View Full Version : Lyme, I Gots It
Rocket Jones
06-23-2014, 19:58
Test results got back today and came back positive for Lyme. Started the doxycycline. They're doing a second, more extensive round of tests to eliminate the chance of a false positive (it could be a thyroid issue).
Pay attention people! I had no bullseye rash, and the only symptoms I showed was fever and chills, which led the doc to believe it was a viral infection.
Jberczel
06-23-2014, 21:08
Test results got back today and came back positive for Lyme. Started the doxycycline. They're doing a second, more extensive round of tests to eliminate the chance of a false positive (it could be a thyroid issue).
Pay attention people! I had no bullseye rash, and the only symptoms I showed was fever and chills, which led the doc to believe it was a viral infection.
Yikes, Did you get this in Woodbridge, Va or on the trail? Hope for a speedy recovery.
Sarcasm the elf
06-23-2014, 21:55
Fun stuff! I just finished up a round of doxy a couple of weeks ago, my third time on the stuff eleven years, only had a bullseye rash once.
[EDIT: Read the instructions for the type of doxycycline that you get, this next bit was based on the kind I took, but apparently there are different types of doxycycline with different instructions] They probably told you this already, but doxycycline has some quirky instructions. Don't have any Dairy products or antacid for 1-2 hours before and 1-2 hours after taking it (I've seen different warnings, some say one hour, some say two.) Do take the stuff with food, you've probably already found that nausea can be a major side effect, do yourself a favor and don't take it on an empty stomach. The most unusual side effect is that it can increase your sensitivity to sunlight and some people, including me, get a sunburn much easier while taking it. While you are taking the med make sure to use plenty of sunscreen and always wear sunglasses when outside.
LIhikers
06-23-2014, 22:41
I recently developed the classic bulls eye on my right leg.
Saw the doctor today and he's taken blood for the test, I'll know in a couple days.
The doctor doubts it's Lyme disease since I haven't had any other symptoms.
No fevers or chills, no headaches, no joint pain, nothing. Guess I'll know soon enough.
Man I hated the Doxy. If I remember correctly the instructions tell you to take it without any food in your stomach. I always took some crackers or a piece of bread with it. Driving a car after taking it always made me nauseous. And being in the sun makes you feel like you're standing next to a furnace.
Good luck friend.
Sent from my phone using Tapatalk.
Wise Old Owl
06-23-2014, 22:56
Hey - glad you found out the right way and getting it taken care of - you could not wish for a better outcome... my hopes in your recovery.
Ken.davidson
06-23-2014, 23:12
Hi Rocket,
My Grandson and I went hiking and camping for an overnight at Prince William Forest. We both picked some freeloader Deer ticks about five for each of us. Wish you a fast recovery.
Thanks,
Ken
http://www.trailjournals.com/Sidewinder2013
Sarcasm the elf
06-23-2014, 23:27
Man I hated the Doxy. If I remember correctly the instructions tell you to take it without any food in your stomach. I always took some crackers or a piece of bread with it. Driving a car after taking it always made me nauseous. And being in the sun makes you feel like you're standing next to a furnace.
Good luck friend.
Sent from my phone using Tapatalk.
That's interesting, I wanted to double check so I pulled up the info on drugs.com, it apparently depends on brand of doxycycline you were prescribed:
"How should I take doxycycline?
Take doxycycline exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow all directions on your prescription label. Do not take this medicine in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended.
Take doxycycline with a full glass of water. Drink plenty of liquids while you are taking doxycycline.
Different brands of this medicine may have different instructions about taking them with or without food.
Most brands of doxycyline may be taken with food or milk if the medicine upsets your stomach.
Take Oracea or Periostat on an empty stomach, at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after a meal."
http://www.drugs.com/doxycycline.html
I was going by the prescription instructions given to me by my pharmacist for the kind I got, which stated: "Mine said "TAKE THIS MEDICINE by mouth with or without food. If stomach upset occurs, take with food to reduce stomach irritation."
rocketsocks
06-24-2014, 02:32
Sucks dude, glad they caught it and you were able to get a diagnosis, many don't. Not everyone gets that bulls eye rash, I got the rash but tested negative...which also apparently doesn't mean much either, testing negative....Crazy, again, glad you got a diagnosis.
I recently developed the classic bulls eye on my right leg.
Saw the doctor today and he's taken blood for the test, I'll know in a couple days.
The doctor doubts it's Lyme disease since I haven't had any other symptoms.
No fevers or chills, no headaches, no joint pain, nothing. Guess I'll know soon enough.
Not sure you will know, even after the test results are back.
My understanding is that neither of the two tests are definitive (False positives/False negatives).
Sadly, I think that diagnosis and/or recommended course of action is more dependent on the physician you select than anything else.
Rocket Jones
06-24-2014, 08:50
I was going by the prescription instructions given to me by my pharmacist for the kind I got, which stated: "Mine said "TAKE THIS MEDICINE by mouth with or without food. If stomach upset occurs, take with food to reduce stomach irritation."
That's the instructions on my prescription. Big aqua horse-size capsules. I'll have to take a closer look at the detailed sheet.
Thanks for the good wishes and thoughts, everyone.
And yep, it happened over Memorial Day weekend at Prince William Forest Park. We were car camping at the Oak Ridge campground and it was tick city. My son found over a dozen on him, only three were dug in. I had four or five, two needed to be extracted, so I think it was one of those two. Oddly enough, our dog had been Frontlined about three weeks prior and had not a single tick on him the entire weekend.
mankind117
06-24-2014, 08:52
This is why I don't hike without long pants treated with permethrin, even in summer.
rocketsocks
06-24-2014, 11:23
With most antibiotics you shouldn't drink alcohol while taking them, it nullifies I think.
Rocket Jones
06-24-2014, 12:46
This is why I don't hike without long pants treated with permethrin, even in summer.
Wisdom. I hadn't treated my pants this Spring.
JustADude
06-24-2014, 13:13
To be most effective need to get the doxycycline within 72 HRS of the bite...if you think you've been bit force the medical folks to give you the doxycycline...waiting after 72 HRS reduced the effectiveness...
Personal experience and reference: http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/resources/1209lyme.pdf
Rocket Jones
06-24-2014, 14:12
That's a double edge sword though, to my mind. You won't even test positive for Lyme at 72hrs, and taking an antibiotic "just in case" is how we wound up with a bunch of improved nasties and semi-effective antibiotics.
I recently developed the classic bulls eye on my right leg.
Saw the doctor today and he's taken blood for the test, I'll know in a couple days.
The doctor doubts it's Lyme disease since I haven't had any other symptoms.
No fevers or chills, no headaches, no joint pain, nothing. Guess I'll know soon enough.
A couple of points:
I had Lyme and tested negative 2 times before I had a positive test. Never had a rash. Only 70 to 80% ever notice a rash.
Same with my brother in law with 3 tests before a positive one. He had the bullseye and the Dr made him wait. I told him to find a new Dr but he didn't listen. It took 2 months to get a positive test and by then he was having severe symptoms. He ended up in the hospital on IV antibiotics for a week! Moral of the story, Don' wait!
My Dr. gave me Doxy to take with me on my thru. When I realized I probably had Lyme in MA I called him and started taken them. I credit quick treatment with getting over any symptoms quickly.
Around here Lyme is very common. Most Drs will give Doxy while waiting for test results if the symptoms and circumstances warrant it. If you start taking antibiotics you do need to finssih the entire course of meds. This reduces resistant strains.
ChinMusic
06-24-2014, 17:27
My clothing was treated, and retreated every month, with permethrin on my 2013 thru. I had intended to wear long pants but gave up on that once the weather got hot. I carried Doxy with me but never needed it. I never had an embedded tick on the entire thru.
Since a Dx of Lyme is so difficult in being definitive, I was going to self-Dx if I had any symptoms consistent with Lyme. One of my fellow thrus was diagnosed (MD) with Lyme while he was in East Andover. He was going to have to make it to Stratton(?) to pick up the Doxy script. I gave him mine so he could get a head start.
had four or five, two needed to be extracted,
Quick question please.
How did you extract them?
Rocket Jones
06-26-2014, 06:12
Quick question please.
How did you extract them?
Both with tweezers, but the one that I believe got me I had tried to use a "tick key" that may have squeezed the tick without doing what it was supposed to do. I tried a few times with the key before giving up and getting the tweezers. Even before getting sick, I decided that the tick key was a poor substitute for good tweezers.
Something else I've learned is that for the fever spikes/chills/sweats that I've been experiencing, the best thing to wear is your hiking clothes. Wick that sweat away and feel more comfortable. Seems like a no brainer but it took me a while to think of it.
Both with tweezers, but the one that I believe got me I had tried to use a "tick key" that may have squeezed the tick without doing what it was supposed to do. I tried a few times with the key before giving up and getting the tweezers. Even before getting sick, I decided that the tick key was a poor substitute for good tweezers.
Something else I've learned is that for the fever spikes/chills/sweats that I've been experiencing, the best thing to wear is your hiking clothes. Wick that sweat away and feel more comfortable. Seems like a no brainer but it took me a while to think of it.
Best solution i've found for removing ticks
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d43/cbr6fs/Hiking/2014-06-22%2023.39.31_zpsuea05md0.jpg
rocketsocks
06-26-2014, 08:19
Whata ya do, write him a note? "ya got three seconds to let go, or I'm gonna lance your little baby tick tacks"
bigcranky
06-26-2014, 08:56
I had Lyme and tested negative 2 times before I had a positive test. Never had a rash. Only 70 to 80% ever notice a rash.
I had Lyme and two doctors refused to do any sort of Lyme test -- "oh, you don't have a rash therefore you can't possibly have Lyme disease." This was after several weeks of spiking 104F fevers several times a day, totally lethargic, couldn't lift a camera bag at work. The ER doc finally decided that I might have Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, which is endemic in North Carolina, and gave me the doxy scrip. My personal doc, just to make me feel better, sent me to an infectious disease specialist who finally did the 2-part Lyme test, and imagine everyone's surprise when both of them came back positive. Grrrr.
Now we treat everything with Permethrin, and have been fine so far.
Question for permethrin experts: I just treated all our clothing yesterday with the spray bottle. Is there any reason to run it all through the washer before wearing it? Any residue that I need to worry about? This is for a 3-4 week hike, so it won't affect the effectiveness of the treatment, in theory anyway. Thanks.
handlebar
06-26-2014, 21:59
I recently developed the classic bulls eye on my right leg.
Saw the doctor today and he's taken blood for the test, I'll know in a couple days.
The doctor doubts it's Lyme disease since I haven't had any other symptoms.
No fevers or chills, no headaches, no joint pain, nothing. Guess I'll know soon enough.
There are multiple test for Lyme that yield both false positives and false negatives. A 3 week course of doxycylcine is usually cheap and effective if you do have Lyme and pretty much harmless if you don't. On the other hand, advanced Lyme has some pretty horrible sequelae. I recommend you read up on Lyme. You might want to pressure your doctor, especially if he's not very familiar with Lyme disease, for a prescription or find another doctor who will prescribe.
permagrin
06-26-2014, 22:43
I just found my dog was positive for Lyme. Gotta get the doxycycline ordered tomorrow online. I gotta respond, if only to say I've camped at Oak Ridge and walked the Farm to Forest trail probably 35 times at PWFP.
LIhikers
06-29-2014, 00:02
My blood test came back negative for the Lyme disease and the rash cleared up and went away pretty quickly.
Maybe more important, I never had any of the other symptoms such as aches and pains, fevers and chill, or unexplained head aches.
I'll just have to keep track of myself.
rocketsocks
06-29-2014, 00:07
I recently developed the classic bulls eye on my right leg.
Saw the doctor today and he's taken blood for the test, I'll know in a couple days.
The doctor doubts it's Lyme disease since I haven't had any other symptoms.
No fevers or chills, no headaches, no joint pain, nothing. Guess I'll know soon enough.
My blood test came back negative for the Lyme disease and the rash cleared up and went away pretty quickly.
Maybe more important, I never had any of the other symptoms such as aches and pains, fevers and chill, or unexplained head aches.
I'll just have to keep track of myself.
That's great news, glad it worked out thus far.
Rocket Jones
06-29-2014, 08:03
Glad to hear it, LIhikers!
Quick update. The doxy is helping, most symptoms are under control and near normal again. The exception is a case of "Lyme arthritis" in my right shoulder that is very slowly improving. There are times when my right arm is almost useless.
Catch it early.
"A 3 week course of doxycylcine is usually cheap "
checked on the price of doxy lately? about 1000% increase!
Wise Old Owl
06-29-2014, 09:28
I had Lyme and two doctors refused to do any sort of Lyme test -- "oh, you don't have a rash therefore you can't possibly have Lyme disease." This was after several weeks of spiking 104F fevers several times a day, totally lethargic, couldn't lift a camera bag at work. The ER doc finally decided that I might have Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, which is endemic in North Carolina, and gave me the doxy scrip. My personal doc, just to make me feel better, sent me to an infectious disease specialist who finally did the 2-part Lyme test, and imagine everyone's surprise when both of them came back positive. Grrrr.
Now we treat everything with Permethrin, and have been fine so far.
Question for permethrin experts: I just treated all our clothing yesterday with the spray bottle. Is there any reason to run it all through the washer before wearing it? Any residue that I need to worry about? This is for a 3-4 week hike, so it won't affect the effectiveness of the treatment, in theory anyway. Thanks.
NO DO NOT WASH! Sawyer does wash out of the clothing and effectivly it does break down in two years even if the clothing is never washed. Just wash when funky. One treatment will last up to 6 washings or 6 weeks before clothing has to be treated again
Rocket Jones
06-29-2014, 09:43
"A 3 week course of doxycylcine is usually cheap "
checked on the price of doxy lately? about 1000% increase!
Mine was 10 bucks at Sam's Club pharmacy.
"A 3 week course of doxycylcine is usually cheap "
checked on the price of doxy lately? about 1000% increase!
There's quite a lot of difference in the price of some strength tablets. I'm supposed to take 20mg twice a day for something else. Quite suddenly it went to a "third tier drug" with my insurance plan...SHOCK! However, I eventually found it (even cheaper than Costco, if you can imagine) by using goodrx.com . It's gone up some again, but still better than my insurance. Go figure.
Incidentally, the regular dosage for Lyme will still be cheaper than having Lyme! Be sure to take the full course of meds, too. Best of luck and get well soon.