Found out earlier this month I have late stage lymes. Was bite a year ago but ignored the bite/rash thinking it was a spider bite. Most horrid flu a few weeks later, and past 6 months dealing with extreme fatigue, headaches, sore achy joints, muscles, stiff neck, swollen glands, handful of hair loss almost daily, weird rash on and off for 5 days over different parts of body (thought it was allergic reaction) nipple discharge which promoted blood work check for tyroid and prolactin levels and mammogram all were normal, seeing floaters, newer symptoms ringing in ears and tingling in hands and feet. No insurance :( so just trying to handle symptoms but at least all my unexplained issues over past year now make sense. Worse thing I'm dealing with is fatigue, weakness, back pain and weird grinding in my spine when I twist side to side and pain in my joints (namely wrists, knuckles, ankles and knees.)
Thank you for sharing. Is their a teaching hospital close to you? We have one about an hour away and they have a clinic that bases pay on your income and also have a pharmacy. After I lost my insurance I talked with my doctors and now receive a cash discount when I go.
I will def look into this! Thank you :) Purplebutterfly said:
Thank you for sharing. Is their a teaching hospital close to you? We have one about an hour away and they have a clinic that bases pay on your income and also have a pharmacy. After I lost my insurance I talked with my doctors and now receive a cash discount when I go.
Hi Zach, I took a photo that I had taken last Sept to my doc of the rash I had gotten then and tick was still embedded in the photo. At the time I thought it was a spider bite that I had scratched and made a scab. I couldn't see the site of the bite and that there was actually a tick there just thought the "spider" bite had caused the large red rash with white border all around it
. I had other medical issues going on (cervical cancer scare which was found to be endometriosis and fibroids) so honestly a bug bite was the least of my concerns back then. Had no idea how serious lyme was until over past 6 months started having all sorts of symptoms. Then I was going through pics deleting old ones and came across the photo from last year. Doc took one look and told me. Late stage Lyme and pointed out the tick that I unfortunately didn't pay enough attention to at the time. I was having symptoms all year that nothing was explaining, until doc saw the pic then it all finally made sense. Symptoms have been extreme flu like symptoms last October (6 days fever, chills, full body aches, stomach ache, too weak to walk), extreme fatigue, joints ache (knuckles, wrists, knees swollen/achy, ankles) lower back pain (constant sometimes shooting pain down back of leg), grinding noise along spine when I twist, stiff neck, stomach hurts, nausea, headaches, swollen glands sometimes lumps very bad along jaw under my ear, nipple discharge started 5 months ago which prompted blood work to check thyroid and prolactin levels which came back normal, mammogram normal (sent home no answers why that was happening at the time) and hair loss over past 2-3 months (handful every day) and now having ringing in my ears. Doc said the test they do isn't reliable but the photo is flat proof. I'm just now learning what all lymes is. I had no idea :(
Brown Mountain, Caldwell County NC Moved there onto 5 acres all wooded, stream along property. We have bear, coyotes and deer in the yard fairly often. Did a lot of hiking and picnicking in the woods with my kiddo. :-/ Zach said:
Where do you think you pick up the tick bite(like in what county,state)?
He’s currently involved in a study looking at forestry workers in Western NC where he collected samples from the clothes of about 140 workers last year.
“Ninety-nine percent of the samples we got were of lone star ticks,” Apperson said"
"Duik-Wasser also said that wherever she found populations of infected Ixodes scapularis(Black Legged ticks), about 20 percent of the ticks were infected wtih B. burgdorferi."
The odds that the tick that bit you was in fact carrying Lyme was very small.Just something to think about on your Lyme journey.
I’m finding different numbers via nc health dept however the rash and tick imbedded inside sealed the deal for my doc but am saving to have testing done asap. Still researching which lab to use.
Zach said:
The reason I asked is because Lyme is rare in NC.According to Tick Chek, there were only 3 confirmed cases of Lyme since 1992.
He’s currently involved in a study looking at forestry workers in Western NC where he collected samples from the clothes of about 140 workers last year.
“Ninety-nine percent of the samples we got were of lone star ticks,” Apperson said"
"Duik-Wasser also said that wherever she found populations of infected Ixodes scapularis(Black Legged ticks), about 20 percent of the ticks were infected wtih B. burgdorferi."
The odds that the tick that bit you was in fact carrying Lyme was very small.Just something to think about on your Lyme journey.
I realize I'm not in the counties were most disease was found, but lyme is very under-reported in many states.
During 2013, North Carolina reported 173 (39 confirmed and 134 probable) cases of Lyme disease.* For the 5-year period from 2009 to 2013, the state reported 601 (134 confirmed and 467 probable) cases.* Human cases have been diagnosed year-round, with most cases occurring April through July. By the end of 2013, four counties in North Carolina – Alleghany, Haywood, Guilford and Wake – had been classified as endemic for Lyme disease for surveillance purposes. This means that two or more cases have been confirmed in each county and the patients’ travel histories indicate that the infection was acquired in that county.
Let's see,601 people divided by four is about 150 people per year get Lyme in Nc, in a state with 10 million people.According to Dr Lantos from Duke U,about 80% of positive two tiered Lyme test's are false positives.
I was diagnosed in NC in Sept. 2010, took the prescribed Doxy, and was told I was better. That was that! The doc wouldn't discuss it any more! That was before I started reading and learning and understanding why it wasn't talked about or properly treated.
When I finally got to a Naturopath, the first question he asked was "Did you ever have ring worm?" Yep! Twice before I was ten... You guessed it! Lyme!... so I now know that I've had this disease all my life (I'm 59) and it was called many other things that put the blame on me! Oh! I grew up in the mountains of central PA!
Attached are two files I found regarding similar diseases found on Fort Bragg in 1942. Proof that Lyme was here long before the 70s in Lyme, CT.