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  1. #1
    Hiker Trash Downhill Trucker's Avatar
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    Default Can you get Lymes Disease twice?

    I got it about 10 years ago. I now they dont know a ton about the disease but I was wondering if you can get it a second time. My impression was no. Thanks for any info.

  2. #2
    2011 or 2011 Te Araroa Thru Hike Possibly
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    Yes, you can get it again. See http://www.coolnurse.com/lyme_disease_faq.htm

  3. #3
    Registered User kayak karl's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by zdank View Post
    I got it about 10 years ago. I now they dont know a ton about the disease but I was wondering if you can get it a second time. My impression was no. Thanks for any info.
    my son has had it three times. still has 5 bars, but got over the yellow rocky mounted fever.
    I'm so confused, I'm not sure if I lost my horse or found a rope.

  4. #4
    Just Hikin' Along
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    My first bout with Lyme's was in 2005, then had it in 2006, and again in 2008. Once in a person's system, it's always there and will show up in testing. It doesn't take much to trigger it again. The last time it flared up was the worst... I was stumbling, falling down weak and it took 10 weeks of medication to knock it down.


  5. #5
    Formerly "Totem"
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    Quote Originally Posted by Quoddy View Post
    Once in a person's system, it's always there and will show up in testing.
    Incorrect. You can eliminate lyme's disease with antibiotics and a killer exercise regimen, even in near late-stage infection. I did. It takes dedication and consistency and dealing with a year's worth of herxheimer reactions. I did it.
    up over the hills, theres nothing to fear
    theres a pub across the way with whisky and beer
    its a lengthy journey on the way up to the top
    but it ain't so bad if you have a great big bottle o'scotch

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Quoddy View Post
    Once in a person's system, it's always there and will show up in testing.
    The "test" detects the presence of antibodies. Once antibodies develop, they tend to persist. If Lyme disease is treated early (the best time to treat it), antibodies may not develop. Whether the antibodies are protective against future exposures is debated.

    "Chronic lyme disease" is a highly controversial subject.
    The necessities of life weigh less than 20 pounds. Everything else is a luxury.

  7. #7
    Registered User
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    i'm getting treated for lymes right now, from the last spinal tap i had, i no longer have the actual virus in my system, but i still have residual effects, memory loss and trouble concentrating. i just heard about some research being done that the actual virus has a way of hiding in your system.

    i heard that it is highly controversial because of the cost of treatment coming from insurance companies which is influencing the decisions of the doctors... who knows what is true.

  8. #8
    Registered User ShelterLeopard's Avatar
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    I'm not sure, but I think lymes disease is one of those things that never leaves your body and just becomes dormant, and can rear its ugly head again. (But I'm not sure, need to check that one...)

  9. #9
    Formerly "Totem"
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    Quote Originally Posted by ShelterLeopard View Post
    I'm not sure, but I think lymes disease is one of those things that never leaves your body and just becomes dormant, and can rear its ugly head again. (But I'm not sure, need to check that one...)

    A doctor will tell you otherwise.
    up over the hills, theres nothing to fear
    theres a pub across the way with whisky and beer
    its a lengthy journey on the way up to the top
    but it ain't so bad if you have a great big bottle o'scotch

  10. #10
    Registered User Cheers's Avatar
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    Default Dreaded lyme

    I had it and was in a bad way. You can hammer it and do all kinds of things to get rid of it, and you will, as long as you catch it early enough. It will lay dormant if you do not treat it properly or early enough. There are many alternative treatments that go hand in hand with the conventional ab;'s that are extremely effective. I saw a natrapath who gave me 6 weeks of doxy, concentrated garlic pills 6 times daily (like eating six whole bulbs a day!), probiotice for stomach health, and she also recommended eating fermented food and yogurt, they have the good bacteria that the ab's will kill indiscriminttely. This keeps you stronger and helps you gt through the worst of the ab's.

    Also, my ex gf had it last summer (at the same time as me) and also got it this summer and was in a bad way. We're both farmers, so like hikers, it's kind of an occupational hazard. I came away from lyme with a heart murmour and random palpations, even though the virus has gone. It can have lasting effects that have seemed to have tamed over time.

    Good luck, and my advice to anyone out there is do not under any circumstances f--k around with this disease, it's narsty.
    Cheers

  11. #11
    Registered User ShelterLeopard's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Totem View Post
    A doctor will tell you otherwise.
    Yeah- I wasn't sure (I still need to look it up). But a friend of mine had it once, then it flaired up again. She thought she got it a second time, but the doctor said it was just the first time, and had come back. (It had just been dormant for a couple months), but that may have just been her- she may have just stopped noticing the symptoms for a while, then they got worse, I don't know.

  12. #12
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    I always am open minded about things docs say. Did a RN say it?

    I once was told since I had contracted chicken pox, I was fine.

  13. #13
    Formerly "Totem"
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    If you open your mind up too much, your brain will fall out.
    up over the hills, theres nothing to fear
    theres a pub across the way with whisky and beer
    its a lengthy journey on the way up to the top
    but it ain't so bad if you have a great big bottle o'scotch

  14. #14

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    There is a lot of misunderstanding and even fraud surrounding this serious illness. Any thru-hiking the AT will be at a high risk for tick-borne illness and should educate themselves about it so they can lessen their chances of getting it and so that they can seek appropriate treatment if they do get it.

    http://www.quackwatch.org/01Quackery...pics/lyme.html

  15. #15
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    Found a good video here about lymes disease from an Ex- AT hiker
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMf57jnfbDw

  16. #16

    Default

    Lyme can be dormant for weeks, but 30 day or longer of antibiotic treatment kills it if caught quickly.
    The treatments for advanced stages of Lyme can very radically depending on the doctor.
    Once you have Lyme disease the antibodies can be in your system for several months after the disease is gone so it's hard to tell if you've been cured or not.

    You do not develop an immunity to Lyme disease and get it again.

    Permethrin treated hiking clothing is the best preventative measure, Deet works, but do you want to wear Deet 24/7 during your whole hike? Deet can ruin your syntheitc clothing and gear.

    Be aware of the hazards of Permethrin before you treat your clothing.
    "If we had to pay to walk... we'd all be crazy about it."
    --Edward Payson Weston

  17. #17

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    You can and you also can relapse if you have been treated. To treat it effectively Lyme Disease must be caught in its early stages. The longer you go with out treatment the harder it is to cure.

    Source:
    Lyme Disease / Ehrlichiosis infected person

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