How many have had Lyme disease?

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Where did you get it?
Did you actually see the tick?
Early Stage or Late Stage?
What were your symptoms?
How were you treated?
Long term results?

I started having symptoms in December of 2004, obviously no ticks then. I live in Central, NC which according to a map I saw lately is relativly low risk, but I was a summer camp counselor and vacationed in WI/MN, which is supposed to be some of the highest risk territory. Never had a bulls eye that I could see, nor recalled a flu like illness, just one morning in May when I recalled not feeling well and my lymph nodes being swollen, but didn't last long at all. Come December, symptoms started with severe abdomial pain, intestional bleeding, and strange knee pain. Went to the ER was treated for gastrointestional infection, cipro and augmentin (I think). 1-2 days later developed severe rash, small red spots on my legs and arms. Went back to ER, found results of fecal culture were negative. Doctor stopped antibiotics and started predisone (60mgs/day) for what they thought was a drug reaction (wrong). And sent me to dermatoligist for a skin biopsy which proceeded to turn into a non-healing wound thanks to the prednisone. Also sent me to a gastroenteroligist, who decided I might have IBS and started me on meds for that and scheduled a colon scope to "check things out". Weeks later, started weaning off predisone. Skin rash would still come and go and I was very lethargic and had severe ankle pain now. A coworker finally referred me to an infectious disease doctor who specialized in Lymes/Aids. Doctor ran every test under the sun with no conclusions. Finally decided to just try antibiotics again to see what happened. Warned ahead of time that rash might get worse. Explained it as clots of antibodies crashing into capilary walls. Boy was he right, the rash was so severe, the spots conected and my legs and arms looked like a super bad sunburn. Apparently this was a good sign and antibiotics were ramped up, 2-3 kinds at a time, rotating, for 3-4 months. The entire time, my head in a fog, mostly due to the meds more than the lymes. After all this, I started to feel better, and was able to stop the meds and go on with life. I feel pretty good most times, but do wonder if what I think are rutine muscle/joint aches and fatigue are not related. Don't know. Just glad everything turned out alright...

[Prismseed]

Never had it myself. The two people I know that do have it both have late stage, in one case it took months to properly diagnose and in the other years. One I am certain had the bullseye, the other I haven't had that deep a conversation with.

The case that took years to diagnose will never be recovered from. The one diagnosed within 6 moths will still take a few years to fully cure.

Not quite sure but I believe lymes can leave lingering joint damage even after cured.

[Ravenlost]

Where did you get it?Late last May I picked dewberries (I live in NW MS) and was wading through tall grass/weeds. Two weeks later I had mild flu like symptoms and started breaking out in a bullseye rash. Went to the doctor and he said it was definitely Lyme Disease.

Did you actually see the tick? Not that I recall, but we get lots of ticks off of us during the Spring and early Summer.

Early Stage or Late Stage? My doctor believes I may have first gotten Lyme Disease when I lived in VA 13 years ago. I can't recall finding a tick on me, but I did get sick while living there. I broke out in a rash across my face and thought I might have Lupus. My legs and feet hurt so bad that I would cry and there were many nights when I had to crawl up the stairs to go to bed. I didn't have insurance (and wasn't making ends meet) at the time so didn't see a doctor.

Since then I've been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, MS (I have lesions on my brain) and arthritis. My doctor now believes the Fibro and MS were misdiagnosis of Lyme Disease.

What were your symptoms? Last Spring I had mild flulike symptoms and my knees and ankles ached terribly. I also broke out in three distinct bullseye splotches and two mild ones. Oh, suffered severe insomnia at the time.

How were you treated? Doxycycline and, due to info from an HT member (thanks Sparticle!) I took Tincture of Teasel after finishing the Doxycycline. Plus, prescription sleep meds.

Long term results? I have pain in my ankles, the left one especially and deep pain just above my right knee. I saw a neurosurgeon shortly after being treated for Lyme last year (I have two ruptured disks in my lower back) and told him about the Lyme Disease. He said that it was to soon to know the extent of nerve damage...that it could be several years before problems developed.

I also still have bouts of insomnia and I have more recurrent migraine headaches now. I get really dizzy and fall a lot more than I used to, plus I have memory problems.

[nc_mtn]

I have a daughter here in the mtns north west of you that had Rocky Mtn Spotted Fever this spring.

on to the Lymes

My wife's best friend (also lives here in the NC Mountains) got it several years ago. She had all sorts of medical problems related to it. Almost killed her. She lost her sight, was in a wheelchair, the "whole nine yards". She never saw the tick but a dr finally put her intouch with a specialist that told her it was lymes.

She still takes medicine from time to time to keep it "in remission". Its a lot like HIV from what she said. In that it can bother you today and not tomorrow. Her "drug cocktail" is also alot like what they use to keep hiv under control. She does have joint pain some times and some of the other symptoms.
She got pregnant last year (ended up having a boy 2 weeks older than our daughter). She was really worried it would get transmitted down but in her case at least, The baby is "free" of the parasite.

I also have an uncle that got it. He gets headaches from time to time and sometimes can't stand the sun (too hot and light sensitive I guess you could say). That's all he complains about so not really sure much more...

good luck
Her Dr is now is DC, she talks highly of him all the time


I just noticed you're in Morganton

She grew up only an hour or less north of you, so you could have gotten it around "home"

[chickenista]

And there is stuff you can get from ticks that aren't Lyme's or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
A few years ago about 20 miles north of Asheville I got a tiny deer tick behind my right knee. No big deal, just a tick.
The back of my knee swelled up something terrible and turned horrible red, then purple etc.. so swollen I couldn't bend my knee.
I was weak and I mean terribly weak. All I could do to make a bed. Headache, body ache, you name it.
I had all the titers and tests and all came back negative.
My knee stayed swollen and itched like nothing has ever, ever itched on me in my whole life. It stayed swollen and itched for a little over 9 months! And the actual bite sites, of which there were three, turned into deep little craters that were very dark. If I could see the back of my knee I bet I have scars.

So from that I extrapolate that there are things you can get from ticks that they don't test for yet.
I am sorry that you ahve had it so rough. That sounds horrible. Let us know if you need anything.

[Ravenlost]

I would guess that you had/have Lyme's Disease chickenista. The tests/titers etc. are not very accurate. My doctor didn't do any bloodwork for that reason...he said the bullseye rash was more accurate that any test available. Unfortunately, not everyone with Lyme's Disease gets the rash.

[bowdonkey]

Yes I had it. I finally insisted on treatment when the doctor kept saying it was arthritis. The main symptoms were lack of energy and severe joint pain. I get several deer ticks every year. High tick area up here, so everyone gets them, no big deal. My advice is if you get a deer tick, get treatment. Period. INSIST ON TREATMENT. It's cheap insurance.

[malinda]

I had it back in '87 or '88 when I was in 2nd grade. Caught it within 3-4 days of being bitten by the tick, I had the bullseye rash and a fever. I remember taking a course of antibiotics, and as a teen I had joint pain in my knees, but don't have that anymore.

[foxtrapper]

Got it, got treated, no other issues.

[LLAMA FARMA]

My husband has a lot of these symptoms daily. He has severe joint pain, is exhausted all the time. He has had the test many times, always negative. Seen many doctors and had many tests/scans of his body. We have tried anything that anybody has recommended. He has also had 3 lower back surgeries and worked as a carpenter for 30 years, then re-trained to drive 18-wheel. Between his professions and the surgeries he is no longer able to work. We just wish there was a definate diagnosis to put with his symptoms.

[palani]

I met a guy a couple of months ago who claimed he had cured himself of lyme disease using colloidal silver. Take it for what it is worth.

[KIT.S]

Years ago, my son came back with a tick after camping in eastern Oregon. He found it and removed it. Couple weeks later, his hands turned purple in big bruise-like patches. He didn't have insurance, and I called one of my clients whom I think very highly of - a neurologist. Yeah, I know, not his speciality, but he is very intelligent and sympathetic. Anyway, he did do the tests, but said the tests were not accurate and as likely to come up with an incorrect diagnosis as not, so immediately started son on antibiotics, which took care of all the immediate symptoms. Son is very big (6'7" 440 lbs) so I never thought his knee pain would be anything else, but maybe it's part of the tick-thing? Interesting. I'll mention it to him.
Kit

[badlander]

I was diagnosed last May. Not sure where I got infected. Had multiple tick bites in wooded areas of both Missouri and Illinois. I was probably infected the prior June or July. It wasn't unusual for us to pull 30 ticks off of us after a day out working in the woods, even with Deep Woods Off. They would find a way around it. I was, I guess, an early stage diagnosis.

I DID have the bulls-eye target rash even though my titers were low positive, they are treating me as a positive due to the rash.

Treatment. Doxycycline until I developed toxic sun reaction this spring and then switched to Augmentin. Still on high dose Augmentin but my symptoms are diminishing. I have also used Cats Claw and herbs to boost immunity and memory along with milk thistle to help my liver clear out the toxins and handle the stress of the antibiotic therapy.

Symptoms. Severe neuralgia in my left arm and shoulder, neuralgia on left side. Short term memory problems, fever, lost words, poor concentration, flu like symptoms, arthralgia, tremors, vision disturbances, the list goes on and on and on.

Long term results. Still some neuralgia, still some days of very mild herxing about once a month (herxing is the toxic reaction to the die off of the bacteria when they blossom and the antibiotic you are taking kills them off. Less herxing I hope means less bacteria die off = less bacteria TO die off. Still some intermittent joint pain.

I hope to be able to cut back on the antibiotics soon.

TICKS MUST DIE!!!