Limes Disease

[johnnyboy]

Hi Everyone,

Just a few words on the above subject. I have just been diagnosed with Limes this week, after nearly a month of strange symptoms which seemed to be unconnected.

I have never felt lower back pain like it in my life and had to see a physio in order to try to alleviate it. She helped tremendously and I am now nearly fully mobile again.

It started like a bout of flu, lots of shivers, aching joints, headache and toothache( not just one, but all of them). Then I had a Cortisone injection in my left knee to help reduce swelling caused by Osteoarthritis. Shortly after that these other pains in lower back/abdomen started. The next week I had to return to the doc because I had suddenly started needing to get up in the night to go to the toilet, he suspected an infection in my prostate and sent me for an Echographie. That confirmed the prostate was enlarged, but not overly so for my age. He was about to prescribe anti - biotics when he stopped and thought about something. He then announced that he would like me to go for another blood test and wrote out a huge list for the laborotry. I went last wednesday afternoon and results came back on saturday, showing positive for all the antibodies connected with Limes. Saw him again on monday and am now on anti - biotics to treat it. Hopefully this has been found in good time!

Now to the real point of this message, I have researched a lot on the web on this subject and have found some surprising facts that although we were well aware of the dangers of this disease and took sensible precautions, I have still been infected.

I was not aware that it can be carried by anything other than Ticks, but it appears that the following can infect you as well:

Horseflies.

Spiders.( Only those that bite)

Mosquitos.

Mites.

There may well be others that we are not aware of, Bedbugs springs to mind as they draw blood to feed on too, who knows?

The only thing I have been bitten by this year was a Horsefly(Taon), which was earlier in the summer.

This year has been ideal conditions for Ticks, warm and humid. So please be careful when in the garden etc as the most likely place to get bitten is in your own graden apparently! Make sure you check yourself thoroughly after working/ walking in countryside etc, and if you do get bitten by anything, make a note of when /where/ by what ( if possible). I was first taken ill, the evening of 7th July and have been virtually good for nothing since because of the chronic fatigue along with all other symptoms.

Please, please do not over react to this, just take care as it really is the most debilitating thing I have ever had happen to me. If you are bitten by anything and then start getting strange problems, go and see your doctor immediately,I was lucky with mine as he has seen several cases last year and this year already. The area around us ( La Souterraine) is particularly prevelant this year apparently.

Best regards,

Johnnyboy

[mint]

Hope you feel better soon and thank you for posting.

I will now be specially on the look-out as we walk the dog most days in forests.

Let us know how you get on?

[suein56]

Thank you for posting; it is always helpful to be reminded of such occurrences, as we too easily become complacent re insect bites in our everyday lives.

Thank goodness that your GP was on the ball.

Hoping that you will return to full health as soon as possible.

Sue

[idun]

Good luck and I hope that you make a good recovery.

[Patf]

Hoping the antibiotics do the trick and you're over it soon.

I had a panic last year, when I found 7 small brown ticks on my body one night.

Went to the doctor next day, he said they had not been on me long enough to pass on a disease.

I didn't know it could be carried by horseflies etc.

[Théière]

[quote user="Patf"]Hoping the antibiotics do the trick and you're over it soon.

I had a panic last year, when I found 7 small brown ticks on my body one night.

[/quote]

Me too, and several crosses, turned out I had been doing my homework wearing shorts. [:)]

[Patf]

[:D]

I had to think twice+ about that one Teapot.

[johnnyboy]

Hi everyone, many thanks for all your good wishes and yes I will update on progress as and when.

Keep em coming T, need a good laugh at the moment!

Best regards,

Johnnyboy

[mint]

[quote user="Théière"][quote user="Patf"]Hoping the antibiotics do the trick and you're over it soon.

I had a panic last year, when I found 7 small brown ticks on my body one night.

[/quote]

Me too, and several crosses, turned out I had been doing my homework wearing shorts. [:)]

[/quote]

Go on then, score out of 10?

[Clark Kent II]

OK. I'm now probably going to be accused of pedantry, but this isn't my intention. If anyone is concerned about and does want to do any research, its name is Lyme disease (after a town in New England).

This disease, if not caught early, can lead to all kinds of long-term severe consequences. It is spread by a tick normally associated with deer and is widespread in the northern hemisphere.

[Loiseau]

Whenever I have read about Lyme Disease, it seems that the most obvious symptom is the sort of "bullseye" effect - a circular reddening of the skin around, and at some distance from, the site of the bite. Did you have this, johnnyboy? Or maybe that effect only lasts a certain time, and had faded by the time you consulted a doctor?

Angela

[idun]

That is what I believed too Loiseau, bearing in mind everyone is different. And that is why I bullied a friend who had had a tick bite into going to the Drs. she wasn't going to go, but did. She hadn't got lyme's, but the bite had become infected nevertheless.

[johnnyboy]

Good afternoon All,

Sorry to have been out of the loop for a while, was visiting a friend in hospital who seems to have much worse problems than I do (Pancreatitis).

Puts things into perspective somewhat for me, just having to keep a close eye on my diet, not a bad thing as like a lot of us I do with losing a few pounds!!

At least I can report a radical improvement in my general health since Monday, a-b 's must be kicking in now:)

Just for info, am looking at cutting out sugars as much as possible, also simple carbohydrates and drinking green tea instead of normal or coffee.

This on advice from several friends who are or were in nursing.

Weight has already fallen as my clothes are getting looser, possibly due to no alcohol for last three weeks as I could not face it, even before I started on the a-b's! :(

Had some fun phone calls from friends to keep me going, one of which said he would bring the Tequila, as I had all the limes:):)

OH has now labeled me "Gollom", as I have to keep out of the sun whilst on these a-b's, due to hypersensitivity!

Keep you all posted,

Johnnyboy

[mint]

Well done, you![:D]

I do believe, in my simplistic way, that cutting out alcohol and losing weight are good for the health and will solve many problems![:D]

Yes, I know, VERY reductionist thinking but I am of the firm belief that it works (says I, chilled white in hand![:P])

Keep getting better and better....................[:D]

[Patf]

Glad to hear you're feeling better Jonnyboy - I've heard several stories of people who were feeling poorly for months before Lyme disease was at last diagnosed, and the correct treatment given.

As a sideline, you probably know that ticks can pass on a disease to dogs called pyroplasmosis, I think it affects the liver and can be quickly fatal.

But it's easier to diagnose. Our dogs have had it, and recovered TG.

[Gardengirl]

[quote user="mint"]

I do believe, in my simplistic way, that cutting out alcohol and losing weight are good for the health and will solve many problems![:D]

Yes, I know, VERY reductionist thinking but I am of the firm belief that it works (says I, chilled white in hand![:P])

[/quote]

I cut out all alcohol, milk and milk products and biscuits, puddings

and cake and even chocolate when I got a nasty diagnosis 3 months ago,

lost a little weight, but not very much at all. It was about gaining

some control, not losing weight, so maybe it's just as well. However,

from the day I was allowed home from hospital I've had a daily glass of

champagne, occasionally two on a special occasion! Weight has stayed

constant. It's all probably good for my health, which is doing nicely.

Back to France before too many weeks have gone by, we hope!  [:D]

[mint]

Dear GG, how good to know that you are returned to health and champagne [:D]

Blimey, and don't you deserve it; no all those things you named!

I can do no alcohol for, say a month at any one time, and no chocolate I can do indefinitely.  No cake would be well nigh impossible.

I shall be on my health kick again come la rentrée:  gym will re-start and I won't like how I look in my gym clothes, the summer lunches with the randonneurs will be finished, I might even start doing some house work and autumn cleaning (I don't do spring cleans as I can never wait to get outdoors once the sun comes out again).

I don't much like this rounding in the middle like a Russian doll so will need to do some serious work.  OTOH, I sometimes think that as long as I have a healthy body, it matters very little what shape it is[:-))]

[Salty Sam]

[quote user="johnnyboy"] I have researched a lot on the web on this subject and have found some surprising facts that although we were well aware of the dangers of this disease and took sensible precautions, I have still been infected.

I was not aware that it can be carried by anything other than Ticks, but it appears that the following can infect you as well:

Horseflies.

Spiders.( Only those that bite)

Mosquitos.

Mites.

There may well be others that we are not aware of, Bedbugs springs to mind as they draw blood to feed on too, who knows?[/quote]

With all due respect johnnyboy, I think it only prudent to state there is no definitive scientific evidence to suggest anything other than the tick can transmit Lyme disease to man.

One of the problems associated with tick bites and unlike a horsefly bite, once a tick is attached, we are usually totally unaware of its presence unless we actually find it attached!

Fingers firmly crossed the AB's will do the job, and your doctor will arrange a second blood test to confirm you're clear of infection.

[johnnyboy]

Agree wholeheartedly SS, I can only tell my story with any certainty. I cannot verify the statement at this point in time about other sources of infection, only that I was definitely bitten by a Horsefly at about the time to allow for incubation of the bacteria. OH has checked me over for evidence of any other bites/stings and cannot see any at all, except where I was bitten on my arm.

I personally cannot see why the list of biting insects that I found should not be true, as a friend of ours said his wife was bitten by a spider and contracted the disease.

If Mosquitos can carry other diseases such as Malaria, West Nile Virus etc, then it would seem logical to me that they may be able to carry Limes as well.

Just my personal view of course, but I would like to see a lot of evidence to the contrary to alter that view.

A-B's seem to be really helping now, no aches/pains only feeling more tired than usual. However, took the dawg for a good long walk this AM:)

Johnnyboy

[Rabbie]

According to the NHS website Lyme disease can only be spread by ticks.

On a less serious note I think it unlikely a mosquito could carry even one lime given the difference in size and weight.

Hope you make a good recovery.