LymeNet Flash: How do you know how long?

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Posted by slcd (Member # 5708) on :

I have a (probably wierd) question. I always see people posting about how long they had Lyme before they were diagnosed. When I was first diagnosed no one could tell me how long I had had the disease. How do you know how long you've had it? I'm just curious, because I never saw the tick, so I have no idea when I was bit, and I've always wondered how long I had it before it was caught . . .

Posted by TheCrimeOfLyme (Member # 4019) on :

Thats not a weird question, thats a good one!

I guess, and *only* guess that alot of the people that know how long they have had lyme are going off of either

1.) they saw the tick bite ( or rash ) ( or just the tick in their skin! ) and can give you the date and year perhaps

2.)They can trace all of their horrible symptoms back to that one certain "flu" that they never seemed to recover from

I've seen and wondered the same question myself, and as for me, I am still not sure, nor ever will be sure how long I have had lyme. I was bit on the top of my head at 12, had no symptoms until a camping trip at 26. Or... do do do.. did I have symptoms? Was that

sore throat REALLY a sore throat?

Ok, now Im just messing with you.

BUT, I can tell you this: If you are trying to kinda conjur up or think up just when you may have possibly been bitten in an effort to "scale" yourself on the late stage, etc...

don't. You will drive yourself nuts!

Posted by slcd (Member # 5708) on :

LMAO! The funny thing is, you really do look back to the one time you can remember being bitten by a tick! The only time I can remember is when I was eight. I REALLY don't think I got it then but didn't find out until I was 23! (Might explain what I just wrote off as inherent laziness, though! lol IT WAS REALLY FATIGUE!!!!

) No, I don't really try to figure it out too often, I was just wondering if there was some proof positive way of finding out.

Posted by Lazer'sMom (Member # 4704) on :

Hi slcd,

In my son's case, his LLMD reviewed ALL of his past medical records and was able to pin point a time frame when he began making regular visits to the doctor for "strange" and recurring ailments (ie. sore throats, fevers, ringing in the ears, migraines, nosebleeds, severe fatigue).

We can only assume, since he too had no EM rash, that this time frame is correct (roughly 5 years ago).

I might add that my son was an avid fisherman during the course of those 5 years and had NUMEROUS tick exposures from hanging around the local ponds, rivers and lake.

Hope this helps. Take care!

Lazer'sMom

Posted by riversinger (Member # 4851) on :

I had a period of time 11 years ago where I had a lot of classic early symptoms, minus a known tick bite and the EM rash.

I did have terrible headaches, fever, stiff neck, other rashes, fatige, NMH, flu-like muscle aches, severe allergic reactions, my eyes swelled shut repeatedly, chronic diarhhea.

My GI doc even suggested Lyme to my PCP, but nobody ever checked. The symptoms lasted for a year and a half, with no diagnosis made.

I've been a camper, hiker, and gardener my whole life, always in tick endemic areas, though I don't recall ever seeing a tick. I do have a CDC positice WB.

Looking back, that seems the most likely point of infection, because I never completely recovered.