A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

I don't want to clog up the boards with my personal tales of woe but if this helps someone avoid what Im facing it was worth the time to post it.

I got some good news/bad news yesterday. The good news is that we may have found the reason for my heart damage as well as a half dozen other nedical problems I seem to have developed over the last 3-4 years.

The badnews is that it's Lyme disease. The worse news is that it's probably not curable at this point.

The main reason I decided to post it here is that I've had tests for lyme several times that showed up negative. This time, it was detected because I saw a neurologist for neuropathy in my feet and she ordered a bunch of tests including several different tests for lyme. They took 11 vials of blood.

The obvious message is to be careful in the woods and with ticks but even more important is to be insistent if you have reason to worry and get tested EXTENSIVELY before all the bad stuff happens and whie it's still curable.

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

good message btb sorry for the bad news
lymes stinks as my wife has had it about 16 -18 yrs ago it has affected her joints

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

So sorry to hear that Bob.

Hopefully now that they are aware of what they are dealing with they can more effectively treat the issues, even if they can't be cured. Best wishes.

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

I'm sorry to hearabout your condition,we are getting better medicines all of the time,with luck you will be able to benefit from one of them in the future.

Can you list some of the symptoms that this started with or any thing we should look out for.

Thanks for the heads up, Jim

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

Thanks Guys

Good idea Jim

I think everyone knows about the bullseye rash after the tick bite but I never had that.

I think the big lesson is that almost symptom related to lyme mimicks something else. If you get more than one or two of these and you spend a lot of time in the woods, insist on extensive tests. I have been tested several times and I'm about to investigate what tests were done before because I now know that many of the tests are only somewhat reliable. When I had blood drawn this time, the nurse told me there were three different lyme tests on the scrip

The other lesson is that the vaccination, which I had shortly after it came out, doesnt prevent the disease 100% of the time. It may even bring the disease on. Its looking like the vaccine has been pulled from the market and I've found information that there is a possible class action suit against the vaccine maunfacturer

Here are the possible symptoms. It's kind of a broad list but thats what makes the disease so dangerous

I didn't have the first sign, the rash but I've had more than two thirds of the other symptoms over the past 4 years[:'(]

The Tick Bite
1. Tick bite (deer, dog or other)
2. Rash at site of bite
3. Rashes on other parts of your body
4. Rash basically circular and spreading out
5. Raised rash, disappearing and recurring

(NOTE: See the Lyme Disease Foundation website for pictures of Lyme rashes.)

Head, Face, Neck
6. Unexplained hair loss
7. Headache, mild or severe
8. Twitching of facial or other muscles
9. Facial paralysis (Bell's Palsy)
10. Tingling of nose, cheek or face
11. Stiff or painful neck
12. Jaw pain or stiffness
13. Sore throat

Eyes/Vision
14. Double or blurry vision
15. Increased floating spots
16. Pain in eyes, or swelling around eyes
17. Oversensitivity to light
18. Flashing lights

Ears/Hearing
19. Decreased hearing in one or both ears
20. Buzzing in ears
21. Pain in ears
22. Ringing in one or both ears

Digestive and Excretory Systems
23. Diarrhea
24. Constipation
25. Irritable bladder (trouble starting, stopping)
26. Upset stomach (nausea or pain)

Musculoskeletal System
27. Joint pain or swelling
28. Stiffness of joints, back, neck
29. Muscle pain or cramps

Respiratory and Circulatory Systems
30. Shortness of breath, cough
31. Chest pain or rib soreness
32. Night sweats or unexplained chills
33. Heart palpitations or extra beats
34. Heart blockage

Neurologic System
35. Tremors or unexplained shaking
36. Burning or stabbing sensations in the body
37. Weakness or partial paralysis
38. Pressure in the head
39. Numbness in body, tingling, pinpricks
40. Poor balance, dizziness, difficulty walking
41. Increased motion sickness
42. Lightheadedness, wooziness

Psychological well-being
43. Mood swings, irritability
44. Unusual depression
45. Disorientation (getting or feeling lost)
46. Feeling as if you are losing your mind
47. Overemotional reactions, crying easily
48. Too much sleep, or insomnia
49. Difficulty falling or staying asleep

Mental Capability
50. Memory loss (short or long term)
51. Confusion, difficulty in thinking
52. Difficulty with concentration or reading
53. Going to the wrong place
54. Speech difficulty (slurred or slow)
55. Stammering speech
56. Forgetting how to perform simple tasks

Reproduction and Sexuality
57. Loss of sex drive
58. Sexual dysfuntion
females only:
59. Unexplained menstrual pain, irregularity
60. Unexplained breast pain, discharge
Males only:
61. Testicular or pelvic pain

General Well-being
62. Unexplained weight gain, loss
63. Extreme fatigue
64. Swollen glands
65. Unexplained fevers (high or low grade)
66. Continual infections (sinus, kidney, eye, etc.)
67. Symtpoms seem to change, come and go
68. Pain migrates (moves) to different body parts
69. Early on, experienced a "flu-like" illness, after which you have not since felt well.

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

Sorry too hear - Bud.
It's a great post and thanks for the info., your surely to help someone and maybe even me ~ THANK YOU...

Take care and the best of luck.

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

sorry to hear that.

my friend did not get his dog a lymes shot.

the dog almost died 3 months ago.

rear legs locked up on him.

as for me, i get bit about 20 times from 4 th week of march until jan,not this year but last year ticks were out in jan.

i almost LIVE on anti botics every summer.


best advice is this,when you get home from woods,take all your clothes off and throw in wash.

next, go to mirror,get a full 6 ft long mirror.

look for ticks,usually they will be on your back from waist up and sometimes on your stomach.

95% are usually on your back.

use tick spray and keep your shirt collar closed on your neck.

take your hat and put a hanky,big one so it hangs down your shoulders.

most of ticks fall from trees while walking.

they follow your breath to your head,then down your neck.

my doctor said he hada hunter come in with 100 on him.

he was fishing in a small creek and a old rotten tree fell over he was leaning against.

if BIT, go to doctors,dont mess with it and dont look for a RASH, JUST GO.

get ADVANTIX 9 for your dog, it works GREAT.

dont let a dog on your couch or bed , ticks will come off them at night.then on you.

they need to come out with a tick spray that is odorless so it can be used in archery.

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

Sorry to here about your problems I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I suspect I'll get it sooner or later since I've been bit at least more than 20 times.

Does anyone else get a red rash around the bite and significant itching due to the anticoagulant they release?

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

BTB, sorry for this disease. I know you are a dedicated sportsman so I hope this will not affect your time in the woods. Glad they caught it before any worse, good luck God Bless!

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

Thanks for all the well wishes guys. I would guess that most of you already know that I don't run from fights and I'll win this one too. At least I now know what I'm fighting!

And seriously, if anything gives you reason to suspect lyme, insist on all thetests. Don't let them blow it offeven if you have to bitchslap the doctor into it!!

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

Sorry to hear that, I wish you all the best.

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

Take care Bob. Now that you've met the enemy, you know where to take the fight. You'll do well I'm sure.

Looking at that list has me convinced I either have it, or I'm becoming a hypochondriac.:D

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

That is one of the big problems with Lyme disease. there are so many symptoms caused by so many other diseases it is hard to know if you have it or not. and as BTB stated ,even the blood tests are 100% definitive.

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

Damn, I hope you overcome it.I've found one deer tick on me in my life and it hadn't bit yet, but one got my son last year, we had him tested and he came back negative and never got any symptoms.

My Beagle got Lyme's disease an I didn't get it in enough time to keep it manageable.

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

i got bit one time and it produced a nasty spot that doubled like three times. I went to the doctor and took the lymes disease medicine. 3 months later the same mark showed up on me, but i did not pull a tick out this time. THe doctor i went to almost argued with me that it was probably not lyme disease. i insisted i got the medicine and got it. Can never be to careful. I knew it was lyme disease though,.

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

most of the ticks get on you around your neck.

they follow your breath to your neck.

soooooooooooooooo,you have to keep your neck closed somehow, i have yet to come up with way to do that.

i put hankie under my hat so it hangs down over my shoulders, sort of like a legioners hat you watch on tv in those french wars.

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

Sorry to hear about that BTB. Thanks for the posts. It's easy for all of us to forget about things like that since we spend so much time in the woods. Think I'll be making an appointment to get checked out.

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

muzzy, you can use crossgun now for archery.vote was 4/3 in favor.

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

You get twitching of the feet that keep you up at night and can't sleep along with ringing of the ears BTB?

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

ringing in the ears? yes, big time. twitching feet? no, thank god!

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

dogs that are getting it locally are having trouble walking, their rear legs give out..

some adultsi know that have it are getting sore/stiff joints.

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

Sorry to hear that you have Lymes, but glad to hear that you now know what the deal is. I've been tested for Lymes 3 times with a negative reading each time. I have severe neuropathy in my feet, they twitch and jump all night long, which is being attributed to diabetes.I'm taking Lyrica and Amnitryptylene for the foot pain just so I can sleep. During the day, I'm taking 800mg of Motrin twice a day to reduce joint swelling and pain which has been attributed to a back injury and arthrytus(sp?) My eye problems have been attributed to the diabetes as well. The ringing in my ears has gone unexplained, and it comes and goes. Some days it's like someone is screaming in my ear. Other days it's like a low distant howl. There are several other symptoms on that list that I am experiencing that have been attributed to medicines and age..

Now I'm starting to wonder. I think it's time for the high dollar Lymes test to find out for sure. I just may be one of those folks that get to the bottom of ongoing medical problems thanks to your post. Thanks.

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

Well I got the constant ringing and hissing of the ears 24/7. Every night I get the twitching in the feet that drives me insane also. These 2 problems does make one go in sane. I am serious, It is hard to understand people when talking, Sounds like they are mumbling cause you can't hear the highs in their voice from the ringing.This has been going on for since 1998. Now they said it might be from diabetes also. I don't have the swelling of the joints though. If we do got lyme disease,It is way past the point of recovery I think.

Just curious if anyone who has these symptoms also can't see your polio shot scar any more? Mine is gone and just curious about that and also if anyones family members had polio? My grandmother did,Just curious about that also.

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

My scaris gone. Don't have any history of polio in the family.

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

Might want to try some vicks on your feet. Put on feet then place in plastic bag and cover with sock. It seems to soak in and help. I ordered this and I am waiting for it to arrive. Seen it on tv last week. I will let ya know how it works.

http://www.ghchealth.com/detox-foot-pads.php?gclid=CIK6uJa0s5gCFQrAGgoduhVaVQ

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

I've seen them advertised. I just might try them out as a replacent for the amnytrypylene. Thanks and let us know how they work for you.

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

I sleep with the radio on because of ringing ears.
Sometimes they howl pretty good.

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

The ringing ears doesn't really bother me when I try to sleep. I spent 27 years running coast to coast hauling meat to the west and and produce to the east. Sleeping in front of a screaming reefer unit or a idling diesel became a way of life. Now I can't sleep without the TV on. My biggest trouble is the jumping feet....they get to jumping under the blanket, and the ol'ladys cat sees fit to attack.

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

I'm getting a quick education on Lyme and from what I understand, there are at least 3 types of tests for it. It sounds like the Lyme DNA test is the one thats the most accurate. I'm waiting for an appointment with an infectous disease specialist but my primary care doc flat out admitted that he didn't know much about the DNA test. One of the reasons I have a lot of faith in my PCP is that he doesn't have a big ego when it comes to stuff that needs referred on to a specialist.

I know that diabetes is the number one cause for neuropathy but I am unfamiliar with the twitching feet problem or its cause.

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

Your lucky you don't have the twitching. You will stay awake untill you are so exhaustedthat youfall asleep. What it feels like kinda is when they do the foot reflex test.Every minute sometimes it creeps up slowly and you know it's comming and you just wait for it or shake your foot to try and avoid it. you don't want that.It screws up your life from a bad sleeping disorder. Your sleep pattern is never the same day after day.

RE: A very good reason to be careful out there!
 

I just read this thread. I hope you get to feeling better.


I read over that symptoms list and I have several of those.


For the last several months I've been having problems with sore joints and muscles and tired all the time.

This might be something to look into. I haven't been bitten that I'm aware of but that list of symptoms has me wondering.

I hope things work out for you!