Lyme Disease Thread

Robson said:
Here you go...

A gripping tale of microbes, medicine & money, UNDER OUR SKIN exposes the hidden story of Lyme disease, one of the most serious and controversial epidemics of our time. Each year, thousands go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, often told that their symptoms are all in their head. Following the stories of patients and physicians fighting for their lives and livelihoods, the film brings into focus a haunting picture of the health care system and a medical establishment all too willing to put profits ahead of patients.
Click to expand...

I will be adding this documentary to my Netflix queue....thank you.

I know a lot of people can't stand Michael Moore, but "Sicko" is a great documentary about the US health care industry and the shady practices of our insurance companies. It's horrible that insurance companies worry more about their bottom line/stock price/executive pay than the people they should be caring about. It puzzles me how we allow health insurers to be publicly traded, it's disgusting.
 
Last edited:
ization said:
I will be adding this documentary to my Netflix queue....thank you.

I know a lot of people can't stand Michael Moore, but "Sicko" is a great documentary about the US health care industry and the shady practices of our insurance companies. It's horrible that insurance companies worry more about their bottom line/stock price/executive pay than the people they should be caring about. It puzzles me how we allow health insurers to be publicly traded, it's disgusting.
Click to expand...

You should also watch Foodmatters...also available on Netflix. It opened my eyes.
 
Yeah ticks freak me out quite a bit, I've been noticing them more often lately and I'm also getting a bit more paranoid about them, but I get them off pretty fast.

If anyones interested in learning more about the health insurance industry, I'm reading a book right now called Deadly Spin that's pretty interesting.
 
I have been using tick spray and it must be working. All season long, riding 3 or more times a week, the only ticks I have had on me are ones from the parking lot before I put the spray on. Now I just hope the spray is not worse then the ticks for my health 🙂
 
Took a bunch of ticks off me after a ride at Mahlon friday. They are definitely out there.

Food Inc. was a really good documentary. There was another good one that focused more on the grains and the GMO soy, wheat, etc. Tapped would be another good one I reccomend. It talks about the bottled water industry and how we are polluting the environment with all the plastics.
 
I had a nymph deer tick on me yesterday. Boy was it small. I only noticed a slight dot when I put my reading glasses on. I grabbed a loupe to check and it was on there good. Hope it was not on long. :cry:
 
I pulled a deer tick out of my thigh Monday. I am pretty sure I picked it up at the Allaire TM and/or ride after, that Sunday. I have been good so far....
 
Crap, I have the same rash I got last year when I discovered I had Lymes for the 2nd time. I don't think they were linked but wtf! Hives on my ankles, wrists, and stomach. Don't tell my wife. I don't want to take the antibiotics this week, I have a 24 hour car race on Saturday. Crap.
 
About 4 years ago I was feeling very sick and went to the doc. He got a positive Lyme test and prescribed Amoxycillin. I took it for a month and still didn't get better. I ended up in the hospital after I had double vision and violent chills. I was shaking so hard I could hardly drive (and it was 85 degrees) and I was wearing fleece. I spent 5 days in the hospital on IV antibiotics and had a PIC line in my arm for another month giving myself injections every day. It turns out that I had Lyme and Babesiosis. Later found out that Babesiousis is not cured by Amoxycillin but is by Doxycyclene. I went with the Amoxy because doxy makes you sensitive to the sun. If I only knew! If given the choice get the Doxy. Even being vigilant, I still get ticks. I almost never see them until I get bitten. I see the red bump before I see the tick.
I have loads of ticks in my yard. I pulled 5 off of me this month alone (and I have my yard professionally sprayed for ticks) The "tick lady" as she's called sprays a food grade tick killer. I think it called deciduous earth. It seems to help because in previous years I pulled up to 15 off! Probably would help if I didn't have indoor/outdoor cats and work in my yard in sandals. She also gave me a vitamin B patch that is supposed to repell ticks for 36 hours. Haven't tried it yet though.
 
Crap.

I always check for ticks after a ride, but last weekend after 6 Mile, I missed one on my knee and didn't find it until the next day. Now the bite has developed into a nice itchy rash that's still there 3 days later. It didn't turn into the bullseye pattern but from what I've read that doesn't always happen. Guess it's time to go to the doctor.

Anyone know of a doctor in central Jersey who's familiar with/a specialist in Lyme?
 
dmc123 said:
If given the choice get the Doxy.
Click to expand...
The Doxycycline is brutal stuff. I was on it for 3 weeks and I basically felt terrible that entire 3 weeks. All I wanted to do was drink seltzer water.

after the tick I pulled off (like someone else said, like a very difficult clod of dirt to pull off) was only on for a few hours I went to the doc and got the tick tested. He gave me the doxy as a precaution and probably to ease a case of hypochondria I was having from the tick bite 😀
turns out the tick was lyme positive, but I am fairly sure I am in the clear. going for a blood test next week to be sure.
 
TKR said:
The Doxycycline is brutal stuff. I was on it for 3 weeks and I basically felt terrible that entire 3 weeks. All I wanted to do was drink seltzer water.

after the tick I pulled off (like someone else said, like a very difficult clod of dirt to pull off) was only on for a few hours I went to the doc and got the tick tested. He gave me the doxy as a precaution and probably to ease a case of hypochondria I was having from the tick bite 😀
turns out the tick was lyme positive, but I am fairly sure I am in the clear. going for a blood test next week to be sure.
Click to expand...

If you could see the tick, it probably wasn't a deer tick. They're less than a tenth the size of a regular tick. They'd appear to be a spot of dirt on you. A regular tick can carry all kinds of nasty infections, but nothing as bad as Lyme (and, as far as I understand, nothing chronic.)

I wasn't given Doxy for my infection. Just Amoxycillin. Made my stomach a bit queasy, but nothing too bad.
 
Also an FYI a tick can live for about a month in your car so cleaning your car regularly will help because even if they are on you, your bike or clothes they can end up in your car and then on you later.
 
Just got back from the doctor and she says she's 99% certain I have Lyme. Something came back in my blood test that she says is a "tell." That combined with my symptoms and lifestyle makes her pretty confident that I have it. I'm not fatigued but have had abnormal joint pain for months and my fingers and toes have been going numb sometimes. I've also had some heart palpitations that pop up on some of my rides when I'm pushing it a bit.

The CDC guidelines are outdated and inaccurate. If you think you have symptoms then go to a Lyme disease specialist who is listed with International Lyme And Associated Diseases Society. Your regular doctor may just go by the CDC standard results in a blood test. Its very likely it will come back negative and they'll just brush it off as you having "allergies" or something else.

I'm now on doxycycline for at least 2 months!:cry: Plus I have to take vitamin D and probiotics. 🙁

At least she didn't tell me I couldn't ride.😀
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom