Deer tick bite

[Bukmastr]

I was biten by a deer tick on the ankle about a week ago and noticed the trademark bullseye rash around the bite yesterday. I went to Quad med today to have it looked at and got a doctor who has NEVER delt with lyme disease But "no fear" he studied it on the internet for 5 minutes prior to my appointment. He said, "yea, dat dare looks a bit like da picture on da internet" "But what you doing here if you aint sick yet?" I told him from what I have read, and heard on lymes disease its critical to have early detection for prevention.
His response was, "Ok then, stop by and see me if you get any of the symtoms".
I said, I am already starting to feel some fevor and nausea... He scolded me saying "Lymes disease will make all your joints ache and you will be very sick.. IF THAT HAPPENS COME SEE ME!!!! He then gave me two pills to take that he said might clear the whole thing up... I bet they were placebos

Here is a pic of the bite location.



Here is some info I pulled off the web...

Lyme disease is diagnosed based on symptoms, physical findings (e.g., rash), and the possibility of exposure to infected ticks; laboratory testing is helpful in the later stages of disease. Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics.

Sounds to me like the rash, and exposure should of told the doctor to imeadiatly put me on Anti-biotics!!!

Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has funded several studies on the treatment of Lyme disease. These studies have shown that most patients can be cured with a few weeks of antibiotics taken by mouth. Antibiotics commonly used for oral treatment include doxycycline, amoxicillin, or cefuroxime axetil. Patients with certain neurological or cardiac forms of illness may require intravenous treatment with drugs such as ceftriaxone or penicillin.

Patients treated with antibiotics in the early stages of the infection usually recover rapidly and completely. A few patients, particularly those diagnosed with later stages of disease, may have persistent or recurrent symptoms. These patients may benefit from a second 4-week course of therapy. Longer courses of antibiotic treatment have not been shown to be beneficial and have been linked to serious complications, including death.

Acording to the medical books I find online, Erythema migrans (the bullseye rash symtom of Lyme) should be sufficiant reason to administer anti-biotics...

Erythema migrans. Doxycycline (100 mg twice per day), amoxicillin (500 mg 3 times per day), or cefuroxime axetil (500 mg twice per day) for 14 days (range, 10–21 days for doxycycline and 14–21 days for amoxicillin or cefuroxime axetil) is recommended for the treatment of adult patients with early localized or early disseminated Lyme disease associated with erythema migrans, in the absence of specific neurologic manifestations (see Lyme meningitis, below) or advanced atrioventricular heart block (A-I). Each of these antimicrobial agents has been shown to be highly effective for the treatment of erythema migrans and associated symptoms in prospective studies. Doxycycline has the advantage of being effective for treatment of HGA (but not for babesiosis), which may occur simultaneously with early Lyme disease. Doxycycline is relatively contraindicated during pregnancy or lactation and in children <8 years of age. Antibiotics recommended for children are amoxicillin (50 mg/kg per day in 3 divided doses [maximum of 500 mg per dose]), cefuroxime axetil (30 mg/kg per day in 2 divided doses [maximum of 500 mg per dose]), or, if the patient is 8 years of age, doxycycline (4 mg/kg per day in 2 divided doses [maximum of 100 mg per dose]) (A-II).

[Bukmastr]

I contacted the head of Quad med and explained the situation. He forwarded my internet research to a Lymes specielist who called me and said I indeed have lymes disease and need to get on the antibiotic meds right away and sent the prescription and amount of the drug I requested to our pharmacy

Being a little proactive and watching out for ones own well being is the best medicine we have Let this be a lesson not to put all your faith into one or two Doctors. Do some research, ask some questions, take action man!!

[Huntress78]

I'm really glad you pursued this and got a second opinion. I have a friend who did not know he had Lyme disease and he missed months of work before the doctors figured out what was wrong. It was so advanced that it took the better part of two years for him to recover.

[pk]

(guess it just gets worse in time) and I thought it stayed with just flu like feelings, joint pain etc...

Other psychiatric manifestations that have been reported in the scientific literature include: panic attacks; disorientation; hallucinations; extreme agitation; impulsive violence, manic, or obsessive behavior; paranoia; schiziphrenic-like states, dementia, and eating disorders

among other issues.

Check out the site: http://www.lyme.org/otherdis/ld_symptoms.html

[Huntress78]

Originally Posted by pk

(guess it just gets worse in time) and I thought it stayed with just flu like feelings, joint pain etc...

Other psychiatric manifestations that have been reported in the scientific literature include: panic attacks; disorientation; hallucinations; extreme agitation; impulsive violence, manic, or obsessive behavior; paranoia; schiziphrenic-like states, dementia, and eating disorders

among other issues.

Check out the site: http://www.lyme.org/otherdis/ld_symptoms.html

pk, you're right. My friend was very disoriented at times and he said you can add short term memory loss to that list as well.

[MrKhay]

Sounds like my daily routine. My deal is a brain injury...but I can see some of the same symptoms.

Getting a second opinion is a very good idea. When I had my initial brain injury, the first doctor diagnosed stomach flu, and put me on Gatorade. After I wouldn't wake up in the morning, another doctor was contacted, and I was diagnosed with a stroke. Further diagnosis, and reviews proved that I had had 5 mild strokes in all. It took sometime to re coop, and still, to this day, some symptoms remain.
So I always ask for a second opinion when I feel I have a serious concern.
It can't hurt!

[Bukmastr]

When my sister Karen was a child she was misdiagnosed as having a bad cold and mistreated. She really had Spinalmeningitas (I think thats what it is?) Any way, she now spends her life in a wheel chair 1/2 paralized and has mental retardation becuase of a bad diagnoses....