Lyme disease

[Shamis]

I don't know much about where Lyme is or isn't but I do know deer ticks from dog ticks and have been bitten often by both, including in Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Maine. Perhaps I should have been or have been infected by now, but I don't think so.

My point is not that Lyme isn't real or serious but that yanking the suckers off and maintaining a calm and accurate and reasonable awareness of risk and symptoms seems adequate. I don't care for overreaction.

There's a map for that:
https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/maps.html

 

[Craig639]

The worst is doing a thorough tick check and thinking you're good to go, then finding one crawling on the arm rest in your car two days later.

 

[Therealgoat]

Pretty sure youre not supposed to "yank" them off.

Good point. Apply moderate even pressure when pulling them out, like when you pinch some arm hair and tug it up, pull hard enough to have your skin lift a little bit but before it really hurts. I would grab a small plastic "tick spoon", it's a small (usually white) spoon with a slotted V at the end. You try to scoop under the body with the V part and then you lever the spoon backwards to apply pressure. The tick will get uncomfortable and back out/let go. It make take several minutes of pressure. Tweezers are an option but they can be so pointy they'll break the head off when you squeeze if you're not gentle enough.

DON'T try to burn their ass. DON'T try to drown them in liquid/smother them with Vaseline, etc. - if they can't breathe they're likely to puke, and it's what's in their stomach that will give you Lyme, so you're only increasing your chances.

 

[Dr.Smooth]

Important stuff here. If I am reviewing the facts correctly:

-deer ticks have the higher percentage of lyme carrying percentages of the tick species

-no real tell tale symptoms of initial infection. From people's stories all the symptoms initially seem so severe that one would likely go to the doctor and ask for a lyme test if they are privy to the fact that the disease is very easily contracted during the tick season

 

[Whiskey_Jim]

This that needs more possums like disc golf courses

 

[mick]

I had Lyme disease a few years ago. Never did see the tick or the "bullseye" mark they sometimes leave. These are the symptoms I had: nagging headache behind the eyes; loss of appetite; joint stiffness and soreness; fever; bells palsy (facial paralysis). It took 8 weeks of antibiotics to get rid of it. I'm lucky I was diagnosed pretty quickly. Lot's of people have lifetime disabilities because of Lyme.

 

[Crooow]

Experience

I have been bitten several times by ticks; I got Lyme once. There does seem to be a lot of different things diagnosed as Lyme but what do I know about the blood tests? It was second on my list of worst medical problems experiences but now that I am older, it (or the memory of it) has slid down to fourth or fifth. I had a huge red circle on my back before any of the painful symptoms kicked in. I had about a week of hot/cold when I would sweat through my pajamas and bed sheets then start freezing (in wet clothes) so I dry off, dress up again in warm clothes and then an hour later sweat through those. No fun doing laundry every two days. I had headaches (though not severe) and cold-like symptoms for two weeks but once the meds kicked in, it started to clear up. Don't remember itchiness but it would have been minor compared to the other symptoms. I think I used Amoxycillin but the prescriptions change as they figure more out (and for your specific body chemistry) so whatever the doctor recommends is the way to go.

I also have found lots of ticks before they bit. They tend to take their time deciding where they want to go so you usually have time to find them before they attach. I have found them at home in the shower more than an hour after my woods experience. Also shake out your clothes as they can still be wandering around on them. I have never found any when I used Deep Woods Off (as unappealing as the odor is). I do a quick check anytime I go in undergrowth or have to duck under trees/bushes. Leave those Black Sabbath t-shirts at home - I wear light colors that make them easier to spot. When playing with others, I do a quick check of their back when they come back from going off fairway. Haven't found many recently but I hear they're still out there. I have found them after playing course in Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

They're not the terrifying reason to stay off disc golf courses as they are easily handled (if you take precautions). On the other hand, I don't wish Lyme on anyone. Weirdest tick find was in my ear. It felt scratchy and I poured alcohol in there and used a Q-Tip and fortunately it came out before any biting. Also the "yanking" technique is not good but the steady pressure technique is my way-to-go. After you isolate the tick they can be hard to kill - they don't crush easily (dropping a book on them doesn't work). I usually fins something pointed and apply pressure until they squash; then I flush them anyway.

 

[Emoney]

I was told when i was a child that there were translucent ticks and those were the ones that carried lyme. Scared the life out of me for years...


Edit: OMG look up Nymph Ticks....dammit...im ruined forever

 

[pearlybakerbest]

After you isolate the tick they can be hard to kill - they don't crush easily (dropping a book on them doesn't work). I usually fins something pointed and apply pressure until they squash; then I flush them anyway.

Dropping ticks in rubbing alcohol kills them very quickly.

 

[armiller]

Good tweezers are a good way to get them off. Just get as close to the head and your skin as you can, apply firm pressure, and pull it off. The key is not to squish or torture the tick in some way that causes it to vomit it's infectious stomach contents into you.

Other things like a tick spoon or tick key, etc. are helpful but you probably don't have one available at all times.

No matter how you slice it, at least half of Lyme cases don't have an identified tick bite. If you start having weird symptoms, see someone about it soon. And there are a number of antibiotics that work. One that is used frequently is doxycycline, mainly because it also treats all kinds of other possible tick-borne illnesses that aren't as bad but may have been in the same tick that had the Lyme.

 

[Emoney]

Elena Della Donne said recently that she takes 64 pills a day as part of her treatment for Lyme disease?!?

That sounds absurd to my lack-of-knowledge brain. What in the hell is she taking 64 of? Anyone?

 

[ChrisWoj]

Elena Della Donne said recently that she takes 64 pills a day as part of her treatment for Lyme disease?!?

That sounds absurd to my lack-of-knowledge brain. What in the hell is she taking 64 of? Anyone?

Not sure, but the whole article is worth a read:
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/elena-delle-donne-wnba-season-lyme-disease

Can't believe they'd ****ing hold her paycheck. I'm assuming this article will light a fire under someone's ass and get her situation figured.

 

[Emoney]

Not sure, but the whole article is worth a read:
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/elena-delle-donne-wnba-season-lyme-disease

Can't believe they'd ****ing hold her paycheck. I'm assuming this article will light a fire under someone's ass and get her situation figured.

They already tried to save face and said they will pay her regardless. Sounds like they were biased with her medical review because she is the MVP.

Im just confused on what she takes 64 of?... I dont know of any medication or supplement that is safe to take in that amount. Even if its multiple different supplements, that still seems like alot. Cray

 

[Dcinmd]

They already tried to save face and said they will pay her regardless. Sounds like they were biased with her medical review because she is the MVP.

Im just confused on what she takes 64 of?... I dont know of any medication or supplement that is safe to take in that amount. Even if its multiple different supplements, that still seems like alot. Cray

They are not the same. A couple of repeat customers but not a lot.

 

[roggenb3]

Reading things from people with Lyme that seems to never go away makes me just feel really, really, lucky.

To me, Lyme was like nothing. It less than the flu, and over and done with after like 3 days on antibiotics. To my knowledge, I've had 0 symptoms since. Maybe I caught it early enough? Or maybe I already had so much chronic pain I just don't notice what's from Lyme and what's not? Idk, but I am very thankful I am not one of the people whose life was drastically altered from getting it.

 

[Nick Pacific]

Pulled 4 off this year so far, one just last week.

 

[wellsbranch250]

I was recently tested for lyme disease and instead tested positive for rocky mountain spotted fever (another tick borne disease). Back in the early 40s, before there was a known treatment, the death rate for rmsf was 12 to 15%. But thanks to science this has been reduced to 0.5% in the last decade. A substantial portion of the deaths today, occur for those electing to not seek modern medical treatment or they take the holistic approach.

 

[armiller]

I was recently tested for lyme disease and instead tested positive for rocky mountain spotted fever (another tick borne disease). Back in the early 40s, before there was a known treatment, the death rate for rmsf was 12 to 15%. But thanks to science this has been reduced to 0.5% in the last decade. A substantial portion of the deaths today, occur for those electing to not seek modern medical treatment or they take the holistic approach.

Interesting. Of note, one of the main reasons that doxycycline is a first line treatment for Lyme is that it also treats a host of other tick-borne illnesses which the offending tick may have had. Personally, I had some weird tick illness (~102 fever and diffuse myalgias/malaise) in Oklahoma that I got 7-14 days after pulling off a tick in a city park. I have no idea what disease it was, but doxycycline took care of it. I later contracted Lyme in northern West Virginia after a rugged disc golf day even though I didn't see a tick. Doxycycline took care of that as well.

Sorry that's TMI. But the point is:
- you can get tick-borne illnesses (including Lyme) even if you don't see a tick
- doxycycline is a nice, fairly well-tolerated medication that treats Lyme in addition to other tick diseases, especially if caught early enough
- other medications can be used for Lyme (amoxicillin and cefuroxime are also first-line meds) if you have an allergy, but dose schedules and duration may be different -- make sure to take a complete course!!! Even 21 to 28 days can be indicated.
- HOWEVER, not all simple antibiotics work; actually, my Lyme initially responded somewhat to cephalexin (a "1st generation" cephalosporin because we thought it was just a skin infection, while cefuroxime is a "2nd generation") before getting worse with a "sensory radicular neuropathy"

As a side note, I hear of people all the time that have some sort of chronic inflammation after Lyme. I believe it's a thing but haven't read much. Catch it early and treat it adequately, and I believe your chance of avoiding those chronic issues improve dramatically.

Oh... and with doxycycline, taking it on an empty stomach with 4-8 ounces of water helped me tolerate it perfectly. I had one pill barf after taking it with too little water.

 

[wellsbranch250]

Oh... and with doxycycline, taking it on an empty stomach with 4-8 ounces of water helped me tolerate it perfectly. I had one pill barf after taking it with too little water.

I was put on doxycycline as well. yeah, lesson learned taking with just a couple gulps of water. I felt just fine taking it with a small snack and full cup of water.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

When reading posts, I like to consider the source. IIRC correctly armilller is an Opthalmologist, which requires you to be an MD and allows you to perform surgery (unlike Optometry).

Perhaps he doesn't want to flaunt it, but my point is...

When it comes to listening to medical advice, people who've actually received a formal edumikashun in medicine, carry a boatload more weight with me.