Lyme

[lestrout]

Those ticks also carry diseases other than Lyme's. I'm trying to find my source info - it came from someone who has studied Lyme's a lot.

 

[AFISHN]

Three stray points:

1)when on Doxy avoid direct exposure to sunlight

2)when a tick is embedded..if you soak a cotton ball in vodka or gin and apply it direct to the tick for 15 minutes+..it usually loosens its grip enough to remove it easier

3)Try to get a "tick kit"..it has a small tweezer with a grip on it so you can twist and pull on the tick/This helps to avoid breaking the ticks body in two when removing it

 

[AkDan76]

I read dishsoap soaked cotton ball (no water) will get them to release, and end up being stuck to the cotton ball. Haven't had the chance to try this one yet thankfully. april/mays fast approaching! tick mania!

Even with pemethrin/permanone I still manage to find a few though its minimal compared to nothing. Pemethrin is some nasty stuff! Think about it....it rains, your now covered cloths is soaking into your skin. Makes me wonder anyways! kinda hosed either way.

 

[Oregon_Owl]

Get the blood test. Then proceed with treatment if warranted.

 

[Swattie87]

Saw the doc. Suspected Lyme. Treating as such. 3 weeks of Doxy and the blood test. Doc said the test will likely come back negative still at this stage. Thanks again fellas.

 

[pcray1231]

Three stray points:

2)when a tick is embedded..if you soak a cotton ball in vodka or gin and apply it direct to the tick for 15 minutes+..it usually loosens its grip enough to remove it easier.

Sure it will. Because it'll kill it or come close. And in the process of dying it'll puke it's guts out, into you. This is not recommended, it greatly expands the risk of transferring any infections in the tick to you.

3)Try to get a "tick kit"..it has a small tweezer with a grip on it so you can twist and pull on the tick/This helps to avoid breaking the ticks body in two when removing it.

We've gotten these and had mixed luck with them. Dog ticks, they work great, and on the larger stages of deer ticks as well. Deer ticks in the earlier stages are just too small, though, and the V in the tool just doesn't go small enough. These things require a magnifying glass to see legs. They just look like a black spec of pepper.

You get enough pressure on it to aggravate it, but the tick slips through.

Good old tweezers with a fine tip. Grab near head and pull. Do it firmly the first time, the sooner and smoother you get that bastard out of there, the better. The more you mess with it prior to removal the more likely it is to spit up.

Then clean the surface with alcohol or peroxide or something capable of killing surface bacteria which hasn't got into the wound yet.

Tick count this year:

Me: 3
Wife: 1
Oldest son (3 years old): 4
Youngest son (

 

[dc410]

Swattie87 wrote:
Saw the doc. Suspected Lyme. Treating as such. 3 weeks of Doxy and the blood test. Doc said the test will likely come back negative still at this stage.

This is exactly my point about the blood test. If you take the course of antibiotics and it wipes out the symptoms you are probably going to feel very sure that you had contracted Lyme. If at a later date the blood test comes back negative - like the doc said is likely. What purpose does the blood test actually serve for you - other than increasing your bill?

You handled it the right way, Matt. You were fortunate that you developed the rash to clue you in at an early stage. Without the rash you could possibly mess around for weeks or months trying to figure out why you are not feeling well. This is how some folks end up with later stages of Lyme that literally screws them up for life.

You were proactive and got what you needed. I think you have a very good chance of nipping this in the bud. Good luck, I hope all goes well for you.

 

[Swattie87]

Thanks John. I agree…the rash is a good thing.

I asked the same thing about the need for the blood test (knowing that I was still below my health plan deductible for the year and I’d be paying for it in full from my HSA). Doc said it was prudent to test to know, and possibly consider an extra week or 10 days of doxy in the event of a positive test.

Just took my third dose of doxy this morning. A bit of an odd contrast of symptoms going on…the rash appears to already be retreating, however I woke up this morning and felt a little off, feverish and achy…took my temperature at 100.6, the highest its been during this event…side effect of the Doxy? Felt a little nauseous this morning after taking the doxy, but I only took it with a granola bar…took the first two doses yesterday with full meals. I’ll probably go back to that approach moving forward. Feeling a bit better as the morning is moving along, hopefully that continues.

Had plans to go out for sharks with a buddy out of OC, NJ this weekend, but I just called him and bailed. Gonna just take it easy this weekend.

John – We should get back out for some Smallies once I lick this…been a while.

 

[dc410]

Matt,

You had mentioned earlier about not being on any antibiotics for a real long time. Taking the medication with a significant amount of food may be very important for your system. Taking a pass on the shark fishing trip was also a very good decision. Over exposure to the sun could have some real negative effects on you while on doxy.

I would love to get out after some smallies again with you yet this season. Keep in touch.

 

[BradFromPotter]

 

[AkDan76]

That looks like it could rip its head off twisting it in cirlces......use liquid soap on the qtip.

 

[onemorecast23]

Rocphin Is what I was put on. They put a port in my arm and had to go in at lunch for a dose for 30 days. Had Lyme for 2 years. My doc said dox only works early on

 

[CRB]

pcray1231 wrote:


Tick count this year:

Me: 3
Wife: 1
Oldest son (3 years old): 4
Youngest son (

 

[JackM]

Jungle ****. Bonus: fly tying materials.

 

[Swattie87]

Update – Felt the worst on Friday, second day on the Doxy. Fever of 100-101 all day, nausea, more steady and significant aches and pains. When I feel nauseous I’m the type that likes to “get it out” and feel better, but I forced myself not to on Friday to try and keep the medicine in me. Got home from work at 5:00 (I could not take off Friday) and slept until 8:30. Got up and ate, and went back to sleep about 9:30. Slept until 8:00 AM Saturday. Woke up Saturday and felt great! I couldn’t believe the turnaround, and have felt good since. No fever, aches, and my energy level is normal again.

Did some reading about the initial “die-off” period with Lyme during the first 48 hours or so when you’re on the antibiotic and the Lyme is being “killed” in your system. Theory is the dead pathogens make you feel worse until your body flushes them out. Not sure if there’s any merit to it, but I definitely experienced a worsening of symptoms for the first 36 hours or so I was on the meds.

Rash probably peaked at the size of a small Clementine orange. It’s much fainter now and is receding in size. Gonna finish off the meds, but hopefully there’s nothing else to report. Thanks again for the advice for those that chimed in with their experiences.

 

[Swattie87]

FWIW...I received the results of the Lyme test today. Negative...

Reinforces the need to be on the antibiotics early, regardless of the test.

 

[Chaz]

AkDan76 wrote:
Elon

Do you know of anywhere near you that does the igenex testing?

I will be down that way just after new years, so far no docs down south want to test because of where I live. The docs up here think I've lost my mind. Something put me under 3 years ago fast, I have yet to fully recover though it hasn't been as bad as it was 3 years ago the symptoms repeat every so often for no apperant reason.

They've tested just about everything they can think of at this point including heart tests. (had some odd palps and drastic bp spikes that come and go at random as well). Typically either tired, or tire fast. That summer I was doing triathlons including a half ironman. I've put on a pile of weight since, inactive and of course eating bad. At the time a nurse from PA mentioned I should get tested for lymes.

I've been visiting PA for the last 4 years twice a year usually spring and early winter (oct) hunting mostly, turkeys and deer. Along with hunting the last 21 years in KS MN WI MO NE again for deer/turkeys. Originally from MN, so this is something that could have happened over a lot of time.

I have at any given time symptoms that sound like stage 3 lymes. The local doc said it takes years....I've been doing this for 21 years since I moved to Ak taking multiple trips south, and grew up in the woods in Mn before that.

If you know anyone willing to do this test I'd like to get it done. Insurance is not an issue. The docs in AK (Fairbanks) will not take it serious. The nurses on the other hand, when someone said lymes, came flooding in to see 'the rash' LOL! They didn't see the humor..... If nothing else its something I need to rule out!!!

Dan get tested, as far as I know all the lower 48 have lyme disease ticks. It's better to be safe even if you've been infected for a couple of years. I know a couple of people who've have long term infections and their health keeps getting worse, until treated.

 

[Chaz]

Chickens will eat the ticks in your lawn and most local governments allow you chickens as pets. If you already have turkeys they also will eat he ticks.

 

[pcray1231]

Dan get tested, as far as I know all the lower 48 have lyme disease ticks.

Not at all true. Most of the west doesn't have em. That said, yes, many of the places Dan mentioned do, and I would also agree that it's in his interest to get the test.

Blacklegged ticks transmit lyme. There are two types, the blacklegged tick and the western blacklegged tick. The following link has range maps for each type of tick. Generally, they are absent from the western great plains and intermountain west.

http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/geographic_distribution.html

The same link, though, shows ranges for other types of ticks, and yes, everywhere in the lower 48 has some type of tick, and thus some type of tick borne illness, even if it's not Lyme.

 

[pcray1231]

Have you discussed what to do to rid your lawn of the ticks?

Not sure what you can do, other than discourage mice and so forth. But we got squirrels, rabbits, and deer out the wazoo.

We go with nightly tick checks on the kids. And I'll probably start using permethrin more aggressively on clothes.