I found good results on Biaxin, but it's not usually the first drug given. I think one reason is that doxy will take care of ehrlichiosis too. She could possibly get Lyme and ehrlich at the same time....and babs, etc, etc.

Hope others will be along soon to help out here. I don't think anything can prevent the rash from coming out, and actually that would be a good thing if she got Lyme from the tick.

At least it would confirm whether or not she contracted the Lyme. I wasn't so lucky to have the rash....and neither were alot of other Lymies.

quote:

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Originally posted by Lymetoo:
Hi there, vitamom! How many days of Biaxin does she still have??

I found good results on Biaxin, but it's not usually the first drug given. I think one reason is that doxy will take care of ehrlichiosis too. She could possibly get Lyme and ehrlich at the same time....and babs, etc, etc.

Hope others will be along soon to help out here. I don't think anything can prevent the rash from coming out, and actually that would be a good thing if she got Lyme from the tick.

At least it would confirm whether or not she contracted the Lyme. I wasn't so lucky to have the rash....and neither were alot of other Lymies.

---

Thanks!

LM

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lymetoo:
Hi there, vitamom! How many days of Biaxin does she still have??

I found good results on Biaxin, but it's not usually the first drug given. I think one reason is that doxy will take care of ehrlichiosis too. She could possibly get Lyme and ehrlich at the same time....and babs, etc, etc.

Hope others will be along soon to help out here. I don't think anything can prevent the rash from coming out, and actually that would be a good thing if she got Lyme from the tick.

At least it would confirm whether or not she contracted the Lyme. I wasn't so lucky to have the rash....and neither were alot of other Lymies.

---

My understanding is that the tick doesn't infect you unless he stays on for a few days. Maybe she will find this reassuring. How long does she think it stayed on her?

By the way, I have a good friend with hep C so advanced that in November he was given a year to live, unless he got a liver transplant. (He is still on a list.) But he started taking really good care of himself, good nutrition, extra protein and vitmins, CO-Q-10, lots of rest, and today he lives a fairly normal life. Not sick at all, really, and off all medications. And it did help him to have a supportive friend like me.

I hope your friend knows how lucky she is to have you in her life.

Love,
Ellen

The tick that gave me Lyme disease was attached a maximum of 4-6 hours and I had the bull's-eye rash.

I haven't read it, but was told that
Dr. Willy Burgdorfer gave a presentation a few years ago at the International Lyme Conference - sponsored by Lyme Disease Foundation in Hartford, CT.

He said that some ticks have the Lyme bacteria in the salivary glands so they are capable of passing the infection as soon as they bite.
Unfortunately, there's no safe time period with a tick bite.

A tick isnt a whale, it doesnt have thousands of lbs of flesh and millions of small vessels and an awfully large blood stream to make a path of destruction.

I believe if a tick just BITES you, you could become infected, no matter how long they were there... its like saying someone with HIV has it in some parts of their bodies and not other parts.

If its there, its there and transmissiable. Is that a word?

I guess we have all heard differsnt things, or the same thing at different times. However, this is the only study I know of that deals with the question:

: J Infect Dis. 2001 Mar 1;183(5):773-8. Epub 2001 Feb 01. Related Articles, Links

Effect of tick removal on transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi and Ehrlichia phagocytophila by Ixodes scapularis nymphs.

des Vignes F, Piesman J, Heffernan R, Schulze TL, Stafford KC 3rd, Fish D.

Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520-0834, USA.

The effect of feeding duration on pathogen transmission was studied for individual ticks infected with either laboratory or field strains of the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi and field strains of Ehrlichia phagocytophila, an agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis. Infected nymphal Ixodes scapularis were allowed to feed individually on mice, and equal numbers were removed at 24-h intervals for < or =96 h. Mice were assayed for infection by culture, serologic testing, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. Fed ticks were assayed by culture or PCR analysis. Transmission of B. burgdorferi did not occur during the first 24 h among 66 attempts, with maximum transmission occurring between 48 and 72 h. A model estimating the probability of infection from individual ticks removed by patients in a Lyme disease-endemic area yielded an overall probability of 4.6%. Infected I. scapularis nymphs transmitted E. phagocytophila within 24 h in 2 of 3 attempts, which indicates that daily tick removal may not be adequate to prevent human infection with this agent.

PMID: 11181154 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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One swallow doth not a summer make, BUT I find it reassuring nonetheless. And Chris, you are right about the yuck. Not knowing about ticks, I didn't find it for at least three days, when it washed off in the shower. I was wondering what was there, since the area was swollen, but I had thought I damaged some joint or ligament while moving rocks. Of course our west coast Ixodes are much tinier than yours, only about the size of the period at the end of this sentence.

Those people are the most negative, naysaying, and stubborn people I have ever dealt with in my life. They think they "discovered" Lyme disease. Maybe they named it, but that's about it. They consistently put out literature and studies that discredit virtually everyone that does anything differently with them. In fact, I don't think they ever actually do research to cure anything, just research to discredit everyone else.

They are among the most powerful enemies us Lymies have. "Enemy" is a strong word, but I can't think of a better one. They are pompous, egotistical, self-serving blowhards! There! I feel much better now!

As for ticks being having to be attached for a few days (as Yale says in that article) I can personally disprove it. I looked at my leg: no tick. I looked at my leg 4 hours later: there's a tick. Went to ER and had it removed professionally within 1/2 an hour. Total elapsed time: probably 4-6 hours. Result: Filthy with Lyme disease, positive tests all over the place.

I think Yale should concentrate on beating Harvard, and get out of the Lyme business completely.

It's good to have you around ELFrem, although I respectfully disagree on this issue. At least you research and bring up info for others to use. I'm just a lazy slob who likes to shoot my mouth off. The only thing I've researched is what I'm having for dinner tonight. I prefer the "moral support" area of posting. Seriously though, I appreciate people such as yourself that take the time to post things for us. If it wasn't for you guys I'd know nothing at all! Thanks!
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D.C. Chris

Whatever you think of the people involved, (Yes, my daughter went to Yale Law, so I know the campus too):

Controlled studies are the basis of scientific knowledge. These are what our doctors and educators read and believe. If you attack them by calling them names, you will only discredit yourself.

The better way to disagree is to be scientific, to explore the limitations, to ask questions about the assumptions, review the methodology, etc. and finally to redefine the conclusions in the light of what you hear.

If for instance, I was dealing with a doctor who gave the party line, I might say, "Yes, I am familiar with Dr. SoAndSOs work. He demonstrated that small doses of antibiotics for short periods of time had little effect on concentration, although it did relieve fatigue." You have just reframed the study and drawn your own conclusions, and they make as much sense as the author's conclusion.

This approach is more likely to get respect than saying - "those jerks, they all say that." And respect for each other, to be quite corny, is the beginning of healing.

I am sure this sounds quite rambling unless you get my point.

I wouldn't be so hostile towards them if they weren't so condescending (and hostile) toward me while I was in their hospital. Believe me , if I try to scientifically disagree (which I did) with anyone from Yale medical school they will just laugh and slam the door in my face. I would never cite anything an LLMD has done for me, because they would have them under a medical board investigation so fast it would make your head spin.

I just think that Yale's studies maybe receive a bit too much credence because of the name of the institution they are involved with. And I'm not particularly worried about discrediting myself, 'cus who the hell am I anyway!

As I mentioned previously, with them (and only with them) it's personal. But I understand what you're saying and your points are valid.

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D.C. Chris

Thanks for reading me right. I just got back from eating and raising my blood pressure, and I'm headed for New Orleans shortly, than to DC for dessert, but I do understand about it being personal.

I was a research director for many years, but not in the medical field. I actually ran some large controlled studies, one with more than 10,000 participants. If I had the money to subscribe to these scientific periodicals, I would do so. Then I could read the entire study instead of the abstract, and ask pointed questions. I really believe that my questions would be taken seriously, and that in itself would be a contribution.

But if wishes were horses, than beggars would ride. So I find myself walking to New Orleans...

Love,
Ellen