a Lyme story…for Maz

[casey]

Hi Maz,

I ran into a lady who lives in my area that got sick last yr .

this woman woke up one morning with flu like symptoms, stiffness and some joint discomfort. She went to our local doc and was told a flu. It didnt go away so the next appt, they suggested west nile virus.

Well , she failed to tell  the doc about a small rash on her breast that was enlarging.Her daughter in law ended up taking her direct to a specialist the next week with no appt but he looked at her. She fianlly showed him the rash which she thought was nothing and unrelated. At that appt, they dug out the deer tick which was still in the tissue and they cut the tissue out around which was infected. She went home with antibiotics for a short time.

She got the deer tick bite at an auction sale in canada where most docs here say lyme doesnt exist. It was caught and treated early.

Given the above and the fact that i know nothing about lyme, and that she was on short term abx quickly, would that say she is out of the woods or could the infection be still there…waiting?

I just wanted to ask in case she does eventually get symptoms. she has been told it was caught early and never to worry but we know how many docs work. She never seen the specialist for a followup etc.

Thanks

Casey

[Maz]

[user=9]casey[/user] wrote:

She got the deer tick bite at an auction sale in canada where most docs here say lyme doesnt exist. It was caught and treated early.

Given the above and the fact that i know nothing about lyme, and that she was on short term abx quickly, would that say she is out of the woods or could the infection be still there…waiting?

I just wanted to ask in case she does eventually get symptoms. she has been told it was caught early and never to worry but we know how many docs work. She never seen the specialist for a followup etc.

 

Hiya Casey!

Thanks for sharing this story and helping to bring Lyme awareness to the Canadian contingent on the BB . They're saying now that all 50 states in the contiguous US are reporting cases of Lyme and ticks don't care about borders much. Here in CT, recent tick testing this year has shown that over 60% of deer ticks are infected with spirochetes and coinfections, meaning that if you're bitten, there is a greater than 50% chance of infection.

In Canada, CanLyme was set up to help bring awareness to this infection and even the stats there are staggering, considering the cold winters. It's been documented that ticks are very hardy, primitive creatures and have been around for millenia and can withstand very extreme temps. Preferring wooded areas with tall vegetation, they have a two year life cycle and thrive on certain animal populations that carry the spirochete (avian, rodent, deer, etc). So in years where winters are harsh, if animal populations diminish, then “infected” ticks are likely to be less, though their actual populations may not change all that much. Although ticks haven't evolved a whole lot, it is said that the Lyme spirochete has evolved plenty and, even though Lyme has been around since the beginning of time, they are now seeing many more virulant strains that have learned to adapt to environmental, medicinal and host defense mechanisms, making them much harder to eradicate.

There is a lot of denial about the extent of Lyme Disease here in the states and this is largely the result of poor dissemination of accurate information, minimal case reporting and inadequate testing.  With the ever-increasing fear of antibiotic resistance, there is also the concern of the “everyone putting up their hand” syndrome. Even Bush, with all his personal security, and the pretty 'sterile' life of a President, however, was not immune and came down with Lyme a couple summers ago…which caused a stir in the Lyme community, as he received immediate treatment, no questions asked, prior to receiving test results indicating one way or another. He had some pretty disconcerting neurological symptoms, as I understand it. 

Anyway…I digress! :blush: I guess the action woman side of me gets the better of me sometimes.

In answer to your questions. Your friend should be all right. If she received treatment promptly in what is called, “First Stage” Lyme, which by your description she did, she should be fine. Some people will continue to get mild aches and pains that continue on past treatment, but these eventually clear up, too. I think I read that for those who don't get prompt treatment and their Lyme has progressed to the third stage, 10% will go on to develop an 'autoimmune' reaction (likely in those genetically predisposed)…RA, Lupus, FM, CFS, MS, MCTD…and speaking with my LLMD recently, he confirmed even cases of PsA and scleroderma.

If her symptoms have completely resolved and she's in good shape and doing well, she's probably going to be just fine and her immune system will take up any slack.

If her symptoms linger past a month or two or disappear only to return at a later date, though, she should probably seek out an LLMD who would be conversant in chronic Lyme and coinfection treatment. The first line of treatment for Lyme is generally doxycycline for 2 to 4 weeks. However, it's worth bearing in mind that this treatment doesn't cover all the corners for possible coinfections that can also be passed by ticks.

In truth, no one knows if symptoms will return later down the line. Spirochetes are pleomorphic organisms and can remain dormant for long periods of time within the body. They may remain that way forever or they may re-emerge when the host's immune system becomes compromised at a later date. No one can really predict this. Recent mice studies have also shown that although the blood of Lyme treated mice may show serum negative upon testing, they still carry spirochetes in collagen rich tissues (brain, nerves, muscles, joints, skin, etc).

However, all that being said, prompt, adequate treatment usually does the trick in the majority of cases! You're a good friend, Casey, to care so much about this.

You've been missed, but it was so uplifting to hear how much you're enjoying life and just taking in all those precious family moments. Our kids grow up so fast and in the blink of an eye, it seems, they're all grown up.

Peace, Maz   

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