In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

Who here has had Lyme?

Discussion in 'The Wood Pile' started by mr.finn, May 24, 2020.

  1. MAF143

    MAF143

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    16 to 28 different sizes. When she first started putting it in it was just enough so you could kind of notice it but not a strong scent of it. After a few days of using it I never noticed it in the soaps and shampoos any longer.
     
    Cash Larue, Chvymn99, Maina and 2 others like this.
  2. Eckie

    Eckie

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    Ok, so the recipe is more like the way i cook, rather than a baking recipe! Sounds good!
     
  3. Flamestead

    Flamestead

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    I got Lyme pretty good two summers ago (fever, chills, etc). Had the Doxy for 3 weeks, and no lasting issues.
    This Saturday I woke up to an itch on my inner thigh and knew immediately what it was. Pulled it off, looked it over, and Mrs decided it was an adult female deer tick. I would have picked it up either Thursday or Friday evening. My Dr says call immediately and get a 2-day course of Doxy, but being the holiday weekend I ended up with a tele-nurse from a different state. She shared lots of things I knew about ticks, but no prescription out of her. Yesterday morning it was infected, with a red rash (not the bulls eye) about 5” across. After 4 hrs of phone calls and a 40minute drive to an urgent care, I’m on 10 days of Doxy. Oh, Saturday morning after I removed the tick I sprayed three sets of work clothes. Not going to do this nonsense all summer.
     
  4. Maina

    Maina

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    Sheesh hard to like that my friend! Wishing you well!
     
  5. Hookedup24

    Hookedup24

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    Me too. If you put it on a light weight jacket or long sleeve shirt you don't have to wash every time it really lasts a while. It goes on sale at Wally World in the fall. I stocked up one year, but then gave it to relatives at Christmas time as a stocking stuffer.
     
  6. Jon_E

    Jon_E

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    Had Lyme about 10-12 years ago, hard to recall exactly when. The usual symptoms felt like a really bad case of the flu, coupled with the feeling you just went a few rounds with Mike Tyson in his prime. Joint aches, headache, cold sweats, fever, extreme fatigue, etc. Had the bulls-eye rash in the middle of my thigh, never saw a tick or felt anything. Went to doctor, who on a good day is almost competent, told him the symptoms, he said that it was the flu. Turns out he basically had never seen Lyme before and had no clue. I was one of the first patients he had with it. I told him that while he was doing his research, I had already done mine, and to assign the blood tests and put me on a precautionary dose of doxycycline just in case. He called me personally the next day and said that it was indeed Lyme disease. My father's had it several times he believes, has been bitten by dozens of ticks, always goes and gets the antibiotics. He spent 40 years as a land surveyor and really couldn't avoid being bitten.
     
  7. wildwest

    wildwest Moderator

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  8. savemoney

    savemoney

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    I had it also. was one of the worst pains ever. Misdiagnosed at first. Then treated twice with doxie. Horrid med. Beats the guts up. 28 days of that. Now we are finding that ticks also carry some other diseases much worse. Not getting the right diagnosis and treatment results in needless suffering, sometimes it goes on for years. I have seen it lead to dementia, and other conditions that take the person off their feet. Where in hell did these bugs come from. Never saw them as a kid. I've picked two off my wife. She doesn't even walk on the lawn.
     
  9. MAF143

    MAF143

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    Sorry to hear of this from several of you, thoughts and prayers for all. This brings it home more serious to me hearing it directly from you guys, I've never personally known anyone that had it and I kinda copped the attitude of "it'll never happen to me". I will be much more diligent about it now and I feel stuff crawling all over me right now just thinking about it.
     
  10. BuckthornBonnie

    BuckthornBonnie

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    The general ignorance surrounding Lyme disease still seems pervasive. After Steere and others figured this crap out, many doctors haven’t kept up with the science. A lot of this is dependent on where you live; a doctor in the Northeast is probably more inclined to suspect Lyme than other areas. It shouldn’t be that way since ticks (and the myriad of diseases they carry) don’t adhere to borders.

    For people reading this now and in the future-
    I never saw the tick that got me... and I check frequently. I got it (assuming here) after changing into shorts to finish hauling wood from my grassy processing area. It started as a tiny spider-bite like rash that then blew up into the typical target rash. Mine was so textbook that nurses kept coming in to see it. One mentioned how it looked like the drawing (ha!) in her med book.

    It really hit me after the rash increased to 3-4cm in diameter. That night I had the shakes/fever/chills/aches. The Doxy started working the following day but I was hurting for a week. I was “better” about two weeks later but still not 100%. It took a while to get back to where I was.
     
  11. Stinny

    Stinny

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    Where in hell did these bugs come from... I couldn't agree more, Larry. As far as Cindy having ticks on her, without even going out on the lawn... Giz has brought a tick or 2 in before... and she's almost never on the lawn very long. Your pups may be bringing the ticks in too? Damm tick bastages... :headbang:
     
  12. mr.finn

    mr.finn

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    Great to hear everyone chyme in with their different experiences. I have felt great the last few days, almost like a normal human being again. However I realize I am still not out of the woods(no pun) Still a bit tired at the end of the day, staying home from work and not doing much, just taking it easy, that's hard for me to do. I have reached out to a few people who have had it, both said Doxy saved their butts. Form what I gather, Doxycycline is a mild drug used to treat a lot of different things, acne, various infections caused by bacteria with minor side effects.
     
  13. mr.finn

    mr.finn

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  14. WeldrDave

    WeldrDave Military Outpost Moderator

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    I got it "HORRIBLY"!!! I had it 5 days before I knew what it was. A blood test showed it. Here is the funny, but not funny part of it. I lived in "Lyme" Connecticut when I got it. I was stationed in New London and rented a place in Lyme. Mine started with sweats and body aches, I would take Motrin and would ease up then come back in the morning. Lets move 5 days. into this, I made it through the weekend but stayed in bed with a bad fever, Monday morning I called my Boss at the Base and told him what was going on and I drove myself to the hospital. By now I couldn't keep anything down, "things coming up and out of both ends" :eek: :picard: Sever tremors and I ached so bad, I've never felt like that ever before. Got into the ER and the Nurse took my temp, 103.4º. The doctor came in and I stripped down to my britches. Behind my left arm, near my armpit was a huge bullseye!!! In "stereo" they both said, "Lymes". I couldn't see it and didn't notice after the shower. Tick had already left and the Doctor started me on some "HUGE" antibiotic's pack for I believe a week, maybe more. It was horrible!!! I now highly believe it has never left me. I get short stints of aches and pains like that. :(
     
  15. Erik B

    Erik B

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    savemoney Do you have any pets that are allowed outside? We would find ticks inside the house and sometimes on us when we would be petting our dog or cats.
     
  16. WeldrDave

    WeldrDave Military Outpost Moderator

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  17. jo191145

    jo191145

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    I have chronic Lyme. It’s the reason I’ve gone automated as much as possible with my firewood activities.
    One thing I know about Lyme is no two people are effected exactly the same. Two things really, the testing is extremely flawed. Test success runs right about 50%. Flip a coin is just as well. For future reference for those that may need too you can interpret your own tests using guidelines by a lab called Igenx in California. The CDC is useless, perhaps criminally complacent, depending on who you ask.
    Also for reference, someone mentioned the documentary “Under Our Skin”. Oldish information but still very good. Better info than you’ll get from the government or most doctors. Available on Vimeo for free. I’ll try to add a link. Saved my life finding that video.

    Being from Ct I would have thought Lyme disease was well known and eagerly treated for by modern medicine. I found out just how wrong that assumption was eight years ago. I knew I had Lyme at the age of 50,,,,,sort of LOL. I mean I had been dragging for years already. As a mason I thought it was just hard work and old age catching up too soon. But the symptoms i was getting didn’t coincide with old age, old body, lazy man syndrome. Besides both my mother and sister had gotten it and were caught early and treated with Doxy. Our symptoms were similar.
    See some people’s immune system can fight off Lyme for years. I assume that’s what mine did. There was no one tick bite I chalked it up to, no rash that I remember.
    Anyhow at 50 I was pressured to see a doctor. That age where you have to start checking things out. Only test I wanted was a Lyme test. Poke and prod all you want but I want a Lyme test.
    I found out four years later my doctor had ignored that request. Never ran a Lyme test. I found out because the Lyme finally had a chance to kick in good. I dropped like a rock when it took over. Muscles locked up. Then the Alzheimers symptoms came on. Some people call it brain fog. For me it was more like early stage Alzheimers. Got to the point I couldn’t even speak a full sentence because I couldn’t remember words. It was embarrassing really. I had had a pretty good vocabulary back in the day.
    Then the sun. Couldn’t handle the sun,,,at all. Felt just like a vampire. First noticed that issue when I saw an ambulance go by and I saw the lights ina mirror. Blinded me,,,WTH??
    At night driving became impossible. The halos from other lights encompassed my Entire field of view. Especially orange road hazard construction signs.
    Spent about 5 months in bed sleeping. One of the weirdest things I had was the inability to breathe. First sleep Apnea but then it begins happening while awake. The brains automatic breathing impulse would just switch off without warning. Feels like your drowning. No gasping for air you just stop breathing. You’d need to actually think to restart breathing all the while hoping it does.
    Then the Parkinson’s tremors. For a little while there I didn’t like to eat in front of others.

    Once it’s gone chronic the Doxy won’t eradicate it. It’ll help, it’ll put it into remission somewhat. The longer the Doxy the longer the remission it seems but that’s just me.
    After much arguing with my doctor and little results I went holistic. Was actually doing holistic and Doxy treatments at the same time. Hasn’t cured it but it’s gotten rid of the worst of the symptoms.
    Link looks broken but it works.
     
    Last edited: May 27, 2020
  18. WeldrDave

    WeldrDave Military Outpost Moderator

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    Oh, I agree!!! It seems like it "NEVER" went fully away!!! Mine (did) show up on a blood test like a hot rock in a ice patch. o_O I "know" exactly how you feel! I'm arthritic and have Gout as well. The joys of hurting every day!!! :(:headbang:
     
  19. jo191145

    jo191145

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    Right back at ya :) I used my body hard in my youth. Blown spine that crushed my sciatic nerve was the worst I guess. Left me partially paralyzed at the age of 35. Went back to masonry a year later. Did 20 more years that way.
    Still not as bad as what Lyme will do to you.
     
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  20. WeldrDave

    WeldrDave Military Outpost Moderator

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    I've tried to explain that pain to my Rheumatologist and she basically "blew me off" and said Lymes isn't the problem! Now, this is a VA doctor... I would get very achy in my joints out of a clear blue sky! I would just start hurting for no reason whats so ever! It happens about 2 or 3 times a month. Yeah, I abused my body through out my carrer in military, "not by choice"...