Lyme disease?

[squeezebox]

Does anyone have a good source of Accurate information about Lyme disease ?

[redseal]

Nothing besides http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/ comes to mind right now except for the movie Under Our Skin. I remember watching that documentary and getting the willies. The film was not that informative though.

[Damn Yankee]

By typing Lyme disease into google, this is one of many links. http://www.articlesbase.com/acne-articles/3-stages-of-lyme-disease-and-their-symptoms-3632939.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ab_paid_12&gclid=COW6pe3i7bwCFXAaOgodhGEAjQ

[Don H]

http://www.aldf.com
http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lyme-disease/basics/definition/con-20019701

Or if you'd like to PM me I'd be happy to share my Lyme experience.

[wornoutboots]

I picked up a tick last week at the Big South Fork in KY/TN. Couldn't believe it!!

[Damn Yankee]

Anytime the temps go above 50* the ticks get active so, be careful.

[ezdoesit]

Hey Squeezebox there was a guy I followed last year my the name unitic type that into the search box in trail journals He was hiking for an awareness for ticks.
Lots of information there.

[bamboo bob]

This year we should have a good tick die off with the many very cold days. The last few mild winters have really increased the tick populations plus the low deer die off from the mild winters have given them hosts. So maybe 2014 will be less ticked.

[RED-DOG]

When the temp gets above 50 do daily body inspections ( especially for Deer Ticks they are about the size of a pin head), and when you pull a tick use twizzers make sure you get the head, sometimes the tick will borrow into you skin and burry it's head and when you pull it the head will break off and stay their and contaimenate you later, use a orange high lighter or any color to mark the spot you found the tick and keep an eye on it as soon as you notice a Bulls eye rash ( it's a red rash encircling a couple of inches around the infected area, this could take a couple of days ) go to a Medical Facility ASAP, Daily inspections is the only way i know to help pervent Lyme Disease but still it isn't 100 percent, it also helps to wear light colored clothing and some kind of Bug Juice, Untreated Lyme Disease can leave it's victim Paralyzed or even death can happen, Personally I have never had this disease and hope i never will.

[lemon b]

My discussions with doctors make me feel like Lyme is still kind of a work in progress. I have faith that people much smarter than I will figure this one out. Until then I inspect my body daily and continue discussions at each check up with an informed MD. Over the years I've gotten lots of different opinions. From "its not really a concern", to "lets get you vacinated." Which I believe they stopped doing. Also, if one does get infected I believe it can be a crap shoot depending on which MD one happens to be treated by. Also I've heard that the body can kill it off alone. Kinda like HCV. Some people will have the antibody and never a virial load. Others die. And there just isn't enough data to come up with valid %'s.

[~SilverBack~]

The last vaccine was discontinued back in '02 and it wasn't 100% effective. Hopefully this new research can get a vaccine for us.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/260471.php


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[mudsocks]

The vaccine was withdrawn due to public concern about adverse effects, and lawsuits (http://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/articles/history-lyme-disease-vaccine). Apparently the same Lymes vaccine that was developed by Smith-Kline Beecham is licensed for use in Canada (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2094764/). Any of our Canadian friends reading this thread have an information?

[bamboo bob]

Inspect. You have time. The tick doesn't embed right away. So if you inspect in the evening, you'll likely be OK. Also don't take a nap in the grass. Also it's everywhere. My sister-in-law got it in her back yard in Groton, MA. working in her garden. Lot's of deer come visit.

[Sara]

I work in a medical office in Canada. There is no vaccination available for Lyme disease here either.

[peakbagger]

There was later research that Limerx has significant side effects for folks with certain genetics if they were excluded by genetic testing, the vaccine apparently worked well but by then the lawsuits made it not profitable. I think there is vaccine for dogs and cats as they don't sue.

[simon]

Not sure what is the best source of information. But I feel I can speak on this subject since my son and I both have Lyme's disease. First symptom go to the doctor and demand the antibiotics. The sooner you get treated the better the prognosis. My son waited a week and developed Bell's Palsy. Deer ticks are so small that even daily checks miss some. Good luck on your hike.

[handlebar]

1. There was (perhaps still is) a sticky on the WB homepage that links to what the bulls eye rash looks like.

2. In as many as 40% of cases (mine included), one can have Lyme Disease without the bulls eye rash. The usual symptoms are a flu-like malaise with mild0 fever and aches. Be sure to see a doctor, tell her/him you've been outdoors on the trail, and INSIST on the treatment (at least 21 days of Doxycycline antibiotics) because ...

3. If left untreated, one can develop chronic Lyme with a range of very serious symptoms (facial paralysis, aching joints, cardiac issues, and worse.)

4. Just because you didn't see a tick, doesn't mean you haven't been bitten. Ticks have a nymph stage. The nymph is the size of a grain of pepper and can also cause the infection. The adult deer ticks are also very small. If you do pull off a tick, try to keep it in a zip lock. In case symptoms develop, it can be analyzed.

5. There are different tests for Lyme, one of which is notorious for giving false negatives.

[wornoutboots]

As soon as I found the one embedded in me last week, I called my Dr. right away & he wrote me a prescription over the phone for the antibiotic. I wasn't sure if I removed the head or not so always better safe than sorry, I knew a girl who had Lyme disease & she's had multiple spine surgeries due to it. I really wished there was a sure fire way to pull a tick off with getting the head 100% of the time.

[Adriana]

Does it make sense to get antibiotics in advance of the hike and be prepared just in case since you might not be ear a drugstore for 5+ days at a time?

[rickb]

Does it make sense to get antibiotics in advance of the hike and be prepared just in case since you might not be ear a drugstore for 5+ days at a time?

Yes.

You need to do your own research on this bearing in mind two important considerations.

1. An embedded tick does not infect a person right away. If you remove it in something like 48 hours (you need to confirm this time line) there is very little chance getting infected.

2. A small (but specific) dose of the right antibiotic has been shown to be an effective preventative from getting sick from and infected tick if taken early -- welll before any symptoms ever show up and sooner than your 5 days. Do your own research on this. Keep in mind that as a matter of public health policy, taking antibiotics before getting any symptoms show up may be discouraged by the same MDs who would not hesitate for a second to give a prescription under the same conditions to their loved ones. Also keep in mind that every AT Hiker has a responsibility to know more about this than a physician who is not well versed this area.

[Migrating Bird]

When the temp gets above 50 do daily body inspections ( especially for Deer Ticks they are about the size of a pin head), and when you pull a tick use twizzers make sure you get the head, sometimes the tick will borrow into you skin and burry it's head and when you pull it the head will break off and stay their and contaimenate you later, use a orange high lighter or any color to mark the spot you found the tick and keep an eye on it as soon as you notice a Bulls eye rash ( it's a red rash encircling a couple of inches around the infected area, this could take a couple of days ) go to a Medical Facility ASAP, Daily inspections is the only way i know to help pervent Lyme Disease but still it isn't 100 percent, it also helps to wear light colored clothing and some kind of Bug Juice, Untreated Lyme Disease can leave it's victim Paralyzed or even death can happen, Personally I have never had this disease and hope i never will.

Sorry Red Dog, but Please DO NOT use tweezers. The potential to squeeze the guts out of the tick, break the head off and into the wound is too risky, if possible use OTOM tick twister http://www.otom.com/how-to-remove-a-tick.

The bulls eye may appear anywhere on the body not just at the bite site and can be small to huge and appear in a few days to weeks after the bite. http://lymedisease.org/lyme101/lyme_disease/lyme_symptoms.html

[Migrating Bird]

As soon as I found the one embedded in me last week, I called my Dr. right away & he wrote me a prescription over the phone for the antibiotic. I wasn't sure if I removed the head or not so always better safe than sorry, I knew a girl who had Lyme disease & she's had multiple spine surgeries due to it. I really wished there was a sure fire way to pull a tick off with getting the head 100% of the time.

Please watch the video, I use OTOM, they are cheap, work 100% of the time, I have never had one not remove the head so many times in me, my family or my dog. Makes a great gift. The best part is after the tick is removed, it is trapped in the tool with legs wiggling then you can devise any number of evil ways to dispatch the little bugger.

[Oak88]

During my thru hike last year I saw only 2 ticks. One crawling on my hand and one on the back of my neck. Rob Bird formerly of The Birdcage was dropping off hikers fresh from Trail Days (Unicoi Gap area). He saw a tick on my neck and removed it. It helps to inspect every night and have someone else assist with your inspection. Ticks seem to like warm moist areas and hair.

[mudsocks]

I work in a medical office in Canada. There is no vaccination available for Lyme disease here either.

Well that's a downer. Thanks for clarifying.

[sfdoc]

Go to UTUBE, Unitic. Also, Unitic on TrailJournals.com. Great presentation. Lots of info. I saw him present at the 2013 ALDHA conference. Very informative and thorough.

[Pedaling Fool]

Warning (or Disclaimer;)) Don't read this article if you're easily frightened by creepy little crawlies :)

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/02/140228-lyme-disease-borrelia-burgdorferi-deer-tick-science/

[Pedaling Fool]

Bottomline, a healthy ecosystem needs predators, we are missing many predators, so humans filling that role is a good thing, but I'd still like to see the mountain lion return :)

http://www.entsoc.org/press-releases/fewer-deer-may-mean-less-lyme-disease


Excerpt:



Fewer Deer may Mean Less Lyme Disease



Annapolis, MD; July 1, 2014 – Since white-tailed deer serve as the primary host for the adult blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) — the vector for Lyme disease — scientists have wondered whether reducing the number of deer in a given area would also mean fewer cases of Lyme disease. Now, after a 13-year study was conducted, researchers in Connecticut have found that reduced deer populations can indeed lead to a reduction in Lyme disease cases. The results of their study are published in the Journal of Medical Entomology (http://esa.publisher.ingentaconnect.com/content/esa/jme/2014/00000051/00000004/art00007).

The researchers surveyed 90–98% of all permanent residents in a Connecticut community from 1995 to 2008 to document their exposure to tick-related diseases and the frequency and abundance of deer observations. After hunts were initiated, the number and frequency of deer observations in the community were greatly reduced, as were resident-reported cases of Lyme disease.

The number of resident-reported cases of Lyme disease per 100 households was strongly correlated to deer density in the community, they found. Reducing deer density to 5.1 deer per square kilometer resulted in a 76% reduction in tick abundance, a 70% reduction in the entomological risk index, and an 80% reduction in resident-reported cases of Lyme disease.

[Don H]

I did and needed them.
I also took the time to study and become informed about the disease and spoke with my Dr. about if before my thru.

[ericmcdaniel]

Two days ago in NJ, I got what I thought was a bee sting (sharp bee sting kind of pain, and a red bump) and now it's more swollen and looks like this (pic attached-is this the bullseye rash?). I've google etc, but I'm not sure whether to see a doctor....could anyone who's had experience with Lyme comment or PM me? Many thanks! http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/07/bahuzypu.jpg


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[Pedaling Fool]

Ticks don't sting; if anything the vast majority of time you can't even feel them crawl on you. Other than that, no one can diagnose what your mark is.

[Rocket Jones]

Ticks don't sting, you don't feel them when they start to bite. If it felt like a sting, it probably was. Even so, I'd see a doc about it before the "rash" goes away. Trust me, if it's Lyme, you want to catch it early.

[ericmcdaniel]

That's what I thought, but it now looks like a pretty classic bullseye rash which is what made me worry. I've not pulled a single tick off of myself my entire hike so far (1300+ miles) and my clothes are treated with permethrin/I wear deet. The mark is also on my forearm, underneath my long sleeved hiking/sleeping shirt. Grrrrr. Guess I should go get tested and insist on a script to take with me. How much is time of the essence in getting tested/treated?


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[Rocket Jones]

The longer you wait to start treatment, the worse the symptoms and the longer full recovery takes. Catch it really early and a 10-day course of antibiotics is often enough. I'm halfway through a 21-day course (about 3 weeks from bite to symptoms appearing, another few days before treatment started), and one person I know went undiagnosed for over three months (not a hiker) and had to go through a six-month course of antibiotics. He didn't start feeling better until about four months into it.

I'm pretty much back to normal except that even little chores still really tire me out. Better every day though.

[lemon b]

I know of two youth in my church who tested positive. Thank goodness their parents had been keeping an eye out.

[ericmcdaniel]

According to the doc, that rash over 5 centimeters in diameter is definitive for a positive diagnosis. Glad I went!!!


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[Pedaling Fool]

According to the doc, that rash over 5 centimeters in diameter is definitive for a positive diagnosis. Glad I went!!!


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Positive of what? That you have a rash:D Sure ain't positive for lyme disease.

I ain't no doctor, but I know there's no such thing as just measuring a rash over 5cm and determining it's lyme disease. If that were the case, I've had numerous bouts with lyme disease.

[ericmcdaniel]

The bullseye rash, Pedaling Fool. That's just what the doctor said, I dunno. I'm no doc :)


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[Pedaling Fool]

So he's saying that a rash over 5cm is proof positive of it being bullseye rash:-?
Wouldn't that be the same as saying you have lyme disease?

Whatever, I'd find a new doctor... I can't really tell from you pic, but it just looks like a typical rash after being stung, which is what happened, correct?


Image number 6 in this link shows a bull's eye rash http://www.medicinenet.com/lyme_disease_pictures_slideshow/article.htm

[sfdoc]

Check out UNITIC's comments on UTube. Very informative.

[ericmcdaniel]

No no. A bullseye rash that large, he said. Thanks for the link, sfdoc!


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[ericmcdaniel]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/10/8a6uqeda.jpg here's a better pic.


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[rocketsocks]

Oh, I see the outer ring now, yep that wasn't evident in that first picture...you should have that looked at...kidding

[Pedaling Fool]

Bottomline, a healthy ecosystem needs predators, we are missing many predators, so humans filling that role is a good thing, but I'd still like to see the mountain lion return :)

http://www.entsoc.org/press-releases/fewer-deer-may-mean-less-lyme-disease


Excerpt:



Fewer Deer may Mean Less Lyme Disease



Annapolis, MD; July 1, 2014 – Since white-tailed deer serve as the primary host for the adult blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) — the vector for Lyme disease — scientists have wondered whether reducing the number of deer in a given area would also mean fewer cases of Lyme disease. Now, after a 13-year study was conducted, researchers in Connecticut have found that reduced deer populations can indeed lead to a reduction in Lyme disease cases. The results of their study are published in the Journal of Medical Entomology (http://esa.publisher.ingentaconnect.com/content/esa/jme/2014/00000051/00000004/art00007).

The researchers surveyed 90–98% of all permanent residents in a Connecticut community from 1995 to 2008 to document their exposure to tick-related diseases and the frequency and abundance of deer observations. After hunts were initiated, the number and frequency of deer observations in the community were greatly reduced, as were resident-reported cases of Lyme disease.

The number of resident-reported cases of Lyme disease per 100 households was strongly correlated to deer density in the community, they found. Reducing deer density to 5.1 deer per square kilometer resulted in a 76% reduction in tick abundance, a 70% reduction in the entomological risk index, and an 80% reduction in resident-reported cases of Lyme disease.

Another case for mountain lions :) http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2014/Q3/hunting-gives-deer-damaged-forests-in-indiana-state-parks-a-shot-at-recovery.html


Excerpt:

"We can't put nature in a glass dome and think it's going to regulate itself," he said. "Because our actions have made the natural world the way it is, we have an obligation to practice stewardship to maintain ecological balance."

Indiana state parks historically did not allow hunting. But by the 1990s, white-tailed deer populations in parks had swelled to such size that many species of native wildflowers such as trillium and lilies largely disappeared, replaced by wild ginger and exotic species such as garlic mustard and Japanese stiltgrass, plants not favored by deer. Oak and ash tree seedlings gave way to highly deer-resistant or unpalatable trees such as pawpaw.

The health of deer in state parks also dwindled as their food sources shrank.

To check the overabundant deer populations, the DNR introduced controlled hunts in state parks in 1993, with most parks adopting the strategy by 1996.

"Hunting in natural areas is controversial," Jenkins said. "But when deer are overabundant, they start to have undeniable negative impacts on the ecosystem."