My boyfriend just called and found a tick on his arm...
There is no sign of a rash or skin irritation...
No symptoms...
It was on him for about 5 hours MAX! He walked
his dog eariler in the day...and found it later,
while outside again...so hard to say when it jumped on...
I searched and found that less than 24 hours is
considered 'low risk' to many...and would test
the tick first, but unfortunantly he doesn't have it...
What should he do?
Wait and see if he gets achey and flu like?
Take the Doxy anyways?
You have to begin treatment within 72 hours , correct?
I didn't get diganosed till few years in, so don't really know what to do...
I read other post, and they all had the rash
when they found the tick...so what if you don't
have a rash...I know many don't develop it...
Having expierenced what horrors Lyme can create...
I don't think I'd want to chance it...neither does he...
just take the anti's...is that being too 'freaked' out???
Just trying to get some other opinions...
Thank you ! THANK YOU! Mahalos!
Much Love~ Fawne
Posted by Geneal (Member # 10375) on :
I would take the antibiotics immediately.
Why risk waiting to see if "something" develops.
Maybe I am overly cautious but I never saw the tick that got me or had a rash.
What about co-infections?
Sorry. I know how upsetting this must be.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posted by robi (Member # 5547) on :
ABX for sure. Ok so lets say it is low risk. Is it worth risking ones life falling apart for a few weeks of abx side effects. Well, for me they answer would be "NO!"
He has got to get some doxy ASAP and that means yesterday ........... not 4 or 5 days from now.
We all wish we had this decision to make again ........... man if only I had known the implications of a tick bite. But you know now and he knows now ............... so what was the question again?
robi
Posted by adamm (Member # 11910) on :
NO QUESTION--TREAT! And with the ILADS-recommended dose
of doxy (400 mg)! If it were me I'd go at least a month on that.
I had no rash and started taking doxy @ 200mg/day a few days
after my bite, but nevertheless became encephalitic within
two weeks. Since then things have only gotten
worse.
By the time he's "achey and flu-like," it's too late. The bacterium
is already in the CNS (actually, there's some evidence that it gets
there within 6 hours of being introduced into the system), and
there's no evidence that the disease
can be cured once this is the case. Every minute
counts!
[ 06. April 2008, 12:18 PM: Message edited by: adamm ]
Posted by mushroomman06 (Member # 13088) on :
Must take action at once. If only those of us had the knowledge that we are aware of now. I would start doxy as soon as posible. You are getting feed back from us, dont let that small tick bite carry on to a debilitating and life threatening situation as we are coping with.
Posted by pingpong (Member # 13706) on :
TREATMENT ASAP!
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Ditto. I never had a rash....and I know people who had the tick on them for less than 3 hrs and they are still sick.
TREAT.
Posted by KauaiGoddess (Member # 11782) on :
Aloha~
Thank you all so much for your replies and posting right away! Really appreciate it!
Thank you for reassuring how I feel...Just the fact the tick was there, is reason enough...
As you all said, why chance it!??!?!
So how long on the 400mg of Doxy?
I read some said 6 weeks minimum? So 7 or 8?
What's your personal opinion?
Is that 400mg once a day or 200mg 2x per day?
Is doxy expensive? He doesn't have insurance.
I called my LLMD, he hasn't called me back yet..
Thanks again for all your support!
Love & Light~ Fawne
Posted by WildCondor (Member # 434) on :
Excuse me, but was the tick ON his arm, or IN his arm? Did it bite him? If it bit him, save the tick, send it to IgeneX for tick testing. www.igenex.com, and then he should go on 400 mg Doxycyline until the tick testing comes back.
Posted by KauaiGoddess (Member # 11782) on :
Wild,
I don't know....He said he saw it 'on' his arm and it took two passes of his finger to get off....
?????
If it was IN his arm...would it be much harder to 'flick'/'brush' off?
I don't have any expierence with this...so this may sound like a really lame question but...
how do you really tell the difference? If it's IN you, than it seems like it'd be hard to get off..??
But I don't think he spent too much time inspecting it, kinda panicked and got it OFF !!!
He Said it was the size of a small freckle...
unfortunantly, he doesn't have the tick...
mahalos~ Fawne
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
What's important is whether it was walking around on his arm, or attached to it. If it took some effort to get it off, it was probably attached. If you flick one off that's not attached, it comes off easily.
If it bit him and was attached, I'd definitely go for the abx. Doxy is cheap.
Posted by KauaiGoddess (Member # 11782) on :
Aloha,
would he have felt it bite him?
How do you know?
Is brushing it twice, attached or not?
I really have no idea about this...
thanks for responding...
sorry if these seem like 'really' stupid questions....
with love, Fawne
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
He would not have felt the bite.
I don't know whether it was attached or not ..... was it crawling around on his arm or was it stuck? I'd ask him.
Posted by adamm (Member # 11910) on :
My tick wasn't even attached.
Posted by KauaiGoddess (Member # 11782) on :
Aloha~
Six-
will ask him...don't think he's really too sure...
ADamm-
so it doesn't have to be attached to trasmit? huhh...
how did you get it then? just by it crawling on you... I'm confused...
thanks for your replies!!! thanks !
Mahalos~
Fawne
Posted by adamm (Member # 11910) on :
So as not to be noticed, before the little bugger begins his feast, he
injects the host
with fluids
which suppress immune/inflammatory reactions (other biting
arthropods do as well.) These can contain
pathogenic microbes...
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
quote:Originally posted by adamm: My tick wasn't even attached.
But it may have been? I'm confused too.
Don't completely depend upon Igenex finding the bacteria in the tick. They failed to catch whatever was in the tick that bit me 3 yrs ago.
Since I had just stopped treatment 6 mo prior after 4 yrs of abx, I got on abx IMMEDIATELY. I sent in the tick and 9 days later became very ill.
I had the tick tested for lyme and babesia. It came back negative for both. I won't ever waste my money on sending a tick in again.
I'll just treat with doxy 200mg twice a day for 8 wks.
Posted by KauaiGoddess (Member # 11782) on :
adamm-
THank you!
interesting....bummer...
why did Wildcondor ask about the 'ON' or 'IN'
his arm, if either way it's possible to transmit...?
Is this well known knowledge, or would others not agree with what you said...??
Not trying to dis-value what you said, just
trying to get clear, as many just 'say' things
that might not be factual...
but I guess you are living proof of it..sense your tick wasn't attached...
I should re-read some of Bhuner's Book...
he probably talked about this...can't really remember....
thank you for your input...really appreciate it!
MANY MAHALOS!
with love~ Fawne
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
I think it makes a big difference whether on or in........BUT.......
The tick could have bit him and then started crawling to a different site.
I'm not sure what Adam is saying. I know the ticks do what he said, but how would you know for sure if the tick bit you when it's walking around??
Posted by KauaiGoddess (Member # 11782) on :
Aloha,
Who really knows...
I feel he should do antibiotics anyways...
He's unsure..
Just the 'chance' that it could have bit him and
the possiblity of him actually getting sick is
enough for me to say- treat it...
Does DOXY have many side effects?
mahalos~ Fawne
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
It's hard on the stomach. Tell him to be sure to take it with plenty of food and to not lie down for at least an hour afterward.
Posted by KauaiGoddess (Member # 11782) on :
Aloha,
Well he's on the 400mg of Doxy...
Is there a time frame from when one might start feeling symptoms?
He's had a headache for the past two days...nothing super painful, one of those low lingering ones...
What about twitches?
Irritablity?
Stomach problems? GasY?
I know these are all Lyme....but you know our minds can create a lot too, when we 'think' we have something....
I know the headache & flu like symptoms is what I normally have read about being the first signs...
He's keeping a close eye on how he feels ...and all's we can do at this point is wait...I told him to write it down so it won't all blur together...
What about co-infections? Does he need to address these too? If more symptoms come, should he see a LLMD?
Normally, if one starts taking anti's right away, will symptoms continue to show up? Will you feel nothing, better, herx?? Any ideas?
Thanks for all your input and support!
What a great community we have here!smiles!
Much Love & Light!
Fawne
Posted by KauaiGoddess (Member # 11782) on :
up
Posted by robi (Member # 5547) on :
I cannot answer all your questions. The one that I have some info on is the co-infection question. I believe I heard Dr. B (now retired) say that when Lyme is treated and caught early, that the immune system seems to be able to handle the coinfections.
WARNING: This is just a recollection form a mind that is not all that sharp.
I think the reason you haven't gotten rplies to the second set of questions is because we don't know. Most here did not catch the bite or treat early. If they did many has too low a dose of doxy initially and that is how they ended up here.
Yes, he should see an LLMD if symptoms continue. If you can afford it I would not wait and go now. Waiting is another way to end up here in chronic Lymeland.
A LLMD might be able to give you better direction. Also, I belive there are some that will see you much quicker if this is a recent bite.
Hope this helps, robi
Posted by KauaiGoddess (Member # 11782) on :
Aloha,
Thanks ROBi for your reply...
yes, your comment about most here being the ones who didn't catch it early makes sense...as with me....that's why I'm so clueless with this right now...
but feel so GREATFUL that he has the chance to kill anything that might have been transmitted...
he has no symptoms now...
his headaches went away after the first day or so on doxy...
I see my LLMD in a few weeks so I'm sure he'll have more good advice for him...
Thanks for your reply again...
Smiles and HUGS! Fawne
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
I have read something similar to what Robi said. Dr. B said that if you were presented with coinfections in the absence of Lyme Disease, they would not make you sick for long as your immune system would handle them.
He said that's why they used to ignore coinfections and treat Lyme for a very extended time period.
So, if this is his first exposure to Lyme, I would think that the early treatment of it would handle coifections.