posted
I grew up in the backwoods of Louisiana and visit my family there frequently. I could have very well picked up my Lyme there, too.
When my tests came back positive, I told my mom to get tested, too, since we share a lot of the same symptoms. Two weeks ago, she was told by her doctor that there was no Lyme in Louisiana, so no need to test her. End of story.
This past week, my stepfather found a tick buried in his leg that caused a lot of swelling and redness. Since he threw the tick away, I had my mom take a picture of the wound just in case and told her to keep an eye on my stepdad in case he started feeling "weird".
My stepdad is one of those who refuses to admit when he is sick.
The following day, he slept most of the afternoon. Within three days, he was running fever and fatigued, with aches, chills, and sinus issues. He felt so bad, he went to the ER clinic on a Sat. I made him promise me he would mention the tick bite.
Well, he mentioned it. Then, the ER doctor told him there was no Lyme in Louisiana and no need to test him. Even with a tick bite!!
The dr. sent my stepdad home with 10 days of amoxicillin for his sinus infection and said it would also cure anything from a tick in case he was still worried about it. End of story.
Really Louisiana?? This is why so many people stay sick for years, costing them thousands of dollars, instead of getting treatment within weeks of being bitten.
I would bet anything that my entire family has Lyme, and the little ticks carrying the disease live right in their Louisiana backyard.
-------------------- Amy
Possible infection date 6/21/05 (no history of tick bite but went to hospital with "unexplained" high fever) Tested positive for Lyme and RMSF in Feb 2014 / suspected Babesia as well Posts: 65 | From Atlanta, GA | Registered: Feb 2014
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I didn't know there was an LLMD in Louisiana?? Or are you joking? If there is one, can you send me more info. I want my mom seen by someone. She is worse off than me, and I am currently getting treated.
-------------------- Amy
Possible infection date 6/21/05 (no history of tick bite but went to hospital with "unexplained" high fever) Tested positive for Lyme and RMSF in Feb 2014 / suspected Babesia as well Posts: 65 | From Atlanta, GA | Registered: Feb 2014
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I'm so sorry to hear of this. Such ignorance, it really is so hard to believe in the 21st century.
Our medical system can not recognized something that was discovered in the 70's (maybe sooner).
Hard to believe isn't it? A group in my area finally joined together for in person support group.
Maybe you can find other patients from your area and try to do this, in the meantime these boards are a savor. Best of luck.
Posts: 36 | From Arkansas | Registered: Feb 2012
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poppy
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5355
posted
Here are several articles documenting lyme in Louisiana. There have also been cases reported in LA, but someone is bound to say they were picked up elsewhere. That gets said a lot.
Detection of Lyme Borrelia in Questing Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) and Small Mammals in Louisiana
Authors: Leydet, Brian F.; Liang, Fang-Ting
Source: Journal of Medical Entomology
Abstract: Lyme borreliosis is caused by spirochetes from the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species complex. In the United States, B. burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.; Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt, and Brenner) is the most common cause of human Lyme borreliosis. With >25,000 cases reported annually, it is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States.
Although approximately 90% of cases are contained to the northeastern and Great Lake states, areas in Canada and some southern states are reporting rises in the number of human disease cases. Louisiana records a few cases of Lyme each year. Although some are most certainly the result of travel to more endemic areas, there exists evidence of locally acquired cases.
Louisiana has established populations of the vector tick, Ixodes scapularis (Say), and a wide variety of potential reservoir animals, yet Lyme Borrelia has never been described in the state. Using culture and polymerase chain reaction, we investigated the presence of Lyme Borrelia in both mammals and questing ticks at a study site in Louisiana. Although culture was mostly unsuccessful, we did detect the presence of B. burgdorferi s.s. DNA in 6.3% (11 of 174) of ticks and 22.7% (five of 22) of animal samples.
To our knowledge, this is among the first evidence documenting B. burgdorferi s.s. in Louisiana. Further investigations are required to determine the significance these findings have on human and animal health.
Keywords: Borrelia; LA; Lyme disease; small mammal; tick
Affiliations: Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Appeared or available online: December 9, 2013
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J La State Med Soc. 2009 Nov-Dec;161(6):325-6, 328, 330-1 passim. Endemic tickborne infectious diseases in Louisiana and the Gulf South. Diaz JH. Author information Abstract
Most emerging infectious diseases today, such as West Nile virus and sudden acute respiratory distress syndrome (SARS), arise from zoonotic reservoirs and many are transmitted by arthropod vectors. Ticks are among the most competent and versatile arthropod vectors of infectious diseases because ticks of all ages and both sexes remain infectious for generations without having to reacquire infections from reservoir hosts. Today, ticks transmit the most common arthropod-borne infectious disease in the United States (US), Lyme disease (LD); and the most lethal arthropod-borne infectious disease in the US, Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF). Both LD and RMSF are endemic in Louisiana and the Gulf South. Ticks have also become frequent vectors of emerging zoonotic diseases in the Gulf South, including southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), transmitted by the lone star tick, and Maculatum disease, transmitted by the Gulf Coast tick. Recent environmental changes and human lifestyle choices now place humans and ticks together outdoors in the Gulf South for longer periods in welcoming ecosystems for breeding, blood-feeding, and infectious disease transmission. An increasing incidence of emerging and re-emerging, endemic infectious diseases transmitted by existing and unanticipated tick vectors may be expected.
Posts: 2888 | From USA | Registered: Mar 2004
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GretaM
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 40917
posted
Yes I hate this nonsense.
Same thing happened to me with, "No lyme in BC" when I first got it 13 years ago.
I want to ask the doctors if they seriously believe ticks know what a border or a state line is? The ticks with lyme hop off the mammal at the state line?!
Seriously?
How can educated people spout that sort of drivel off?
It's absolutely absurd!
No lyme in _____
Well I guess those ticks have "protected feeding" then?!
Doesn't make any sense.
Those docs must be completely brainwashed in med school. Seriously.
What happened to the logical thinking?!
Argh!
Posts: 4358 | From British Columbia, Canada | Registered: Jun 2013
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posted
I suggest you get pro-active, collect all this Yes There Is Lyme In Louisiana info and deliver it to the docs who say there isn't any.
A fun map to look at - www.dogsandticks.com - check out the Lyme in your area section - shows the infections reported in for dogs in each state when you click on the state.
So I went ahead and clicked on LA. Interestingly enough, there is a higher count for Ehrlichia than Lyme.
Posts: 13116 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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