from where the tick had actually bitten me), and he was not concerned at all and ran no tests on me. I let it go for a month, even though I was sure it was Lyme, possibly with ehrlichosis complications. I had all the symptoms by then, waking with a terrible headache every day, knee pain, tired all the time, aching body, swollen glands... I finally took a month long course of Doxycycline and have been fine ever since. I believe I may have had life long complications if I had listened to the doctor when he said not to worry about it, and left it untreated.

Good luck, OP, and please let us know what the test results reveal.

 

[Tiggeroo]

Ten years ago my dd was very sick. She had difficulty concentrating, severe joint pain, particularly her wrists and neck. She couldn't get school work done, etc. She had a lyme test done that was negative. They were telling me that it was probably Rheumetoid arthritis and we were very worried. One night she got up to go to the bathroom and the problem had spread into her knees and ankles. Our littel girl could not stand or walk. The next morning we took her to U.of Penn hospital and dh had to carry her into the car and hospital. They ran a more conclusive lyme test which was positive. This had gone on so long we couldn't say for sure if anything would be reversed. Two days on the antibiotics and she had a huge improvement. Within two weeks she was completely cured. So, good luck. I know some people have horror stories. I know alot of people who have had lymes. I have never seen any of them as sick as dd and yet she made a nearly complete recovery. Her knees occasionally bother her when she does certain things.

 

[MPHARJ]

Hoping for some prayers here. My oldest son, 18 just tested positive for Lymes Disease, he has chronic Lymes Disease. His tested rated 5 out of 5 when they are normally 3 out of 5. We had no idea, he also developed Bellspalsy about 2 weeks ago and was taken to the hospital. He has to see an infectious control doctor because no family doctor can treat him. He started the antibotics but now he has to see a cardiologist because he has to have a central line put in to push the meds directly into his heart. He will have this for 3-6 weeks. He can suffer from brain damage as well because of his level of the disease. There was no bulleyes, not warning, no signs until it was too late. He wasn't going to go to WDW with us for our upcoming trip than decided he wanted to go before we found this out. I am so glad he is going and I just pray that everything works out for him and the treatment is successful. He will have to be tested every 6 months to a year.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Here in Missouri ticks are so bad it is really something.
We have been bitten many many times this summer.
My dogs are bringing them into the house and we are in an apartment. They aren't even romping around.

I can't wait for frost.

Good Luck with your treatment.

 

[MeggerasMa]

I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease probably about 11 years ago. This was a relatively "new" dx at the time and thank goodness, my doc was up on the literature and studies. I never even realized that a little dark speck that I could feel with my finger(and eventually dug out with a needle) could possbily be a tick. After digging this little annoying speck out of my leg, the blood just ran down and saturated a bandaid or two. My leg became extremely swollen and hot and hard to the touch. In my infinite wisdom, NOT, I ignored it and hobbled around like that for, I'm guessing, about a month. Never gave it another thought until about 6 months later when I was so exhausted, was suffering from headaches and migratory joint pains, chills off and on (spent the 4th of July wrapped in a blanket), and finally couldn't drag myself up a flight of steps because of the joints, that I knew something was terribly wrong, and went to a doctor. It was Lyme alright. Dear doctor put me on Doxycycline immediately for one month. He told me that the drug would make me feel worse (diarrhea, etc.) before it would make me feel better, but that my body would adjust to it given time. That was true and I'm thankful for his advice. I've been symptom free since, even though I request Lyme tests every once and awhile just to make certain it hasn't become active again. Please err on the side of caution, because Lyme untreated can have disasterous effects. Best wishes to all suffering from this ugly disease.

 

[zalansky]

Just wanted to see if there were any upadtes from anyone. I am seeing a specialist (LLMD) finally this coming Monday.

 

[dumboiu]

I hope it is okay to post this resource.

http://www.lymenet.org/

Good luck.