my hubby of three years just tested positive. They were taking blood for routine labs, so he requested
an igenix test, more out of curiosity than anything. I am chronic - 30yrs plus - I'm convinced we passed this sexually!
Posted by janet thomas (Member # 7122) on :
That's something I've pondered for yrs. It's much more common for a man to transmit a STD to a woman because he ejaculates in her. I've been sick for 2+ decades yet my husband (now separated)never got sick.
There's a lot of Lyme in Michigan, maybe he was bitten by a tick. Many of us never saw a tick or had a rash.
Is he symptom free?
Posted by catskillmamala (Member # 12536) on :
I'm sorry. I too am afraid of this. After a few years of treatment hell (which I'm still in), I'm scared of unprotected sex, for both our sakes.
Why aren't my tax dollars being spent answering the questions about sexual and prenatal transmission of lyme and coinfections?!@$(*?
Posted by disturbedme (Member # 12346) on :
how do you KNOW you gave it to your husband? He could have had it already...
Same with my husband. We just found out he has lyme as well, but I think he's probably had it for a long time just like I have. Thankfully he's very funtional (knock on wood) while I am not.
I don't know if I believe in the sexual transmission part of it all that much. I am sure it's possible, but I believe most people get it from outside more than anything... couples are always together in the same areas, etc. Plus, most of us probably were bit when we were children running in long grass and playing in dirt, etc., but had no idea. That makes the most sense to me. Also, you can have lyme in your system but it stays dormant until it wants to come out.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
-
There is no way to know for sure as there are many variables here.
Someone may have lyme but it may not become symptomatic until a later time.
However, the important thing is that it will be addressed.
-
Posted by Geneal (Member # 10375) on :
Hmmmm. I was diagnosed first. My husband a few months later.
I never saw a tick on me....
My husband has a history of tick embedment.
However, I don't believe he gave this to me.
More likely as we live and play in the same area,
We both were exposed.
I also have 12/13 neighbors with Lyme as well.
I believe our area to be highly endemic.
We joke about who gave who Lyme.
However, it is just a joke.
Not to say it couldn't happen.
Just think it is more likely that we both got it from our area.
Now I did pass Lyme and coinfections to my children.
One I know for sure. The other I am pretty sure about.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posted by Rianna (Member # 11038) on :
I have no doubt in my mind that my husband contracted it sexually from me
Rianna
Posted by Dawnee (Member # 15089) on :
I also think my husband has LD( he just started showing symptoms) but he has not been tested yet.
If he has it..then I know he got it from me. I also think that at least 2 of my 3 kids have congenital Lyme
Posted by BJK (Member # 13251) on :
Just a reminder that a very large percentage of people with Lyme never knew they were bitten, never saw a tick, or ever get the bulls-eye rash.....
so there is always a possibility of being infected without knowing it regardless of the circumstances.
Im one of those who never had any of these signs
BJK
Posted by gemofnj (Member # 15551) on :
But on the other hand,
Spouses travel together, golf together, hike together, have pets, camp, live in wooded areas, visit family with pets and in the woods, etc.
Its possible one spouse can have a good immune system and the other not, so it appears that you transmit it, but you actually just 'succumb to it' at different intervals.
Posted by Angelica (Member # 15601) on :
My theory is that many of us have been bitten and exposed way more then once probably without knowing it. I know I received at least one bite as a child. I think the more bites or exposure to the disease one gets the harder the body is slammed with symptoms.
I do think lyme is sexually transmitted. I think couples would probably be better off using protection then passing the disease and different mutated strains back and forth.
Posted by echostef (Member # 12867) on :
My LLMD contracted Lyme from his wife, as well.
He says it is absolutely, positively sexually transmitted.
Posted by gemofnj (Member # 15551) on :
That would have to be his belief or opinion.
Can he document that will facts and scientific proof? If he did, it would be a scientific breakthrough for lyme.
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
It may be possible but I don't think it's likely.
I have posted it repeatedly here -
You need the tick's saliva to acquire Lyme. The tick saliva is part of the vector of contracting Lyme. There are chemicals in the tick's saliva that effect the immune system so the spirochetes can gain a foothold in the body.
I posted the references many times here. If people are interested use keywords & do a search.
PS - Congenital Lyme passed to the baby by the mother is different.
Posted by hurtingramma (Member # 7770) on :
I am the opposite. I believe I contracted Lyme from my husband. He spends a LOT of time in the wood; me - none.
Now that he is "cured" and off ABX and I am not, I worry about reinfecting him. I keep forgetting to ask my LLMD about this. Duh Posted by oxygenbabe (Member # 5831) on :
Totally agree with Sparkle. There is no evidence of sexual transmission and if it were the case there would be no "endemic areas", it would be an STD and spread very differently demographically. Most people don't see or feel a nymph tick anyway, that's why its such a devious vector.
Posted by toby67 (Member # 17143) on :
because of my condition, my hubby got tested by igenix soon after we started dating, before we ever had sex. No bands!
Yes, he golfs, and we do yard work and some hiking... because of my case, we are vigilant with the deet whenever we are outside.
Of course, who knows, I'm not a scientist and i certainly don't want to freak anybody out.
but My llmd has always suspected it was passed this way. He finds it interesting that his positive bands are identical to mine... and he is also symptomatic for bab's. Weird....
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
If he golfs & does yard work... I don't see how you can say 100% that he never got bit by a tick... They are soooo small.
I don't see why people are so quick to think they may be guilty of passing a disease through sex.
If it were easily transmitted through sex, saliva, blood, urine, feces... people everywhere would be ill with Lyme.
You really have to tease apart all of the viruses, bacteria, mycoplasmas, etc. to see what the cause of the symptoms are. All of these things (virus, bacteria, etc.) have very similar symptoms & the tests are not accurate.
If you have no accurate tests - you have no idea what you are treating, if your therapy works, if you are getting better, etc.
They do know that tick saliva is very special & has 100s of very special chemical reactions when combined with human blood.
I just don't understand the whole guilt trip thing... it's already bad enough to have to deal with Lyme. If it's a big issue in your mind - use protection...
Don't you think if Lyme were sexually transmitted that someone would have done an accurate study about it by now? It's been around over 30 years... They have sooo many studies about Lyme. Someone would have done a conclusive study about it by now.
Posted by toby67 (Member # 17143) on :
ok- when did i say i was 100% sure he was never bit? and who says i'm filled with guilt?
I believe i passed it to him, that's all. I have lived with this for 35 years, and the only other people who have it are my ex-husband, one of my 3 children who was born with it, and now my new husband.
I think it's too much of a coincidence.
If you ask me, us patients with lyme know 200x more than any of the 30 doctors who told me there was nothing wrong with me for over 25 years.
(Yeah, that's who i want to go have treat me! the same guy who patted me on the hand and told me i was "too pretty" to get myself all worked up in the head!)
We've been yanked and cranked, and xrayed, biopsied, given how much blood? taken how many Rx's? And then someone finally figured it out. And we found a good llmd.
We trust our llmd's so much that we pay out of our pockets because they won't accept our insurance company's treatment guidelines.
And that's OK with me even if their treatment isn't 100% proven! We trust them more than we trust the CDC and IDSA, because we all know if we had to listen to them, we wouldn't be getting treatment at all.
Chronic patients like me are nothing but collateral damage. Unless you present a bulleye rash and you're holding the tick, SOL... So what do they all really know?
Whose information do we trust?
I'm not ready to say we know half of what we will eventually learn now about this disease, Including exactly how it's getting passed around so much!
I was told over and over that the ticks that I burrowed out of me everyday me didn't carry lyme.
As recent as a few years ago, my state wouldn't admit it existed! are they the same "scientists" deciding how it gets transmitted?
My doctor is out there fighting for this, risking his license to fight for this. I have no choice left but to literally trust him with my life.
It is his opinion that I gave my husband lyme.
So Thanks to everyone for your good wishes! My hubby is certainly not new to all of this. He's been the best support i could ask for.
He's already used to the funky diet, and the tool box full of supplements, and he's well versed in the herx!
he's feeling great so far - thanks to our doc's curiosity, he was given a very early diagnosis....
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
Many of us have been through the ringer with Lyme. You are not alone. It took me 9 years and over $10,000 to find out & my tests were all negative.
I just don't think it's necessary to single yourself out & say you are the cause of someone else's suffering.
The reason why I say this is because my mother accused me of giving her shingles when I was 16. I caught herpes on my mouth from kissing a boy & she had cancer at the time.
She was undergoing chemo & she has accused me of giving her shingles & claimed that it was the most pain she ever suffered in her life.
So, I looked it up on the internet & found that there is no connection between shingles & herpes cold sores. They are both related to herpes but they are completely different strains. Shingles is related to chicken pox & herpes cold sores are completely different.
My mother held this over my head for over 30 years & guess who told her this info... her very trusted doctor at world famous Sloan-Kettering Cancer Hospital in NYC... She was WRONG!
This did alot of damage to me since I was only a 16 year old girl who kissed the wrong boy...
You really need to be sure about what you are talking about before you say that you gave anyone a horrible disease. I'm saying this to you for your own sake.
Sharing this information does not help me at all. I don't rule it out that Lyme can be transmitted via sex, blood, urine, etc. but I just don't think it is common. It has never been verified.
Congential Lyme is different. There is documentation of this occurring.
Posted by CherylSue (Member # 13077) on :
Keebler,
My LLMD says the same thing. He's been treating LLMD for over 18 years. He said it would be a lot more common with spouses.
That said, my husband also has Lyme and came down with it a couple years after me.
However, he was the one who had tick bites as a kid in MO.
All I can say, is possibly. There have been no definitive studies. The fact that we live near forested areas with deer makes us both vulnerable.
IMO, CherylSue
Posted by adamm (Member # 11910) on :
Well, Lyme Denialist-in-chief Dattwyler just called for a vaccine that would provide mucosal immunity to Lyme, so it seems that it can be passed at least sexually.
Posted by gwb (Member # 7273) on :
quote:Originally posted by echostef: My LLMD contracted Lyme from his wife, as well.
He says it is absolutely, positively sexually transmitted.
Mine too. I suspect we have the same doctor.
Posted by disturbedme (Member # 12346) on :
Hurtingramma -
quote:I am the opposite. I believe I contracted Lyme from my husband. He spends a LOT of time in the wood; me - none.
If he spends a lot of time in the woods, he could have brought ticks back home on his clothing or on himself. And it's possible they dropped off of him and found you to feed on. So it really doesn't matter if you spent no time in the woods yourself.
I could have got bitten many times as when I was a kid I was all over the place, in the woods, walking in tall grass, going to the creek often to look for turtles, etc., (I was a tomboy), but never noticed a tick on me until my family took in a dog who happened to have over a hundred ticks on her and we didn't know it until it was too late and basically infested our home with ticks. Even then, I only saw one tick on me, but I am sure I had more than one attachment, just happened to only see the one which was on my arm.
Posted by scared08 (Member # 14695) on :
I too passed Lyme to my husband. Yes----we will never know for sure, w/o any doubt if it was past by me sexually or if he was bitten.
I do know exactly when he became ill with it and he kept telling me that I was being rediculas! He had night sweats, horrible head aches for 2 months solid. This was now about 6 to 7 mths ago. Then the extreme forgetfullness, unable to concentrate, losing his ability to find the right word. And then the EXTREME cange in personality.
We had his tested and he lit up the W.B. results!! According to is IGG and IGM, 2 differant Dr.'s felt that he was infected about 6 to 8 months ago!
Again, we will never know for sure. However I srongly beleive that it can be sexually transmitted! The sprirocette so close to the same sprirocette in Syphalys, which as we all know is sexually transmitted.
We were told that IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE CONDOMS UNTILL WE KNOW THAT WE ARE BOTH FREE OF ALL TB INFECTIONS as we will continue to infect each other again and again!!!!!
I too wish there was someway to prove this! Posted by zombie_mummy (Member # 17402) on :
quote:Originally posted by scared08: Again, we will never know for sure. However I srongly beleive that it can be sexually transmitted! The sprirocette so close to the same sprirocette in Syphalys, which as we all know is sexually transmitted.
We were told that IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE CONDOMS UNTILL WE KNOW THAT WE ARE BOTH FREE OF ALL TB INFECTIONS as we will continue to infect each other again and again!!!!!
I too wish there was someway to prove this! [/QB]
I agree. Since Syphilis is a spirochetal disease and is KNOWN to be passed in sexual transmission and from mother to child, it seems logical that Lyme could be passed in the same ways.
I believe I may have been given Lyme by my Ex. He is very ill with "Crohn's" (one of his sisters has "Lupus"). My earliest symptoms date back to the time when we were together.
Posted by steveandamyb (Member # 18522) on :
"Better safe than sorry."
For those out there doubting lyme can be a sexually transmitted...
Wouldn't you rather loose some of the intimacy by using a condom than run the risk and be wrong?
Posted by Melanie Reber (Member # 3707) on :
Lyme disease transmitted by a biting fly. Luger SW. N Engl J Med 1990 Jun 14;322(24):1752.
...
Erythema migrans in solid-organ transplant recipients. Maraspin V, Cimperman J, Lotric-Furlan S, Logar M, Ruzic-Sabljic E, Strle F. Clin Infect Dis. 2006 Jun 15;42(12):1751-4.
...
"Absence of proof is NOT proof of absence" - William Cowper
Posted by blaze (Member # 16838) on :
I think all of us have had Lyme from early childhood, if not from birth. Some of us test positive and become symptomatic. Others test positive, but feel fine.
There is some factor we are missing in why in some people with Lyme show symptoms and others with Lyme remain asymptomatic.
This bacteria was around long before it was discovered in CT - and virtually harmless back then.
Posted by Peedie (Member # 15355) on :
While scientific PROOF would be nice - I think we are talking about a precise human study here. That's not likely.
It is difficult to offer proof while LLMDs are not sharing information. They want only to treat patients as they need to be treated and "fly under the radar".
They are scared of the medical review boards, insurance operatives of all types, afraid of losing the right to treat.
Here in California the LLMDs are protected - RI also. They need to open up and share information!
My LLMD also says without hesitation - YES! Absolutely can be transmitted sexually. -p
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