Shortly after I was diagnosed with Lyme (it took so long [12yrs] to get diagnosed because 'there is no lyme in Florida') my grandmother's sister who lives in northern Florida just got bit on her face with a tick. It swelled up, turned red, a rash.
She has lyme from a tick i FLORIDA!
NO LYME IN FL?!? What is wrong with the doctors...
The State of Florida and the state of Alabama Blood services do not test donated blood for tick born illness because 'they do not have lyme in those states'.
I probably got my tickborn illnesses in another state, but I donated blood where I have lived my whole life. FLorida.
I gave Lyme and 3 other tickborn illnesses to 2 different people because I could not get a diagnosis that was correct for 12 years!
Something needs to be done about this 'no lyme in Florida' crap. People here are dyeing becasue of it.
Posted by Geneal (Member # 10375) on :
Hi Skyler,
Well.....there's no Lyme in Louisiana either!!!!
Except that I have Lyme as does my husband and two children,
And six out of seven neighbors.
That is just in a quarter mile area....
It is so unfortunate that by not recognizing how prevalent Lyme disease is
People are not being identified and diagnosed nor is adequate funding for further research.
Hang in there. Trust me. You are not alone in Florida.
Actually, Florida like Louisiana, have all four types of ticks.
All types are capable of carrying Lyme.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posted by hshbmom (Member # 9478) on :
Hi Skyler,
Unbelievable isn't it????
It's the same old myth in Alabama...
I requested the Lyme case counts for our state then plotted the cases by county in a spreadsheet. Next I colored a map of all the counties with 2 or more reported cases...these are the endemic counties. The results are astounding.
No one could misinterpret this information. The CDC defines an endemic county as one that has 2 locally acquired cases of Lyme disease OR a county with a known population of tick vectors infected with Lyme causing bacteria.
TWO cases make an endemic county!!
You can contact the epidemiology department of the state department of health and request the Lyme case counts by county. They have the statistics back to 1991 at least. Other statistics will be available, but it may take the health department longer to piece together.
So, get the facts and share them with others.
Please share the statistics with LymeNet, and with Melanie at the Lyme Disease Memorial Park website, which lists Lyme information by state.
I'm sure you'll be amazed.
Have you seen the Army's Lyme risk assessments? These reports from the early '90's document the different species of ticks found at the state's military installations and whether the bacteria of Lyme disease was found in those ticks. The Army also tested different rodents in those locations. It's difficult to argue with such black and white facts.
The Army concluded that people at Eglin AFB in the western panhandle have a moderate risk of contracting Lyme disease. I don't remember details of other places studied.
Posted by 1Bitten2XShy (Member # 12280) on :
Yup, I live in No. Florida and I was too told time and time again there is no LD in Florida...HELLOOO....we have a zillion ticks, deer etc here...pets are loaded with them...Why is it again we have no LD here in Florida??? No one could answer this, and they still refuse to acknowledge it is here.
Thank goodness there is at least 2 Dr.'s in this HUGE state that believe and will treat.
Posted by Skyler (Member # 11549) on :
I found a girl on lymenet who, turns out, lives right down the street from me. We are going to get together and contact the News Stations in our area soon and try to get them to run something on lyme, maybe do an interview and get some publicity for lyme in FL.
It needs to be done. and I am pretty excited about it. 2 pretty college girls VERY ill from a disease that is almost completly ignored? There is no way they will turn our story down.
I am putting an end to the ignorance here in tampa, if it kills me.
Posted by Kevin Hamblin (Member # 12019) on :
That's where I got my Lyme. A deer tick in 1996. Deer are everywhere there and so are their ticks.
I keep getting told that's impossible too. I have every stage 3 Lyme symptom with anti-bodies and a PET scan consistant with Alzheimer's (explains the brain fog) and every doc I see is scratching their head going hmmm. What could it be???
We've ruled out EVERYTHING ELSE, but don't think it's Lyme because the tick was in Florida.
Posted by Skyler (Member # 11549) on :
oh kevin, now that is insane!
I can't beleive they think its something else!
The reson they dont think there is lyme in FL is because they say there are no ticks.
Not that the ticks here dont have lyme!
Thats sick! You need an educated doctor! I am so sorry that this is happening to you!
I hope you get the help you need! And do feel better!
Posted by wilsongal22 (Member # 11210) on :
hshbmom- I live in northwest Alabama. I was just curious as to what counties are endemic. Thanks!
Posted by Vermont_Lymie (Member # 9780) on :
For everyone in Florida and Alabama -- sorry you are confronting such ignorance. It is another opportunity to show that patients know more than ducks!
Check out this website, or refer the duck who tells you there is no lyme in florida here: it lists the incidence by state for lyme disease, 2003-2005.
If the CDC says lyme is in florida and alabama, then that should be good enough to stop the quacking for a while!
Lyme Disease --- United States, 2003--2005
Posted by Skyler (Member # 11549) on :
lol, I was JUST about to put this on here too!
THE CDC says there is. How can doctors dispute that?!?!? HOW?!?!
I am sick of this...
Posted by Skyler (Member # 11549) on :
Oh and did you know, Alabama and FLorida do not test donated blood for tick born Illness.
I donated blood 4 years ago when they told me I had arthritis.
The blood went to 2 different people who then got lyme. One was a cancer patient.
This NEEDS to stop. We even think my grandmother got something from blood transfusions in FL. She got a blood transfusion, and then her body stoped having enough red blood cells. It lead to her death.
Posted by Vermont_Lymie (Member # 9780) on :
Skyler, I am so concerned about this. Sorry to hear about your grandmother. A few years ago my dh needed blood transfusions. In an endemic area. He has developed lyme-like symptoms after that and a mysterious skin rash. But refuses to get a lyme test or consider that the blood transfusion may have been a problem.
Posted by butchieboo (Member # 12063) on :
The reason they say there is no lyme in Florida is the same reason in any state that makes that totally false claim.
Lyme patients are "problem patients". They are to be avoided at all costs. Lyme patients can make a doctor lose all he has worked for since deciding to become a doctor.
As long as they ignore it, they don't have to treat it. Or they will tell you..."because it does'nt exist in this state" or that..."we don't know how to treat it". Here, have some antidepressants and get the hell away from me and don't come back.