posted
Hi all. I'm a 20 year old college student who recently came home to Long Island for summer break. Six days ago my dad and I went hiking at Connetquot State Park (which I now learned has tons of ticks). I did a thorough tick check and showered when i got home- finding nothing. Well 2 days later I found a very tiny freckle on my hip i'd never seen before. i picked at it and it immediately came off my body, it didnt move so im thinking maybe it was dead. i put it to the light, it was about the size of a pin head and realized it had tiny legs! the body was white/clear but the legs were brown (leading me to think it was a deer tick larva or maybe a nymph? it was flat) I saved it in a ziploc bag. Whats even worse is that two days later my dad discovered two deer ticks on his waistline (dont know how they went undetected so long)but he panicked and flushed them down the toilet. After removing them, we were both left with a tiny red dot at the site. Im extremely anxious about the possibility of either/both of us having contracted lyme disease because its endemic in our area and the ticks were on our bodies (especially my dad's) for so long.
I'm very confused on what the next steps to take are. I've spent the last few days researching non stop about lyme disease and know the potential consequences of not being treated or being mistreated. Some sources say go straight to a doctor, others say there's no point until symptoms emerge. We have yet to show any typical symptoms, but I know it may take 30 days. Should my dad and I seek antibiotic treatments to be safe? should we visit the family doctor or go straight to a lyme specialist? How long does it really take for symptoms to appear? Any advice on my situation would be unbelievably appreciated. I'm so anxious about it I cant even sleep- i set up the hiking trip, if my dad were to get a disease from it i dont know how i would live with myself. I would truly be grateful for any input on what our next steps should be. Thank you for reading this!
Posts: 4 | From Suffolk County, New York | Registered: Jun 2009
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
please break this up into short paragraphs and double spacing between each paragraph; it's explained below, and please use my guidelines ok.
sorry i can't read anything; will be back tomorrow to help you after a good night's sleep. xox
Welcome; i'm so glad you found us!! You've come to the right place for education and support!
Betty's suggested POSTING GUIDELINES . many of us have neuro lyme where we can NOT read long solid block text and be able to comprehend and read it as is.
please edit your post by CLICKING PAPER/PENCIL ICON to right of your name. that opens up BOTH subject line and body text.
now please break up your WORDY SENTENCES into one sentence paragraphs. Then hit ENTER KEY ``TWICE`` after each paragraph; we need that space for comprehension.
then go to left hand corner and mark box to receive ALL REPLIES, and click EDIT SEND
we thank you for helping us; otherwise, we will SOB, SCROLL ON BY, since we can't read to help you. If I see posts like this, I SOB them; to hard on me. ------------------------------------------------------
People seeking doctors might be able to get help from their state online information and support group. Nearly 3,400 people belong to state groups. Some of the groups are small but more than 20 of them have 50 or more people and seven have over 100.
The groups are moderated and you have to apply. Most don't allow doctor names, but once on the group, you can ask for doctors in a certain area and ask people to email you privately. *******************************************
This explains the medical politics around lyme WHY you need an ILADS-educated or ILADS-member LLMD (and there are also some ILADS-member LL NDs (naturopathic doctors):
You should also be evaluated for coinfections. Not all tests are great in that regard, either, but a good LLMD can evaluate you and then guide you in testing. One of the top labs is:
"With most infections, your immune system first forms IgM antibodies, then in about 2 to 4 weeks, you see IgG antibodies. In some infections, IgG antibodies may be detectable for years.
Because Borrelia burgdorferi is a chronic persistent infection that may last for decades, you would think patients with chronic symptoms would have positive IgG Western blots.
But actually, more IgM blots are positive in chronic borreliosis than IgG. Every time Borrelia burgdorferi reproduces itself, it may stimulate the immune system to form new IgM antibodies.
Some patients have both IgG and IgM blots positive. But if either the IgG or IgM blot is positive, overall it is a positive result.
Response to antibiotics is the same if either is positive, or both. Some antibodies against the borrelia are given more significance if they are IgG versus IgM, or vice versa.
Since this is a chronic persistent infection, this does not make a lot of sense to me. A newly formed Borrelia burgdorferi should have the same antigen parts as the previous bacteria that produced it.
But anyway, from my clinical experience, these borrelia associated bands usually predict a clinical change in symptoms with antibiotics, regardless of whether they are IgG or IgM." ===========
ILADS The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) provides a forum for health science professionals to share their wealth of knowledge regarding the management of Lyme and associated diseases.
posted
Post in - seeking doctor - in subject line "LLMD needed long island NY"
A LLMD is a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor.
what you called a lyme specialists.
Someone will send you a PM or personal message with a list of LLMD's in your area.
It won't hurt for you and your dad to make an appointment with your regular doctor.
It may be faster, but going to a LLMD is still your best bet, so do both.
Check back if you have more questions, get confused, scared, or need more advice...
Use a format of one sentence per line.
Posts: 105 | From Mass | Registered: Apr 2009
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Pinelady
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 18524
posted
Don't panic. If you only got one or 3 bites you
chances are less. If you got 50 I would
say worry. If you would feel better you could
request a round of Doxycycline as I have done for
the 50 my daughter had on an outing with a
friend after I plainly told her to stay out of
the weeds and woods. Yes it only takes one
infected tick. And I would not care what anyone
else thought knowing what I know now. You know
moms overprotective, a worry wart, etc. Do what you feel is best.
-------------------- Suspected Lyme 07 Test neg One band migrating in IgG region unable to identify.Igenex Jan.09IFA titer 1:40 IND IgM neg pos 31 +++ 34 IND 39 IND 41 IND 83-93 + DX:Neuroborreliosis Posts: 5850 | From Kentucky | Registered: Dec 2008
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