Lyme it is !

Billy NY

Well-known Member
Got confirmation at the ER, just by this rash. Antibiotics 2x per day for 2 weeks or so should do it in early stages, got those going now.

One thing that really stands out, is the joint pain it provides you in generous amounts, my left shoulder was so bad, I wanted to put my arm in a sling, 2 Ibuprofen 800mg's would not touch this pain.

Worst thing was that the tick was undetected or it was the single bit back in May by one, I'll never know.

Permethrin on clothing will actually kill them, and it can be washed 6x before needing to re-apply. I'll be practicing better protocol, as you can get this again.

Seems game trails are more prevalent to have ticks.

Woke up today feeling better, even though not well rested, the arm kept me up at times, so it would seem the meds are working, will let the Ibuprofen wear off and see how that joint is without it. It was killing me not knowing how long my arm would be like this, certainly no joke, you get this in a knee or your back, its going to flatten you.
 
Glad you caught it early and can do something about it. I sure am glad that it isn't a problem in this part of the country.
 

I don't know if that shoulder will ever fully recover. My son had Lyme disease some years back that went into his knees. He didn't know he had Lyme disease until he went to the doctor because his feet felt heavy. Turned out he had some blood clots in his legs from the disease. They put him on blood thinner and antibiotics right away. His knees still bother him though. The poor kid (30 at the time) was walking two miles to work everyday.
 
As I understand it, ticks also have a larval stage where they too suck blood but then drop off of you. AS I read it this early stage is also a vector for lyme.

You can't just watch for ticks (adult)......
 
I have found ticks on myself twice in the past couple years but neither time did I get bitten. The dogs pick them up often enough though. It is bad enough now that I have taken to mowing the lanes regularly. I cut the brush back as far as I can so that I can walk around the fields without as much concern. I am always religious about repellents also. Some places here you would be anemic from the bugs if you didn't. Hope you are feeling better!
 
Some of the problems with Lyme disease can be permanent. It is controled with antibiotics but they just stop the procession not the current damage. One of my Nieces got it several years ago at the age of 30 and she still has joint pain. Her doctor says she may never get rid of the joint pain.

Here is part of an article on Lyme disease.

"In the early phase of the illness, within days to weeks of the tick bite, the skin around the bite develops an expanding ring of unraised redness. There may be an outer ring of brighter redness with or without a central area of clearing, leading to a "bull's-eye" appearance. This classic initial rash is called "erythema migrans" (formerly called erythema chronicum migrans). Patients often can't recall the tick bite (the ticks can be as small as the periods in this paragraph). Also, they may not have the identifying rash to signal the doctor. The rash may or may not itch. More than one in four patients never even develop a rash. The redness of the skin is often accompanied by generalized fatigue, muscle and joint stiffness and pain, swollen lymph nodes ("swollen glands"), headache, and less often fever, resembling symptoms of a viral infection.

The redness resolves, without treatment, in about a month. Weeks to months after the initial redness of the skin, the bacteria and their effects spread throughout the body. Subsequently, disease in the joints, heart, and nervous system can occur.

The later phases of Lyme disease can affect the heart, causing inflammation of the heart muscle. This can result in abnormal heart rhythms and heart failure. The nervous system signs can include facial muscle paralysis (Bell's palsy), abnormal sensation due to disease of peripheral nerves (peripheral neuropathy), meningitis, and confusion. Arthritis, or inflammation in the joints, begins with swelling, stiffness, and pain. Usually, only one or a few joints become affected, most commonly the knees. The arthritis of Lyme disease can look like many other types of inflammatory arthritis and can become chronic."

More information at: American Lyme Disease Foundation

The exploding deer population has helped spread the disease to areas that did not traditionally have it. I have seen studies that place the infected percentage of deer ticks with Lyme disease in the 50% range in the North-East part of the US. With up state New York as a very HIGH infected area.
 
Hope you heal up quickly, Billy.

Take it EASY though! We know a young gal in her 20's that got Lymne's Disease and it really knocked her for a loop.
 

Had a great friend die from it a couple years ago.
Let it go unchecked and when they caught it was too late.

Stay on top of this disease. It can be deadly

Tom
 
I also hope you feel better soon. My younger brother had it fifteen years ago and still feels the effects fibromyalgia like symptoms.
Ron
 
Appreciate the article, I've been reading as much as I can about it, hard to say if I'll have trouble from it later, but I have heard of much worse, meaning you feel like you were run over by a bus, was not that way for me, just the shoulder so far, and that was miserable leading into yesterday. You can tell it wanted to manifest itself further. I already have arthritis, but not like this, luck of the draw too, never saw the darned thing or felt it, and I always find them.

Years back, there were no deer, no habitat, no ticks period. It was fence lines and fields everywhere, that's all changed now.
 
Find a LLMD and get proper length and quantity of treatment 2 weeks not long enough.
You can get info at ilads.com (international lyme associated disease society)
Also info at the disscussion board mentioned under your original post.
Good luck
 

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