Yesterday, Tuesday, I was feeling less well, with an elevated temperature, slight headache, and mild nausea. I went to the doctor in the afternoon and he concurred that it was likely Lyme disease. I started on 3 weeks of the antibiotic doxycycline, the recommended dose when the disease is detected early. They extracted blood to test for Lyme; the test result is not back yet but I'm fairly certain of the diagnosis.
Here's a picture of my rash, which is now about 3 inches in diameter. Although it looks red and sore, it doesn't hurt a bit. The rash should fade in a few more days and I am, just in the last few hours, starting to feel a little better, just a day after starting on the doxycycline.
New Hampshire has the third highest incidence of Lyme disease in the U.S.; Delaware and Connecticut are ahead of us. Southeast New Hampshire, where I live and do a lot of my work, has the highest density within New Hampshire. Other factors that worked against me are that I often visit areas with tall grass and brush, including this month of June when the tiny, pinhead-sized nymphs are active. Nymphs can transmit the disease more quickly, in less than 24 hours, and because they are so small they are hard to detect. Lastly because I am freckled and have various other skin spots, the little ones are particularly hard to see.
Still, I should take more precautions, and will from now on. This includes checking myself EVERY night before bed and again in the morning. I find that ticks move around at night in our house, always searching for the breath of animals. I will also wear more protection on my legs, either knee high rubber boots or gators that prevent ticks from climbing up my legs. And, I will likely start spraying with DEET or something equally effective, around my boots and lower legs (but not my skin or around my face and hands).
The other item that I carry in my pack is a roll of masking tape to easily grab and seal in any ticks I find crawling on me or Kodi. Lyme disease is transmitted by the blacklegged tick (also known as the deer tick), not by the very common wood or dog tick. We seem to have a lot of both in our area. So, ticks and Lyme disease are just things we live with. The important steps are to take as much preventive action as possible and then watch for potential Lyme disease signs -- either the red bull's eye rash or just if you feel out of sorts. In my case, I had the classic symptoms.
Ellen . . . Gheez! So very sorry to read about the likelihood of you having Lyme disease. Please take care!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I want tell you that your posting had at least one positive outcome (at least as far as I was concerned). I never thought to carry a roll of masking tape with me to quickly grab any ticks crawling on me. Great tip! Thank you!! I detest painting, and so this will be a good use for the masking tape that I have sitting around and being used for nothing! :-)
John
Good luck with it Ellen. My wife found a deer tick on her just a week ago. Fortunately we've seen no sign of a rash or the other symptoms. But just finding it put a scare into us. We carry around some heavy-duty DEET in car but never use it. I'm afraid we're going to start having to.
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping that catching it quickly will prevent any long-term or recurring problems. Sounds like you're doing all that you can.
Thanks for the note Ken. I just popped my next dose of doxycycline and already feeling better. Yes, I am afraid that DEET must be brought into, at least, some action.
ReplyDeleteJohn, thanks for the note. Yes, the masking tape is key. Painting......one thing we avoid by heading north for a hike.
ReplyDeleteHope you are continuing to feel better & that you are finished with your antibiotics. Thanks for posting the picture of your "bulls-eye" rash... one thing I have found w/ Lyme disease is the bull-eye can look somewhat different on different people. The nice thing about it, is then the doctors will treat you right away. I don't like using DEET either, but will spray it on my shoes & clothing in an attempt to minimize its contact with my skin. I commented early in the year on your deer tick post, and just as a reminder, I've found it helpful to write down on the family calendar when we find a tick on someone (or other furry friend - we have 2 golden retrievers), this way it's easier to track if symptoms show up later, especially if there is no rash. I've found ticks to be less active during the hot, dry, dog days of summer.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments and suggestions Allyson. The antibiotics really seem to take care of it. I suffered no ill effects from the Lyme or meds (knock on wood. Tick activity has definitely slowed down in the recent month of hot weather.
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