[Rose]

....and I'll tell you everything I know (which is considerable)

[Maison Rustique]

I don't know much but my hair stylist's husband has had it for several months and it's not fun.

I hope this doesn't mean that you've got it!

[Rose]

Very long story but not a new one. Happened about 7-8 years ago.

[Maison Rustique]

Ouch! I'm so sorry!

[ghostrider]

I know a lot about ticks & what to do with them if you find one embedded in your skin.

[Lippy]

It can be very difficult to diagnose because it mimics scores of other illnesses and the symptoms are different from case to case. The most widely publicized symptom, the bull's-eye rash, appears only about half of the time. The tick that spreads the bacteria by biting the victim is very tiny, not to be confused with the more commony seen dog tick. Untreated Lyme can leave a patient with arthritis or other serious nerve-related conditions. Treatment is by antibiotics, sometimes with a booster that keeps the antibiotic in the system for a longer period of time. The severity of the symptoms comes and and goes, depending on the life cycle of the bacteria.

Lyme Disease

[Rose]

Having been treated with multiple courses of doxycycline over the years, I find that when my immune system is in any way compromised by, ie stress, lack of sleep, poor eating habits, things happen......throat closes up, knees swell up etc.

[robert40]

Before I was diagnosed with MS they had to rule out Lyme Disease. From my understanding the symptoms are similar.

[ludja]

Another condition with overlapping and confusing symptoms with Lyme disease: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).

My aunt (in CT) was diagnosed with Lyme disease a long time ago (> 7-8 years). I'm not sure if she had the tell-tale mark from the tick or not. I *think* they were able to definitively diagnose Lyme's Disease from blood work and other tests, but she is also now diagnosed with CFS. She has has several rounds of intentsive antibiotic therapy with minimal success. She has been affected pretty severely (took a early retirement, very low energy, fuzzy thinking.) One current strategy that seems to be helping with some of her symptoms is a diet that restricts gluten, dairy and I think one other item. I'm not sure if she has experimented with adding any of the foodstuffs back into her diet. To deal with the side effects of the chronic illness and symptoms she has gone to therapy. It has been sad and difficult to see her struggles.

[Maison Rustique]

How horrible! I'm so glad that I'm not outdoorsy. And neither is the cat.

[flyfish]

I am outdoorsy (for those who couldn't tell by my handle!) and LD is something about which we are always mindful.

[backstory]

my three year old granddaughter has been diagnosed with lyme disease. the blood tests have come out positive and apparently it is at an advanced stage. she is on antibiotics. she complains of being tired, headaches and pain and her knee gets swollen. but her spirits have returned since the antibiotics.

my daughter is extermely distraught. there seems to be a lot rather fuzzy and contradictory information about it and its treatment. all of it quite frightening. there are specialists not covered by insurance who will see her for $800. i sense a racket.
she is seeing a insurance covered specialist (lyme disease in children) in Long Island on thursday. she lives in the upper west side. they have a house in CT which they go to most weekends and we believe that is where neena got it. it seems doctors there are quicker to catch it than in NYC because of its prevalence.

from my search of the forum i think some of you have had it. if you can share any information i would really appreciate it. did you find a doctor you liked? did the treatment work?

thanks

[Stone]

i was diagnosed with Lyme two summers ago. I took the 30 days of antibiotics and have been fine since. No odd pains, no odd fevers. A few months after, I went to a non-insurance Lyme specialist. Very nice guy. But almost $2000 later in blood tests, a nice chat with the doctor (no actual physical) and a list of "nutriceuticals" I still felt fine. I took the nutriceuticals for a month, and didn't notice anything different. When I went back to the doc for another visit, I was talking to the receptionist and she mentioned that she was taking a lot of the same pills the doc gave me. I asked if she had lyme, and she said she didn't, but the doc thought everyone should take them. I stopped.* I haven't given it a thought in 1.5 years. I do have a friend whose untreated lyme became very bad.

There's a lot of information out there, and I don't know that all is accurate. I think Lyme is an easy answer for many things, whether or not it's connected.

*A nutritionist friend had an interview with a top nutritionist in the city. She said he was basically pushing nutriceuticals (I think his own branded versions) as a huge revenue source.

[Lippy]

Ranitidine had it a few years ago. It took some time to get a proper diagnosis, but once he was treated with the antibiotics, he had a complete recovery. Try not to fall for the quackery. Nutritional supplements are irrelevant and benefit only the seller.

[Daniel]

Missie K had it two summers ago.. She was 7 We were sitting at the breakfast table having cereal when all of a sudden the milk started running out of her mouth.. With in minutes, her face drooped and she had this type of Bell's Palsy..

We rushed her to her Doctor where we discovered a tiny little circle that cleared up as the appointment went on..

She was treated immediately with Antibiotics and it still lasted three months.. It was so sad to see her cover her face when she laughed or smiled.. She handled it really well..

Especially because she started a new school that September and still couldn't move half her face.. Eventually, it went away and there are no side effects that we have noticed..
On a less serious note, both our dogs have gotten limes disease as well..

We came back from dinner or being out and our dog, Quinn was sitting there to greet us.. Or so we thought.. We found it odd that she didn't move after we all walked in the house.. Both her back legs were unable to move.. She was sitting there stiff as a board and shaking.. We took her to the vet and after xrays and things we learned she had lymes..

Lola currently has lyme's and we believe she caught it in Brooklyn.. She is on medication.. She was unable to put her back right leg on the floor.. We were so nervous that it was her hip.. Our bastard new vet was like "well, we should knock her out, run x-rays, and do all of these tests".. They handed us an estimate that was around 2 thousand dollars.. There story quickly fell apart when I asked if x-rays would show the ligament damage they suspected.. Or if they thought it was a little extreme to knock a dog unconscious before exploring other avenues. They were like, well we could do a 40 dollar lyme's test.. I suggested we go with that first.. She has made almost a full recovery.. She just sits a little funny.. But she has only been on medication for a couple of weeks..

Anyway, which brings me to another rant about making sure to watch your dentist and Vet.. I am assuming the economy is kicking their ass also.. My dentist was pushing for x-rays and looked honestly disappointed that I had no cavaties.. My vet pretty much tried to steal 2 grand from me.. And if I wasnt there to stop it, Miss A would have totally been on board with their suggestions..