Lyme disease

bogtrotter

Well-Known Member
I had Lyme disease in 1995 from which I made a full recovery though it took a long time laid up for twelve weeks and a full year before I felt fit again,developed heart disease six years ago which the specialist said could be a result of the Lyme disease but he could not be 100%. certain.
When I contracted Lyme I did not have the red bulls eye.

My ground is tick prolific and being bitten is a regular occurrence , last week I had several tick bites
all removed fairly quickly I think (know the greatest risk is if they have been attached for twenty four hours or longer)
Two days after being bitten the typical bullseye appeared at one bite site which then rapidly expanded to a couple of inches in diameter
contacted my doctors surgery first available appointment Friday the 20th May.

So far so good until today, today the bulls eye has all but disappeared leaving a mark that looks like a faint bruise
sure it will have gone completely by Friday leaving nothing to show the doctor, does the fact that the bulls eye has disappeared mean there is unlikely go be infection? How long is the bulls eye normally visible for? Should I keep the appointment?
Any doctors or experts on Lyme disease on here?
Should add I have no other symptoms, yet!
 
Hi Jim, think it better to go and let him see how it looks. It may have gone as far as you are concerned but it is also a learning curve for many of the doctors. The more stages and signs they see , the better for next time with some other person. I think we are both at the stage of having had it in various forms. Now when we get bitten the ticks will be saying" Not these tough old buggers again"! Hopefully see you at Scone....John
 
All the best bogtrotter - I'd suggest keeping the appointment and making sure they know of your history with Lyme when you see them. Doctors are pretty good at believing you when you tell them what you found after the bite even if nothing visible at the time.
Fingers crossed.
 
Hi Boggy,

I contracted Lyme about 5 years ago. Didn't have the bulls eye bite either. I got lucky and thanks to Morena on the site giving me some useful advice at the time, I ended up being treated pretty quickly. But it took 2 blood tests.
It has left me with arthritis in some joints, which although it does not stop me from most normal activities, it has made my knees weak.

My advice is to pursue it and insist on a blood test straight away, Lyme takes all sorts of forms in the body and attacks many different parts of the body. Get it checked out mate, no if's not buts from the doctor.
 
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Not good news Jim. I am no expert for sure but I would certainly think that a precautionary MOT would be in order?

I'm back at work again now (finally) but will be in touch to work out some timings for a wee wander round the ground some weekend in July (after Scone obviously!)

All the best,
Jonno.
 
The rash always goes away by itself anyway, to hide in your system and come back later; THIS DOES NOT MEAN THE LYME HAS CLEARED UP BY ITSELF, in fact it almost certainly has not. Did you take a photo of the rash to show the Doc? Unfortunately a lot of GPs aren't very clued up about Lyme, you need to insist on the course of antibiotics and don't let them fob you off.

There is a British Lyme (Foundation??) website that can offer advice too. If I can find it again I'll post the link.

My daughter got Lyme on Exmoor a few years ago; because she was under 8 at the time they could not give her the antibiotic that really works (Deoxycycline or something?) and they had to give her 14 days of amoxicillin, which is not as good. She suffers from chronic fatigue symptoms to this day . . .
 
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Take a photo for the doc ...,also I have been using BEN's wipes ,They are a mossi wipe with deet but do keep the ticks off theuy work ,also been using them in Africa with pepper ticks
 
also forgot to mention ,its been suggested before that you build up immunity once you have had tick borne fevers ask the doc ,perhaps someone on here might know more
 
There is some very good information here.

Yahoo! Groups

Specific tests thread here

Yahoo! Groups

Definitly insist that your Doctor does the blood tests and gives you the antibiotics - but I believe there are only two places in the UK that do the "proper" test. One in Porton Down (where my tests were done) and the other (I think) is Edinburgh.

Good luck.
 
I'm not yet a Dr, but as others have said take pictures. It makes our life so much easier with anything like that. Even a few pics on a phone can help.

It's a relatively new disease so not all Dr's are clued up, especially in urban areas so be prepared to back up your concerns (don't go in for a fight though). I've attached the page from the BNF (The national drugs guide)
Not all Lyme disease presents with the bull's eye rash.

Screenshot_2016-05-18-17-49-20.png
 
As a novice stalker can I ask if there are specific conditions that make a ground more susceptible to ticks? I've taken a lease on c 500acres near Itchen Abbas in Hampshire and have not noticed a severe problem(yet).

Thanks

Jeremy
 
"not today" or "in five days" is not an answer from the doctors that should be accepted, I work in North Lancashire where we have ticks and Lyme disease, Ive had to insist on an immediate appointment on a couple of occasions, explained to the doctor and took a print off about the symptoms, it's amazing that he had no idea about the problem where his practice was!! To be fair, you only have to tell reception that it could result in Lyme disease and you are now seen that day. Do not take no for an answer!!!
 
"not today" or "in five days" is not an answer from the doctors that should be accepted, I work in North Lancashire where we have ticks and Lyme disease, Ive had to insist on an immediate appointment on a couple of occasions, explained to the doctor and took a print off about the symptoms, it's amazing that he had no idea about the problem where his practice was!! To be fair, you only have to tell reception that it could result in Lyme disease and you are now seen that day. Do not take no for an answer!!!

+1
 
Don't waste time with a blood test at this stage; if you've got the bull's eye, you've got Lyme; you need antibiotics straight away. At stated above, not all Lyme cases present with a a Bull's eye, but having a bull's definitely means you have Lyme.

At your stage two weeks of treatment will sort it; if you hang around treatment becomes much harder and a good outcome less certain . . .

Don't mean to scare you, just point out the facts

British strains of Lyme tend to present with a less obvious bull's eye than the US type, often without the strongly defined centre bull; our type often (but not always) results in neurological problems rather than joint issues too. Either way, get it sorted.

As I stated in a previous post on this thread, the rash only appears 10 days to 2 weeks after the bite, if it appears at all. It lasts a few days and then disappears over the course of a few days, but this doesn't mean you've fought it off.

Best of luck. Jump up and down in the surgery to get this sorted if that's what it takes; we had to for our daughter!
 
Agree with above if you've had the rash you've been infected get the treatment - it doesn't always clear itself - test should come back positive (or gp could just save money and give you the antibiotics).


Richard
 
Here is my lead in to the subject.
[h=1]Lyme/Borreliosis in Humans[/h]
Just to add to the list a new Borrelia valaisiana has arrived on the scene which results in neurological symptoms and has a complicated protocol for diagnosis.

NO such thing as chronic borreliosis ???????? Now termed long term borreliosis. I am still trying to figure out this difference !!!!!

Not a New Disease Borrelia sps recognised in ticks in the British Museum collected in Victorian times.

The young daughter was not given doxycycline as it would have affected her permanent teeth.
 
Here is my lead in to the subject.
[h=1]Lyme/Borreliosis in Humans[/h]
Just to add to the list a new Borrelia valaisiana has arrived on the scene which results in neurological symptoms and has a complicated protocol for diagnosis.

NO such thing as chronic borreliosis ???????? Now termed long term borreliosis. I am still trying to figure out this difference !!!!!

Not a New Disease Borrelia sps recognised in ticks in the British Museum collected in Victorian times.

The young daughter was not given doxycycline as it would have affected her permanent teeth.

Sorry. I clumsily worded that. I meant recently discovered / described.
 
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