Lyme Disease

[Tburg]

I do not post much but thougt this is a good warning. I am sure others have had or have it

I got the call last friday from the Doc. , test came back positive. I believe I got it diognosed early and lots of antibiotics
I thought I had one of my kids colds and them I thought it was cause I quit smoking a few weeks back but when a rash ( no bulls eye, like pison ivey without the blistering) broke out from my neck to my feet I knew it was time to get it checked out. This rash would hit and then a few hours later go away and them come back.
The Doc. told me that there are more cases this year than others and that the rash is not the bulls eye most normaly seen in other cases.
I called a buddy of mine in Harwich and told him and he said I was the 5th person he knows of within the past two weeks to come down with it....
So - If you feel like crap and have a rash or not , get tested. Use bug spray (DEET) and check youselves and your kids.....have fun checking your spouse...

[scoobe]

Girl at work just came down with it last month. She was very ill for about a week but it was caught early and she responded well to antibiotics.

[Mike P]

My wife came down with another deer tick-borne disease, babesiosis. It attacks the red blood cells, and causes anemia and malaria-like symptoms. She was in CCH for two days being treated with IV antibiotics. While there they tested for Lyme and that too came back positive. She's finishing a 2 week regimen of anti-biotics for that. Fortunately, she didn't show any Lyme symptoms and they diagnosed that one very early.

We really have to work on thinning the deer herds--screw the Bambi lovers. The Cape and Islands are the epicenter for babesiosis in the western hemisphere--it's virtually unheard of outside of here, but CCH is seeing 2-3 cases a week come in.

[ktugboat42]

I had babesiosis last summer and it kicked my butt for 4 weeks. Lost about 20 pounds and couldn't do anything but lay on the couch.

[jimmy z]

Thanks. Ihat is good advice. I hope you get well soon.

[redcrbbr]

Originally Posted by Mike P

My wife came down with another deer tick-borne disease, babesiosis. It attacks the red blood cells, and causes anemia and malaria-like symptoms. She was in CCH for two days being treated with IV antibiotics. While there they tested for Lyme and that too came back positive. She's finishing a 2 week regimen of anti-biotics for that. Fortunately, she didn't show any Lyme symptoms and they diagnosed that one very early.

We really have to work on thinning the deer herds--screw the Bambi lovers. The Cape and Islands are the epicenter for babesiosis in the western hemisphere--it's virtually unheard of outside of here, but CCH is seeing 2-3 cases a week come in.

That is what I was diagnoised as having last year. I was in bed sick for 3 days before going in to see the doc. 30 days of horse pill antibiotics and all was good. I wish your wife a quick and complete recovery Mike.

[Saltheart]

I got Lyme disease vacinated about 5 years ago. it seemed like a good idea (I never got it so maybe it worked). However , as Mike P pointed out , there are other diseases that ticks carry and the vacinne is just for lymes.

I don't know if I will get the vaccine again or not(I think it needs to be done every 5 years or so). I think if you are fishing 4 days a week or so and in the woods for archery , etc as I was then , its worth getting the vaccine. If you are only going outside in the woods , tall grass , etc. infrequently maybe you don't need it. Just check yourself carefully. its also a better idea to have someone else look you over too. One year the ticks were very numerous on the archery course i was hooting with Smokey and his brothers. many times we would check ourselves after leaving the woods and then someone would find a tick on us when we had someone else double check. Dogs and cats can see and lick their backsides (so licky!! ) but humans need help looking for trouble on their backs , heads , etc.

[JFigliuolo]

Originally Posted by Saltheart

I got Lyme disease vacinated about 5 years ago. it seemed like a good idea (I never got it so maybe it worked). However , as Mike P pointed out , there are other diseases that ticks carry and the vacinne is just for lymes.

I don't know if I will get the vaccine again or not(I think it needs to be done every 5 years or so). I think if you are fishing 4 days a week or so and in the woods for archery , etc as I was then , its worth getting the vaccine. If you are only going outside in the woods , tall grass , etc. infrequently maybe you don't need it. Just check yourself carefully. its also a better idea to have someone else look you over too. One year the ticks were very numerous on the archery course i was hooting with Smokey and his brothers. many times we would check ourselves after leaving the woods and then someone would find a tick on us when we had someone else double check. Dogs and cats can see and lick their backsides (so licky!! ) but humans need help looking for trouble on their backs , heads , etc.

Vacine has been pulled from the market...

[Saltheart]

Do I want to know why?

[JFigliuolo]

some poeple would have an auto immune response to the vacine. If it hasn't happened by now your fine.

[jeffsod]

I would also like to add that while checking yourself, spouse or who ever make sure you do not over look the belly button area.

From personal experience I can tell you that it is easy to miss them inside there. I found one on myself in that spot that had been there way too long. Still not sure whether I got lyme or just a nasty infection but either way it wasn't pretty

It really is scary what you can pick up fishing between the ticks and the skeeters!

Be careful out there

[pmueller]

Lymes disease continues to be an extremely contraversal disease. Despite the current recommendations, there are physicains ( thank Goodness) that will continue to treat with antibiotics after the recommended time period, if the patient continues to show physical signs of the diease.
Has anyone else heard the rumor that this was a biological manmade disease that basically made its way from Plum Island??

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by pmueller

Has anyone else heard the rumor that this was a biological manmade disease that basically made its way from Plum Island??

I've heard it. I don't buy it. You'd think that if they were brewing up some biological weapon-grade bug out there, they'd come up with something more insidious--and less treatable--than Lyme.

[JFigliuolo]

Originally Posted by pmueller

Lymes disease continues to be an extremely contraversal disease. Despite the current recommendations, there are physicains ( thank Goodness) that will continue to treat with antibiotics after the recommended time period, if the patient continues to show physical signs of the diease.
Has anyone else heard the rumor that this was a biological manmade disease that basically made its way from Plum Island??

It was first discovered in europe. 1800's I believe. They called it sheep fever. no lie. I WISH I didn't know this much about the disease (My wife has had it for 3 years...)

[EricM]

When in doubt, shoot first with antibiotics, ask questions later. I just got back from a trip that involved lots of bushwhacking and am feeling a bit funny, so figure to do a preventative course of meds. I sure don't want lyme disease.

[Tburg]

If you think you got it - Get checked out ----Im on my second week on antibiotics and still I get the rash abreak out at least once a day and I am still feeling like crap....... Hope another week or two and I wll feel better....

[BobT]

My sister-in-law has had it 3 times and you feel worse each time. Good thing she knew what to look for or feel like and caught it early.

[Jon G]

I got the vaccine a couple of years ago too and I still got Lymes, the thing kicked my butt for a few weeks but the anitiotics kicked it worse for the last two years, Totally changed my stomach, can no longer tolerate coffee (at all) drink it and it comes right back up, and stuff like cranberry and oj as well as milk, the antbiotics killed the lymes but it killed lots of other good stuff too, can you imagine smelling Dunkin Donuts and not being able to have any? Lynmes is just plain rotten.

[HookLine&Sinker]

my friends brother got it from a tick in chatham

[Hooper]

Originally Posted by pmueller

Has anyone else heard the rumor that this was a biological manmade disease that basically made its way from Plum Island??

Yankee Magazine recently had a great article that went into depth on Lyme. They also probed the angle that it cam from the Government labs on Plum Island which might explain why Lyme, CT was really the epicenter for this stuff.