Tick-borne encephalitis & Lyme Disease

[Heym SR20]

Lyme is bloody horrible disease. I picked it up in 2010. Diagnosed within a few days and on strong antibiotics straight away. Had two or three courses and the long dose of low level. It took me several months shake the worst off and then a a couple of years to get back to good fitness levels.

Then I got Covid right at the start of the pandemic and still knackered from it.

What has helped me with effects of post Covid has Hyperbaric Oxygen. You are put into a decompression chamber and breath pure oxygen for an hour. Initially once a day for about a month and then taper off. I am now about once a week / every ten days. I am fortunate that we have a charity here in Edinburgh with a chamber. It’s also very good for treating Lyme Disease.

More details here on Lyme Disease treatment

Lyme Disease | We Are Compass

wearecompass.org.uk

And on Long Covid

Long Covid and Oxygen Therapy | Compass Therapy Centre

There are chambers around the country and its been for treatment of MS and ME for a long time. If you are suffering from either might be worth a look. I believe in some areas it is sn NHS treatment, in some it’s charitable, and in others its private fir profit type provision.

Since having had Lyme I do spray my outdoor clothing with Permethrin spray and now get very few tick bites.

EX4 Anti-Mosquito Spray | Lifesystems

This Anti Mosquito Spray can be used on clothes, tents and sleeping bags to protect you from mosquitoes and tropical diseases.

www.lifesystems.co.uk

 

[wytonpjs]

Any ideas how to volunteer for the trial - I am a tick magnet!

A little more digging reveals that pfizer are still recruiting for their trial but only in the US, Poland and Finland

Pfizer Clinical Trials | Official Participant Site

Join us in the pursuit to change patients’ lives. Each and every person in a clinical trial plays a powerful role.

www.pfizerclinicaltrials.com

 

[wytonpjs]

I get a lot of tick bites every year, here’s one from today. Usually looks like this and itches for 2 days, then starts to dissipate. If I had antibiotics for every red tick bite, I’d be immune to AB’s for when I really needed it.

No characteristic bulls-eye rings unlike this poor girl!

 

[HonestJohn]

No charecteristic bulls-eye rings unlike this poor girl!

Yeah that’s why i tend to just treat them with topical fucibet cream

 

[Adam Riding]

I get a lot of tick bites every year, here’s one from today. Usually looks like this and itches for 2 days, then starts to dissipate. If I had antibiotics for every red tick bite, I’d be immune to AB’s for when I really needed it.

This might be an old wives tale but can't you only catch Lyme if the tick has been on you for 36 to 48 hours. So it's great you catch them early.

Tick remover and bug repellent are now an important part of my kit list.

 

[HonestJohn]

This might be an old wives tale but can't you only catch Lyme if the tick has been on you for 36 to 48 hours. So it's great you catch them early.

Tick remover and bug repellent are now an important part of my kit list.

No idea, I just pinch them off with a few turns. But I do check myself after every outing and after handling carcasses, so I never really let them stay on for very long.

I don’t use chemical sprays like permethrin, don’t like the carcinogenic elements

 

[caorach]

Well after 50+ years on the hill, only now do I get Lymes. They should be giving you 28 days antibiotic now. This is due to the rise and fall of Lymes and 21 days means you are not fully covered. I didn't have the bulls eye rash. It was a small rash on my wrist to begin with. Thought nothing off it. It started to spread up my arm. We were running back and fore to a friend who was dying and my rash seemed insignificant. The person passed away just after new year. By this time the rash was all the way to my elbow. Thought it was about time to go and get some " cream" for a rash. Doc took one look and had me on Antibiotics straight away. They are well clued up here. Lymes is quite common seemingly. They couldn't figure out why I got it up in the Ballindalloch area. It is more common from Grantown up the glen towards Tomintoul they said. Just so happens that I took on a shooting lease of a plantation along that line of ground last year.! The moral is , never say never...J

It does seem to be weird in distribution but I suspect part of that is down to reporting. There is someone in the Uists who seems very keen on reporting Lyme but on Lewis no one seems much bothered about reporting. So, the official figures are that Lyme is rife in the Uists and almost unknown on Lewis with claims that there's only been one case on Lewis. The problem with this is that I know more than one person on Lewis who has had it. On the basis of my own experience I'd be very wary indeed of "official" accounts of Lyme distribution as this may simply be a variation in enthusiasm for reporting rather than in disease prevalence.

In populations where people are quite well used to getting ticks, I'd often have 6 - 10 per day in the past, then it is hard for doctors to manage the visitors who get their first ever tick bite and arrive into the surgery in hysterics. There's no question that there is a risk but equally the doctor can't treat everyone who gets a tick bite otherwise crofters and similar would be getting a new course of antibiotics every day. I'm not clear how you manage that with a very serious disease where the symptoms are pretty vague and the testing is unreliable.

For my part the best "anti-tick" measure I took was starting to wear waterproof gaiters, I get it that people like complicated solutions but in terms of giving the most protection for the least effort the gaiters worked really well for me.

 

[wytonpjs]

This might be an old wives tale but can't you only catch Lyme if the tick has been on you for 36 to 48 hours. So it's great you catch them early.

Tick remover and bug repellent are now an important part of my kit list.

I understand that up to 24 hrs latched on is the magic figure as during this time, they are feeding and then digesting your blood. When they exhaust that, they re-inject the processed blood and with this comes the Lyme’s vector if the tick is carrying it. Sadly, being a tick magnet I find that they rarely start to itch until after the 24 hrs and sometimes it can be very difficult to spot especially the little ones which I find cause me the most hassle, especially on non- covered parts like hands and wrists!

 

[big ears]

I understand that up to 24 hrs latched on is the magic figure as during this time, they are feeding and then digesting your blood. When they exhaust that, they re-inject the processed blood and with this comes the Lyme’s vector if the tick is carrying it. Sadly, being a tick magnet I find that they rarely start to itch until after the 24 hrs and sometimes it can be very difficult to spot especially the little ones which I find cause me the most hassle, especially on non- covered parts like hands and wrists!

View attachment 304437View attachment 304439View attachment 304440View attachment 304441View attachment 304442

Hate to tell you but it’s these little ones (the nymphs) that carry the highest risk of Lymme.
Possibly for all the reasons you say.
Get them off quick is the answer.

 

[76thirty]

I’ve had most of the main symptoms for over 3 years now, constantly pushed at my docs about it and had allsorts done including brain and spine mri’s, eventually saw a specialist and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. (Mum has fibro, 1 sister with MS and another with RA so this is what the docs focused on)

did first aid+forestry recently and we got talking about Lymes, when I got home I did the research and found that Lymes is often misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia or ME, so got into the docs, they gave me a phone call appointment with a 6 week wait time

Reading in the Lymes disease uk group it seems well known that the 2 nhs blood tests are often ineffective and produce incorrect negative results so many people opt to go private with doctors that specialise in tropical diseases,but I’ll wait and see if I ever actually get a blood test

 

[sikamalc]

This might be an old wives tale but can't you only catch Lyme if the tick has been on you for 36 to 48 hours. So it's great you catch them early.

Tick remover and bug repellent are now an important part of my kit list.

Not sure that's correct to be honest.
Trouble with Lyme it can manifest itself in many different ways. You don't always get the bullseye ring around an infected bite. I didnt when I got infected, although my symptoms were rather strange, it affected my balance and eye sight for a short while. Mind I had a lot going on in my life at the time and was going through a divorce as well.
It was only through a visit to my GP, and after speaking to a professional person off this site, (sadly now departed) that I was tested and proved positive. This was some 14 to 15 years ago, but it has affected my joints more than anything else, but I have not had any other real issues. It was diagnosed early so no doubt escaped any serious damage to my body.
Big Ears is correct though, in that its the nymph stages of the tick that can be more problematic. Finding the little sods on you is half the battle. I caught my Lyme in West Sussex, to be frank the last place I expected to catch it, as I visit the highlands regularly and if I were to put money on catching Lyme, that would be my first bet. On the other hand my assistant Jason, caught his in the highlands whilst guiding clients for me.

Either way it pays all of us to be careful and cautious with Lyme and if you have any issues and think you may have contracted it, go straight to your GP.

( That's if you can get an appointment these days )

 

[25 Sharps]

I was bitten by a tick for the first time last year, got it off in quick order and the next day went to the doctors and asked for a blood test to confirm all okay, they jaunt done it before but were happy to give it a go

You can buy tick testing kits where you send off the tick and it so tested within days, so you can get on antibiotics

That way you’re not burdening the NHS, no judgement there but getting to see doctors is hard enough and not all will react proactively!

Pyramid Lyme Disease Test Kit + Tick Remover | Absolute-Snow

Certified DNA Lyme disease testing kit & tick removal tools. £8.95, Pyramid Lyme Disease Test Kit + Tick Remover, Green

www.absolute-snow.co.uk

Prepaid so all you have to do is take the tick (or ticks) off, pop in the bag, register details on line and post. Always have one at home ready to go now.

 

[25 Sharps]

I’ve had most of the main symptoms for over 3 years now, constantly pushed at my docs about it and had allsorts done including brain and spine mri’s, eventually saw a specialist and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. (Mum has fibro, 1 sister with MS and another with RA so this is what the docs focused on)

did first aid+forestry recently and we got talking about Lymes, when I got home I did the research and found that Lymes is often misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia or ME, so got into the docs, they gave me a phone call appointment with a 6 week wait time

Reading in the Lymes disease uk group it seems well known that the 2 nhs blood tests are often ineffective and produce incorrect negative results so many people opt to go private with doctors that specialise in tropical diseases,but I’ll wait and see if I ever actually get a blood test

Pay to go private, it won’t be much and will give you an answer either way.

 

[76thirty]

Pay to go private, it won’t be much and will give you an answer either way.

Got a phone appointment next week so will see what they say and go from there, had lots of recommendations to go private

 

[76thirty]

You can buy tick testing kits where you send off the tick and it so tested within days, so you can get on antibiotics

That way you’re not burdening the NHS, no judgement there but getting to see doctors is hard enough and not all will react proactively!

Pyramid Lyme Disease Test Kit + Tick Remover | Absolute-Snow

Certified DNA Lyme disease testing kit & tick removal tools. £8.95, Pyramid Lyme Disease Test Kit + Tick Remover, Green

www.absolute-snow.co.uk

Prepaid so all you have to do is take the tick (or ticks) off, pop in the bag, register details on line and post. Always have one at home ready to go now.

How much is the lab fee?

 

[25 Sharps]

All grim stuff. I had a bulls eye rash and was prescribed pills, and was a bit surprised that the usually friendly woman in the pharmacy virtually threw the pills at me with a dirty look. On studying the box and doing a bit of research later I found that the pills were primarily for a whole range of STI's and insect borne infections were well down the list.

Do you normally flirt with her

 

[25 Sharps]

How much is the lab fee?

Not much, it’s been a while but I think it was £18 or thereabouts

 

[76thirty]

Not much, it’s been a while but I think it was £18 or thereabouts

Thanks, will get a kit ordered to keep in the cupboard

 

[25 Sharps]

It does seem to be weird in distribution but I suspect part of that is down to reporting. There is someone in the Uists who seems very keen on reporting Lyme but on Lewis no one seems much bothered about reporting. So, the official figures are that Lyme is rife in the Uists and almost unknown on Lewis with claims that there's only been one case on Lewis. The problem with this is that I know more than one person on Lewis who has had it. On the basis of my own experience I'd be very wary indeed of "official" accounts of Lyme distribution as this may simply be a variation in enthusiasm for reporting rather than in disease prevalence.

In populations where people are quite well used to getting ticks, I'd often have 6 - 10 per day in the past, then it is hard for doctors to manage the visitors who get their first ever tick bite and arrive into the surgery in hysterics. There's no question that there is a risk but equally the doctor can't treat everyone who gets a tick bite otherwise crofters and similar would be getting a new course of antibiotics every day. I'm not clear how you manage that with a very serious disease where the symptoms are pretty vague and the testing is unreliable.

For my part the best "anti-tick" measure I took was starting to wear waterproof gaiters, I get it that people like complicated solutions but in terms of giving the most protection for the least effort the gaiters worked really well for me.

Test the tick (for the visitor) See my post above .

 

[25 Sharps]

Thanks, will get a kit ordered to keep in the cupboard

Worth it for peace of mind.

Get very few ticks on my roe in Wiltshire but when I shoot fallow south of Salisbury in 2 separate areas they are covered! That said I did pick up a tick on a mate’s permission near Chippenham and we didn’t even shoot a deer!