posted
My son, who has already tested positive for congenital Lyme Disease, had a dog tick embedded after a field trip Friday. We didn't catch it until Saturday and have it saved in a baggie with a moist cotton ball etc..
We started him on ABX, but are debating on sending in the tick. If we do send in the dog tick what would be the best infection to test for?
TIA
Posts: 76 | From IL | Registered: Oct 2010
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posted
Hard to say. If you can afford it, it might be good. I had a tick tested for Lyme and babs many years ago (Igenex) and it came back negative. Nine days after the bite, I got sick.
Thankfully, I had started on abx the day of the bite, so I was covered.
I spent $110 on that testing.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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posted
A very good PA in NYC recently spoke at a conference. He said they no longer tests ticks - reason being is they may not test positive after a bite since they passed this onto the host.
Posts: 749 | From State full of ticks | Registered: Dec 2008
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This would be VERY expensive for me. Everytime I work in the yard I get new bites. 2 wks ago - pulled of 7 that had bitten, last weekend 4 that had bitten.
LLMD says "too bad for the tick" since I'm on so many antibiotics.
Just wondering the purpose of testing the tick?
Posts: 250 | From East Coast | Registered: Jan 2013
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posted
If you're getting bitten that often, then there is NO point. No way I'd be in that yard myself.
How can you get well at this rate? Each tick has the potential of carrying more than 10 different diseases.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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beaches
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Member # 38251
posted
I would never bother to send a tick to a lab to test for Lyme/cos. The testing is unreliable. So why spend good money to learn nothing?
APMON, if your DS has congenital Lyme, hopefully he's been treated already?? And you have a good understanding of LD and everything surrounding same.
jjourneys, I'm wondering why you continue working in your yard at all? Pulling that many ticks off myself would scare me to death.
I stopped gardening once my kids got sick and I realized how many ticks were in our own backyard, literally.
Posts: 1885 | From here | Registered: Jul 2012
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posted
My thinking behind testing the tick is if it is positive then we may have a better hold on treatment, specific to the disease it was positive for possibly. We are treating him now and I don't think we will be sending in the tick, maybe if it was more accurate and not so expensive.
jjourneys, that is a lot of tick bites, I would really be worried about getting a new disease I didn't already have???
Yes, beaches we have treated him in the past, but was not currently in treatment when he was bitten this weekend.
Thank you all for your replies!
Posts: 76 | From IL | Registered: Oct 2010
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beaches
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
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APMOM, Your logic is spot-on. Too bad we can't say the same for the powers-that-be.
Best wishes to your son.
Posts: 1885 | From here | Registered: Jul 2012
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kgg
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
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posted
I have sent a tick off to IGeneX and would do it again. It is interesting to hear that the tick may have already passed it on to its victim. But I think I would still test it.
Sammi
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 110
posted
I am sorry your son was bitten. From the quick research I did, it is believed that dog ticks do not transmit Lyme disease. Who knows if this true.
Which kind of dog tick is it? My research showed that brown dog ticks can transmit Ehrlichiosis and Babesiosis. American dog ticks can transmit Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
If I find a tick, I do send it for testing. You could call IgeneX at 800-832-3200 to see what diseases they typically test for in dog ticks.
Posts: 4681 | Registered: Oct 2000
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Sammi
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posted
jjourneys, you may want to consider treating your yard and doing other things to minimize ticks. It sounds like you are at high risk for getting more infections.
IgeneX charges only one price to test all the ticks found on one person. So if you wanted them tested, you could send all the ones you had on you and they would test them together for one price.
Posts: 4681 | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
we now have Guineas in the yard - their favorite treat is ticks! And they are entertaining! Ticks cut back tremendously with them, we used to get tick bombed just going outside, now we only get a few - luckily, many we catch before they bite.
We have 5 acres, no way to treat for ticks on this much property. We do treat the front yard, but before the guineas it didn't help at all. We have tons of deer covered in ticks grazing in the yard, I'm sure that may be part of the problem.
Dr says with so many antibiotics and now herbs in my system, no worries about getting more infections from the bites.
I cannot give up gardening - I love flower gardening, pulling weeds and landscaping. it's my hobby - not going to let these ticks take that away from me!!!
Posts: 250 | From East Coast | Registered: Jan 2013
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posted
So what would be my options in my situation?
sit in the house, get rid of my dogs and cat, get rid of my Koi (fish) pond that I relax beside while feeding them every night, stare out a window watching life go by without my participation?
Move out of the country and back into a concrete city?
Be so terrified of a tick bite that I no longer participate in things that make me happy and keep me going?
I'm open to any and all suggestions.
And yes, I am covered in bug spray and Skin So Soft when I walk out the door, and will start taking garlic tablets tomorrow, just received them in the mail today. We are going to start spraying "outdoor clothes" with a spray hunters use to keep the ticks away.
additional suggestions?
Posts: 250 | From East Coast | Registered: Jan 2013
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kgg
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5867
posted
kgg - thank you!!!! I'll check out the site!
Permethrin - that's we're going to start treating our clothes to, couldn't remember the name!
Posts: 250 | From East Coast | Registered: Jan 2013
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