I was ignorant of ticks & Lyme, until I got sick myself & started asking questions. I was dumbfounded & shocked at the local reports & some proximity states random findings and I am not particularly an outgoing person nor do I ask every person that crosses my path.
But WHAT ARE THE ODDS that I would come across all this within 3 years, where I knew nothing of it before hand. I wonder what else I would discover if I did a true survey of the area.
What do you guys think, just based upon my encounters? Statistically & playing the odds games would yield much higher rates of Lyme?
I am sure I am forgetting some in my list below.
[ 05-07-2014, 08:35 PM: Message edited by: Robin123 ]
Posts: 2087 | From NY | Registered: Oct 2011
| IP: Logged |
Lymedin2010
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 34322
posted
-My mother (bit 2-3 times), sister (bit 2x), 2 nieces (1 bite & 3-4 bites), daughter (3 bites), & myself (1 & I am sure more bites after moving) have Lyme. We were all bit & some of us have Lyme with varying degrees of symptoms. I happen to be the sickest.
We were bitten from Long Island, Staten Island, Queens, & upstate NY. A 3rd niece was bitten as well, but treated early with no symptoms & it hopefully stays that way.
-The year I got sick my sister-in-law goes on a religious day excursion in NJ & when she gets home to shower, she finds a tick on her leg. She gets headaches & does not feel well that week & no symptoms afterwards, at least not yet.
One of her daughter was telling me that she also got bit while walking her dog through some patches of woods in Connecticut.
-My father-in-law was bitten years ago in his country. I did not find this out until months after being sick. He told us that he used to see ticks in his country & sometimes he would place them on himself, because he liked the way they felt on him. Take a wild guess what he has now? He has Parkinson's Disease.
Another close family member that has spent time with us has also developed Parkinson's as well & I am showing Parkinson's symptoms that come & go now. My father was bitten when he was young in his country, but he has no symptoms.
-I have 18 people who were bitten in just 9 houses on one block & I did not ask the entire block!!!!
One of the ladies who LIVED here & who I did not count as one of the 18, was in her early 40's. She was very fit & she LOVED gardening & yard work. Out of nowhere she started to foam at the mouth & she died of a stroke.
The husband's new wife now has cancer. I am hearing quite a few people with Lyme & who develop cancer, so it makes one wonder.
I too developed stroked like symptoms & I thought I was going to die on multiple times. It felt like impending doom & I was sure I was a goner.
-Fall of 2013 I saw a man at the end of my block raking leaves & I stopped to warn him. He said he just had a tick on him the last time he was out, but it did not bite him.
-A lady was walking her dog on the grass a block away & I stopped my car to warn her. She tells me her daughter has Lyme. I don't even count her as part of the 18 nearby victims.
-Another lady at the bus stop tells me a newborn baby (2 blocks away) that was left in the car seat carriage on their lawn for a few minutes had a tick bite on the head.
-My Dentist was bitten in Long Island & had Lyme.
-I only asked one person at my car dealer. He was bitten & his girlfriend. His girlfriend is chronically fatigued & sleeps very long hours.
-I asked 3 random people at garage sales. 2 out of 3 that I have asked have family that were bitten. One family the father, mother, & young child was bitten. Another family the son was sick with Lyme for 6 months. The 3rd one knew nothing about ticks or Lyme.
-3 people at my Realtor have it Lyme.
-2 nurses at my local hospital have it Lyme.
- My sister starts a new nursing job. She notices there are a lot of people with cancer & a lot of them with IV Rocephin for Lyme. She sees them one after another & there are a significant amount of them.
One of her co-workers mentions that she has to go home, since her husband's Lyme is acting up. My sister is startled at just how big the problem really is.
-At the same hospital the local maintenance guy works outside the hospital in bushes & when he goes upstairs one of the nurses finds a tick on him. He can count his lucky days!
-Another of my sister-in-law has a husband who cleaned the highways. One of his co-workers stopped him to take the tick that was crawling off his back.
This guy keeps to himself & avoids people and crowds and kind of reminds me & how I have been for years from all the headaches & tiredness. Too tired to deal with people for some 16 years due to slow disease progression.
-Another sister-in-law calls me to tell me there is a guy where she works in the city & who has Lyme. His wife has to leave home early to care for her husband who is having a bad Lyme day. It just so happens that he lives a few town away from me.
-My wife's co-worker complains to her that her daughter got bit & is going through Lyme. She is worried & disturbed by this.
-My veterinarian got bit & had Lyme.
-A lady who I met at a party RANDOMLY & it turns out she lives 15 minutes from me had 2 pages worth of Lyme symptoms & multiple strokes.
That was 19+ years ago & today she has fibromyalgia & she is fatigued. Her older daughter started to develop Lyme symptoms & her brother started to develop Lyme symptoms with arthritic pain as well. She is guiding their treatment, although the brother is stubborn.
-In Connecticut one of my wife's relatives asks me about Lyme since she has headaches & tiredness, the same symptoms I had & that gradually grew over the years. She wonders because she was brushing her son's hair & found TWO ticks on his head.
-My sisters new boyfriend is from Pennsylvania & has all sorts of symptoms, including muscle twitches, joint pains & many other migrating pains.
Turns out he likes to ATV ride through various paths & might have picked up a tick. His son is also into that & has minor symptoms. So what are those odds?
-My best friend's friend, who was also my co-worker at the time has Parkinson's like tremors in his hands. He also has chemical sensitivity, skin rashes & various other ailments.
It turns out he lived in Albany & the doctors in the past thought it might be Lyme and tested him for it. He said he saw deer, bears & many animals in his backyard.
-It turns out that my best friend himself got bit in his oriental country. He went for a Lyme test & oddly enough the person drawing his blood was feeling dizzy & faint.
She was not feeling well & had been feeling like this for quite some time. Headaches & just not herself with various odd symptoms.
He was telling her about my story & she was shocked, because I sounded just like her. It turns out she was bit in high school & she had the bulls eye rash at that time. What are the odds of something like this happening? This is complete insanity!!!
-My brother-in-law's long time friend visits us for a BBQ & he was telling me about his sister, who has MS now & she happens to live 25 minutes away in a few towns over.
One day he is telling me nothing bothers her & she is OK with MS & then a few months later I ask & he tells me she is in pain & is crazy now. Yea, because I am sure the infection spread.
-I was warning one of the 18 on my block. It was a guy across from me & he was telling me he was not feeling like himself.
He was just extremely exhausted. Even when he got up after sleeping he would be exhausted. He would have trouble falling asleep & just not feel right & like himself. I warned him with all the powers that I could have and told him this is a big thing.
Within the next 2 weeks he does some front lawn care & discards the branches in a nearby wooded area.
The next day he comes to me & says, "you will never guess what happened?" He lifted his shorts up & on his thigh was a beautiful & red bulls eyes rash. BUT I TOLD YOU!!!!
He also tells me one of his uncles has it & is always complaining about knee & joint pains & various symptoms. The next year his younger son goes off to camp & they find a tick on his head as well.
-Adjacent to his house is another couple. The woman was bit in another location & had Lyme. She got treated & is well today. The previous lady owner also got bit & has Lyme. She ended up moving & wanting no part of this anymore.
-So we venture out to my brother-in-law in NJ, a 2 hr trip. The neighbors in NJ come over as well. One of their girls feels dizzy & faints.
The mother tells her that she is not feeling well with various symptoms & that she even had a growth on her leg. They took her to the docs & they suspected Lyme & so they did a test, which turned out positive.
About a year later we go back for another visit, this time this one teacher who was invited mentions some weird symptoms she is having. She ended up listing 12 or so symptoms, all of which I have or had with Lyme.
Some of her symptoms were sound & light sensitivities, twitches, vibrations, numbness of hands & loss of control, headaches, dizziness & others. I could see her limp hand as she was showing me & saying it is happening now.
-When I got chronically sick I hired a lawn guy & warned him. He was bitten a few times already & he has that sickly look, just like my daughter, niece, & myself. The bags under the eyes & an overall unwell look.
-I then hired another lawn guy, who never got bit. His sister got bit in NJ in a wooded area that had no grass, just pine needles on the floor.
-My third lawn guy also got bit & got treated right away.
-This one is kind of ironic. The medical assistant at my first LLMD had gotten bitten a few weeks into my treatment. She waited a while to get treatment & then finally started. She said she was tired & had the brain fog & you can see it by her responses.
A few weeks later she reported that her brother got bit & said to her that he did not want to be like her & got treatment right away.
A few months later her uncle came to visit from another country & he went hunting with her father. Her uncle was bitten by a tick & then had to go back to his country, where he started developing symptoms & no one knows to treat.
-One of my nieces gets bit again while playing soccer. Her father had sprayed her with tick repellent on her legs & feet. Her bite was on her arm.
-My mother-in-law, the one who developed Parkinson's & who visited our area many times. Her mother got bit in 2012 in Hungary, but she does not report any symptoms to date.
-This one year I banned my daughter from playing on the grass in the school. Yes the school playground is on the darn grass. There is a chain linked fence there, but I know better. That year one of her class mates goes to the nurses office after a tick was discovered on her from the playground.
-I tell the anesthesiologist at my GI doc to watch me when putting me out, since once time I was prescribed a pill when chronically sick & I stopped breathing a few times. He was interested in learning more from me & had his ears & eyes wide open since he too was bitten by a tick.
-A technician at my first neuro doc tells me her son has seizures & other odd ball symptoms. She thinks he may have Lyme too & he will get tested soon. She also whispers to me, "I don't think these doctors care, they just want to keep you coming back!"
-Before all this started I started to warn my family. My wife & sister mowed the lawn here in NY & I warned them not to. Within 20 minutes my sister gets a deer tick crawling on her.
-My daughter gets a tick on her in 12 seconds. This is after crossing my extended family's lawn in Connecticut.
-My sister lets her dog out for 10 minutes & it comes back with 12 ticks on it. That is more than 1 tick a minute. Others in the surrounding town are reporting 20+ ticks on their dogs at times.
-My mother-in-law was a home healthcare worker. When I first got sick she said to me that she had cared for a woman & my MiL thinks that she has what I have.
She had called the lady & this was the first time I ever spoke to a real Lyme victim who is SEVERLY chronically ill. She said she went to a picnic with her family in a park in NJ & got a tick bite.
Chronic Lyme came rolling in quickly & rapidly for her. She was on one month of Doxy I believe it was at some point & it did nothing and she has not treated yet.
She said also that she knew quite a few people who also have it from church & that some of them have heart issues & needed heart surgery. When she spoke to me on the phone she got so short of breath, something that I go through as well.
-My wife is a nurse & she hears various Lyme like symptoms from various patients. She can only as if they had ever seen ticks, have a history of tick bites, or have pets that might have brought ticks in.
She can suggest the Elisa & Wester Blot, but the rest is up to the result of the test. Others come in with known Lyme history.
She also tells me stories of various people in the hospital with Lyme & who come in because it acts up. One guy in particular who was a doctor & who had it for years. Another doctor who works there & had some Lyme symptoms with his feet going numb & he dragging his feet.
-The year I became chronically sick I went to the local Best Buy with my brother-in-law. We both saw a bigger dead & dried up tick on the Apple display table. He looks at me & says what the hell, even in here!
-June 2014 Last week (in NJ) my wife got bit by an insect in 2 places. One on the top of her breast & another bite on her big toe.
She never saw the insect & she thinks it was a spider. Her big toe started to swell & got infected & her breast grew a rash and it was indicative of a spider bite.
She was given antibiotics & the swelling went down & then back up again. She had felt dizzy, head pressure, fatigue, and was generally unwell. Some 2-3 days later she developed throat soreness & hoarse voice and could barely speak & this is even with ABX.
She had mentioned her spider bite to a PA at her hospital & he began to tell her how he got bit in 2012 & was given 21 days of Doxy. He now has re-occuring symptoms such as fatigue, tingling, burning of his hands & feet, migrating pain & joint pain.
JULY 2014: -Last month & before my last post, I heard from another neighbor that another lady was stricken with Lyme disease on my block. She lives only 2 houses from me (corner house) & she was severly ill. Another one of my lady neighbors assists her in getting help, since she was bitten & knows the hell of Lyme. So this now brings the total to 19 people in just one block & again I did not ask or find out about the entire block, just a few houses.
-So my nurse wife comes across tick bites & Lymies in the hospital where she works, but does not like to talk about it. On this particular day she could not resist. She had seen 3x individuals who got tick bites on this particular day.
One of them was an overweight man who came in complaining of stomach pains. When my wife lifted his shirt for observation she paused & asked him, "Do you know that you have an engorged tick on your belly?" His reply was no & there goes a shred of evidence on how many people get bit & don't even know it.
-My wife has been really stressed with the whole Lyme thing & the mold on top of it and has pleaded that we see a counselor together. I thought the marriage counselor was going to rip me a new one for my passionate interest in Lyme, but instead commended me.
It happens that she has a family member with Lyme too & is aware of the torturous nature of the disease. I also admit that doing nothing about or with Lyme would put me in a depressed state. I am fortunate enough to encounter others & discuss with others in order to keep my sanity.
AUG 2014: -In another incidence, one of the workers at my wifes hospital was complaining to her about some symptoms & my wife mentioned Lyme. He admitted to her that he had gotten bit & was undergoing treatment. He was going to stop the ABX a week before, but my wife tells him about me & the dire consequences. She also tells him he should get more ABX for the early treatment of Lyme.
-A neighbor reported to me that another man has contracted Lyme on my block. This now brings the total number of people on my block to 20 & I am sure there are more out here right now, who have it & don't even know it. I also bet that my wife is one of them too.
Sept 2014: -I may have just ran into the 21st person on our block with Lyme.
So last week at the bus stop I bump into a man who lives on my block. He was happy to see me & wondered where I was. He had heard about my mold issue, so I give him the full details. He also mentions that he had black mold recently in his bathroom & had to take care of it.
After some time he tells me he has not been feeling well & that his joints are starting to hurt all over & in some areas they get really painful. He has been feeling tired & has had headaches and he thinks he has it too now. He never saw a tick or bulls eye & thinks it is too late for him since he did not catch it early.
He also tells me that he has been in the woods a lot. He has the largest stack of burning wood in front of his house, which he uses to heat the house for the winter in his burning stove. He is known around the block for collecting everyone's trees & using it for firewood, so we all give him our knocked down trees.
So I ask you again, what are the odds & what must the numbers truly be for me to encounter such frequency?
[ 09-10-2014, 01:56 PM: Message edited by: Lymedin2010 ]
Posts: 2087 | From NY | Registered: Oct 2011
| IP: Logged |
posted
What are the facts on the 300,000 new cases?
I thought it meant 300,000 each year .. so if that is the case, we do have millions who are infected.
This has been going on for nearly 40 yrs... and that's only counting the years we knew there was such a thing as Lyme.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96220 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
| IP: Logged |
Lymedin2010
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 34322
posted
Yes, those are 300K NEW cases for one year only. They were not always at 300K, but at some point they became that. I personally think we have passed the 300K/yr point & we are much higher than that.
If you take all the new bites for just those 3 years & take into account there are 317 million people in the USA, vs my very small pin head size survey. Then statistically it has to be higher.
If you take into account the people in my group that I list who have health issues & who have never even been considered for Lyme, like my father-in-law who had multiple tick bites & who has Parkinson's then statistically & cumulatively (with the numbers from the above paragraph) the numbers will be higher.
If you take into account people like my father's long time girlfriend (I call her my mother-in-law too), who had 3-4 symptoms, then by year 2 a dozen symptoms, & a few months later diagnosed with Parkinson's with daily migratory symptoms.
She developed symptoms not too long after they spent a week here watching my sisters kids & they have 3 dogs that they love & that are around them all the time. She will not be part of the 300K/yr number, she tested negative on her test.
The medical assistant at my first LLMD that I spoke of, her uncle who went back to his country after his tick bite & developing Lyme symptoms will NEVER be counted in the 300K.
Then when you add all that up & consider the 317 million population in USA vs my coincidental findings, then the numbers are pretty darn high for such a small sample.
Do you honestly think that the CDC will report 500K or 1 million if those were the real numbers? I don't think so & I think their numbers will always be under reported so as not to cause rapid grand alarm. So they are easing into it.
They did the same thing with Gulf War Syndrome veterans. They always under report & that number has grown from just a few hundred to now 250,000-300,000 of the 750,000 troops that were sent there. The veterans & other professions were taking their own surveys & pleading them for help.
You can pretty much guess what happened, the same thing that is happening with Lyme & the same thing that will happen with anything that the CDC is involved in. They tend to lean toward the conservative side of findings & the reality is we can NEVER know the exact numbers at any one given time.
Posts: 2087 | From NY | Registered: Oct 2011
| IP: Logged |
posted
The 300,000 is an estimate only. You have to remember the CDC goes by reporting doctors. Many doctors report however just as many if not more don't report for fear of repercussion.
It will never be accurate into this stigma of whether chronic LD exists is accepted.
-------------------- HERX is a Four Letter Word! Posts: 716 | From If you're going through hell, keep going......Winston Churchill | Registered: Apr 2007
| IP: Logged |
GretaM
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 40917
posted
I agree with both.
Since being positive for lyme, and it entering into random chatter with strangers, and family.
2 family members have since been diagnosed with lyme and tularemia (of all things).
One coworker since been dxd.
This is in the last month in my very very small circle of people I know.
Our lyme support group hosted a lyme awareness event two weeks ago-34 people took Igenex kits with them from this event.
170 people showed up.
We do 4 of these events a year, and it is always standing room only.
Way way higher than 300 000.
Oops sorry-in Canada the government says 300 news cases last year.
Ticks respect borders,
Forgot to mention the amount of lyme cases in dogs this year already, just from members of my support group, already surpass IDEXX stats on their website.
It's bad.
Posts: 4358 | From British Columbia, Canada | Registered: Jun 2013
| IP: Logged |
LisaK
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 41384
posted
yeah. what does it matter?
we are all doomed.
I really feel like quitting.
what is the point to getting well when I will probably get this again any way?
-------------------- Be thankful in all things- even difficult times and sickness and trials - because there is something GOOD to be seen Posts: 3558 | From Eastern USA | Registered: Jul 2013
| IP: Logged |
Catgirl
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 31149
posted
Lisa, IMO what makes lyme 100x worse are all the toxins and emfs we are exposed to. I think they make lyme and company grow faster as well as break the body down faster.
I have been bit many times, even recently. I am getting better though as I continue to reduce my parasite load, emf exposure, heavy metals and toxins. These things have been THAT important in order for me to heal. It has taken a lot of work reducing them, but IMO all worth feeling the way I do now.
Six months ago I didn't think I would ever feel this good and seriously started doubting how long I would live. Don't give up the fight just because there are more ticks out there.
I think the more we do to eliminate toxins, emfs, parasites and heavy metals, the better off everyone/everything will be. What goes into our air and water really does make a difference, because it gets in us.
Lymedin2010, possibly millions like europe reported.
-------------------- --Keep an open mind about everything. Also, remember to visit ACTIVISM (we can change things together). Posts: 5418 | From earth | Registered: Mar 2011
| IP: Logged |
lpkayak
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5230
posted
Thnk about all the ppl walking around who have lyme but think they dont cuz they listen to their stupid docs
I see ppl everywhere who dont have a clue
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Sad stories. So how do we get people to listen that we have to also know how to protect ourselves, pets, and however we can protect our immediate environment?
I read one story above that tick repellent was put on the lower part of the body and the person got bit on the arm. Not good enough coverage.
Posts: 13116 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
| IP: Logged |
LisaK
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 41384
posted
can ticks drop from trees?
I predict that one day there will be utter panic because this will all come out some how.... too many kids dying, or finally blasted on world news, or something. Then, people will go nuts and so drastic things like kill all the deer, and air drop poison everywhere to kill ticks ( and sicken the rest of us), and who knows what else.
there will be so much anger and crying at once.
I feel like I am in a dream and I want to wake up.
this can't be real, can it?
-------------------- Be thankful in all things- even difficult times and sickness and trials - because there is something GOOD to be seen Posts: 3558 | From Eastern USA | Registered: Jul 2013
| IP: Logged |
TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
Burrascano once said in one of his talks that ticks do NOT drop from trees.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
| IP: Logged |
LisaK
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 41384
posted
I dind't think so, but a friend of mine insists on it
-------------------- Be thankful in all things- even difficult times and sickness and trials - because there is something GOOD to be seen Posts: 3558 | From Eastern USA | Registered: Jul 2013
| IP: Logged |
D Bergy
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9984
posted
Anyone who can should raise chickens. They eat lots of ticks and should reduce the number of ticks around the house by quite a lot.
Dan
Posts: 2919 | From Minnesota | Registered: Aug 2006
| IP: Logged |
LisaK
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 41384
posted
I am thinking about moving to a high rise! haha
-------------------- Be thankful in all things- even difficult times and sickness and trials - because there is something GOOD to be seen Posts: 3558 | From Eastern USA | Registered: Jul 2013
| IP: Logged |
'Kete-tracker
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 17189
posted
From trees? Ha! Only if they got a ride up there on a host, & then fell off, which could happen, ah spoze.
As for only 300 new cases of Lyme in Canada in 2013... E-Gads, Greta! I assume that's "reported cases"... from all provinces. Sounds like it's not reported *nearly* as much as it should be.
Posts: 1233 | From Dover, NH | Registered: Sep 2008
| IP: Logged |
Lymedin2010
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 34322
posted
"I read one story above that tick repellent was put on the lower part of the body and the person got bit on the arm. Not good enough coverage"
I think that might have been my story
My niece had been bitten in the past. She & her 2 sisters are on soccer teams & on this one particular day her father sprays her legs & feet with Deet. Later on she discovers a tick on her arm, so maybe she sat on the grass & placed her arms to prop herself, but who knows really.
I too heard from a Lyme protestor in Washington DC. She said that ticks were dropping down from trees. Personally, I saw some ugly looking ticks when I was small & in the roof top of buildingsin NYC. We used to cross from building to building & pigeons would nest on various places. One time I went to grab & hold a chick & the hairs of the back of my neck stood up. I saw the ugliest looking tick on a bird & I never touched one of those in the city again.
Birds can drop them in a tree or even from the air. A gush of wind can blow hard & blow them off blades of grass & onto you (has to be very strong wind & is less likely).
posted
I don't see why ticks wouldn't fall from trees if put there by birds or squirrels. Squirrels really scamper around. Here the Western grey squirrel is considered a major host.
Posts: 13116 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
When I saw the LLMD last week, I told her that I don't want to be one of those nuts that sees Lyme in everyone I meet,
but I see Lyme in everyone I meet!
She guessed about half the US population is infected.
-------------------- One day closer to being cured..... Posts: 104 | From Wisconsin | Registered: Jan 2014
| IP: Logged |
Lymedin2010
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 34322
posted
I see a loooooot of squirrels in my backyard & in the neighborhood...too many tree rats.
I do believe a significant number of the population is infected & I can't wait for the newer tests to come out.
Here is one that I forgot to add & I just added to the above list:
-The year I became chronically sick I went to the local Best Buy with my brother-in-law. We both saw a bigger dead & dried up tick on the Apple display table. He looks at me & says what the hell, even in here!
Posts: 2087 | From NY | Registered: Oct 2011
| IP: Logged |
'Kete-tracker
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 17189
posted
pointermom- Your LLMD isn't too far off-base with that 50% if she includes ALL spirochetes of all genuses. Most people who are hosts of parasitic 'ketes are "asymptomatic" (no symptoms)... Until they *age*, or are under extra stress, say, from a broken leg, a divorce or even just a nervous breakdown. Then the immune system is "compromised", allowing all kinds of oppurtunistic bacteria to flare up, including spirochetes.
In Germany, population sample research has shown that over 15% of the general population is infected with Borrelia Burgdorferi (NOT neccessarily 'Senso Stricto'- but all species).
I betcha that number is higher here in southern New England now and uill only spread northward, & inland, as global warming continues. The -30F winters that our Capital (Concord) regularily saw up until ~the 1930s kept deer & tick populations- and Lyme- down. Now the entire southern half of NH is endemic. :-(~
Posts: 1233 | From Dover, NH | Registered: Sep 2008
| IP: Logged |
Lymedin2010
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 34322
posted
Someone was telling me at the bus stop, that another person on this block has contracted Lyme. This brings the grand total of bites/lyme to 19 for just this block alone.
I've never seen or spoken to this person, but she is in two house across & down from me.
Posts: 2087 | From NY | Registered: Oct 2011
| IP: Logged |
lpkayak
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5230
posted
I had friends in a boat in the ocean tenmiles or so from shore who say a tick fell into the boat
Ticks probably dont know where they are when they finish their meal and let go right...must have been on a seagull
Same thing from any bird or animal in tree-birds around here are covered with ticks
So dr B is probably referring to normal tick behavior when they crawl to top of grass and reach out for whatever comes by
But that doesnt mean they cant drop off a host that is up high
I have also heard of many ticks falling from a small plane-like a crop duster-but that sounds a little out ther. It was in the hudson valley near the river
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
| IP: Logged |
Lymedin2010
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 34322
posted
That is one tail for the Tick Crypt. I have seen them when I was young on roof top of buildings (in Manhattan) & on pigeons. They were very scary & odd looking ones, not a deer or dog tick.
I remember wanting to grab a bird & then all my hairs standing up when I saw one crawling on the bird. Never did I dare even think of touching a public bird since then.
Posts: 2087 | From NY | Registered: Oct 2011
| IP: Logged |
posted
I personally know tons of lyme afflicted people.
This is California mind you where some still believe that lyme doesn't live here. I get regular calls regarding "I got bit by a tick" since I am pretty outspoken about TBD's. Seems to me there are more and more calls coming in. Sheeeeesh.
Posts: 342 | From northern california | Registered: Dec 2010
| IP: Logged |
posted
I am very new to site and was not sure how to start topic so I'm going to ask here
I was diagnosed with lyme 2008 with an equivocal IgM IgM of .92. I was on three months of IV antibiotics and did great up until the past few months
I was diagnosed with crohns the next year started treatment and had little issues until last November
In November I was hospitalized for 8 days due to a crohns flare. I was put on prednisone high dosage till March. Since then I have had some of same symptoms of the lyme and it is getting worse
My dr sent off the blood work for lyme wich knew should show equivocal due to previous test but the IgM and Igb were positive with a 1.77
Now I am confused does that mean there is a flare of the lyme or it is reactivated due to prednisone or several tick bites in last few months
Again I'm sorry to post here but could not figure how to start new post. My brain doesn't work right sometimes so could have overlooked how to post
Any interpretation or opinions would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
Posts: 13 | From North Carolina | Registered: Jun 2014
| IP: Logged |
posted
I finally figured out how to post. Many people I know struggle with what I feel maybe lyme but drs will not diagnose or help
Posts: 13 | From North Carolina | Registered: Jun 2014
| IP: Logged |
Lymedin2010
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 34322
posted
Just added this to the long list above:
June 2014 Last week (in NJ) my wife got bit by an insect in 2 places. One on the top of her breast & another bite on her big toe.
She never saw the insect & she thinks it was a spider. Her big toe started to swell & got infected & her breast grew a rash and it was indicative of a spider bite.
She was given antibiotics & the swelling went down & then back up again. She had felt dizzy, head pressure, fatigue, and was generally unwell. Some 2-3 days later she developed throat soreness & hoarse voice and could barely speak & this is even with ABX.
She had mentioned her spider bite to a PA at her hospital & he began to tell her how he got bit in 2012 & was given 21 days of Doxy. He now has re-occuring symptoms such as fatigue, tingling, burning of his hands & feet, migrating pain & joint pain.
Posts: 2087 | From NY | Registered: Oct 2011
| IP: Logged |
What you were seeing on the pigeons probably weren't ticks, but pigeon flies (which are some of the scariest looking critters on the planet.) I work for a pigeon and dove rescue -- we see those flies on the feral pigeons all the time, but I have yet to see a tick on a pigeon. It's possible -- they can and do carry them sometimess -- the what you're describing sounds much more like a pigeon fly (technically a type of flying louse). They creep me out, but they don't bite humans.
-------------------- "Looks like freedom but it feels like death.. It's something in between, I guess"
Leonard Cohen, from the song "Closing Time" Posts: 822 | From California | Registered: Jan 2006
| IP: Logged |
Lymedin2010
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 34322
posted
Do they crawl UNDER the feathers & stay there?
I remember it being shorter & stubbier, but it very well could be. This was a long time ago & I was around 12.
Posts: 2087 | From NY | Registered: Oct 2011
| IP: Logged |
Lymedin2010
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 34322
posted
Add this to the original post.
JULY 2014: -Last month & before my last post, I heard from another neighbor that another lady was stricken with Lyme disease on my block. She lives only 2 houses from me (corner house) & she was severly ill. Another one of my lady neighbors assists her in getting help, since she was bitten & knows the hell of Lyme. So this now brings the total to 19 people in just one block & again I did not ask or find out about the entire block, just a few houses.
-So my nurse wife comes across tick bites & Lymies in the hospital where she works, but does not like to talk about it. On this particular day she could not resist. She had seen 3x individuals who got tick bites on this particular day.
One of them was an overweight man who came in complaining of stomach pains. When my wife lifted his shirt for observation she paused & asked him, "Do you know that you have an engorged tick on your belly?" His reply was no & there goes a shred of evidence on how many people get bit & don't even know it.
AUG 2014: -In another incidence, one of the workers at my wifes hospital was complaining to her about some symptoms & my wife mentioned Lyme. He admitted to her that he had gotten bit & was undergoing treatment. He was going to stop the ABX a week before, but my wife tells him about me & the dire consequences. She also tells him he should get more ABX for the early treatment of Lyme.
Posts: 2087 | From NY | Registered: Oct 2011
| IP: Logged |
Lymedin2010
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 34322
posted
New addition to the list for today.
AUG 2014: -A neighbor reported to me that another man has contracted Lyme on my block. This now brings the total number of people on my block to 20 & I am sure there are more out here right now, who have it & don't even know it.
I also bet that my wife is one of them too.
Posts: 2087 | From NY | Registered: Oct 2011
| IP: Logged |
posted
As I have "preached" for years Lyme disease made "weapons grade" by the USA on Plum Island then "tested" on Lyme CT in 1975 will become an epidemic. It has now happened!
They THOUGHT they had an easy cure -- did not work. Since then the government has panicked trying to cover up what they did. It has now spread so fast it is approaching the pandemic stage. I wrote everything I learned from thousands of Lyme infected individuals to lessen the effects and put it on Amazon. No advertising on this site but you can find my name by Googling my screen name. I have regained 99% of my prior good health.
Doctors are scared to report they even treat Lyme thus CDC numbers are WAY low.
My REAL data shows ten million Americans are infected and as many as 3 million more will become infected this summer. It is now EXPLODING! Number of ticks has grown 300% since 2013 and ticks carrying the disease has increased from under 50% to 99% (per CDC). It is truly a repeat of the Middle Ages Plague.
Posts: 133 | From Shawnee, KS | Registered: Sep 2007
| IP: Logged |
Lymedin2010
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 34322
posted
Thanks for the info, I will have to check it out. I wish I could have been exposed to your preaches years ago, but who would have though...huh?
Quite honestly I don't think I would have been receptive to it back then.
New July 2014 addition: I forgot about this one & I am sure a few more.
-My wife has been really stressed with the whole Lyme thing & the mold on top of it and has pleaded that we see a counselor together. I thought the marriage counselor was going to rip me a new one for my passionate interest in Lyme, but instead commended me.
It happens that she has a family member with Lyme too & is aware of the torturous nature of the disease. I also admit that doing nothing about or with Lyme would put me in a depressed state. I am fortunate enough to encounter others & discuss with others in order to keep my sanity.
Posts: 2087 | From NY | Registered: Oct 2011
| IP: Logged |
Lymedin2010
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 34322
posted
Sept 2014: I may have just ran into the 21st person on our block with Lyme.
So last week at the bus stop I bump into a man who lives on my block. He was happy to see me & wondered where I was. He had heard about my mold issue, so I give him the full details. He also mentions that he had black mold recently in his bathroom & had to take care of it.
After some time he tells me he has not been feeling well & that his joints are starting to hurt all over & in some areas they get really painful. He has been feeling tired & has had headaches and he thinks he has it too now. He never saw a tick or bulls eye & thinks it is too late for him since he did not catch it early.
He also tells me that he has been in the woods a lot. He has the largest stack of burning wood in front of his house, which he uses to heat the house for the winter in his burning stove. He is known around the block for collecting everyone's trees & using it for firewood, so we all give him our knocked down trees.
Posts: 2087 | From NY | Registered: Oct 2011
| IP: Logged |
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/