tick bite

Hi Bikegirl, I am the Director of the Lyme Disease Support Group of AL. I am also a nursing student.

Ticks carry a host of diseases. In fact, the majority of Lyme patients have 2+ tick born illnesses. I have Lyme and Babesiosis.

You can have the tick tested. I recommend either http://www.igenex.com or http://www.bbii.com

Lyme treatment is VERY controversal in the US (insurance companies many times refuse to pay). Do a search on Burrascano and it will tell you somewhat of the story. We actually have a network of Dr.'s who treat the illness "underground" in the US. That is why if you go to http://www.lymenet you will see Dr. D, or S, etc...but the Dr's name is not used. EVER.

I have seen way too many children in wheelchairs because a Dr. told them "we dont have Lyme in the South".

Also, (despite what you read) the ELISA/Western Blot were NEVER meant to diagnose Lyme. It is a clinical diagnosis.

If I can help in any way, please call 251-510-2136.

Kara Tyson

Mobile, AL

Welcome to the south lol! they make a little thing that you can keep on our keychain to remove ticks, from humans and dogs, and it never leaves the head in, but I cannot for the life of me remember the name of it. Are you using topspot from the vets or from wal-mart? because the one you buy at wal-mart is a waste of $$ you need frontline or comparable product from your vet. We spend alot of time outdoors with our dogs and they never get ticks/fleas. Also buy some human bug spray before you go out, and make sure to do whole body checks as soon as you get home. For some reason ticks dont like me and I may get one every couple of years thank goodness. but my family and I have had lots of bites and are all still healthy, not to dismiss the potential for tick borne diseases but dont worry too much. You need to get that head out of there though or it is going to get infected go to the MD if you have to but it has got to go. Also seven dust your yard you can buy seven dust at any walmart, wear a mask and gloves and make sure you wash up well afterwards You need to do this a few times per tick season, which is almost all year long.

http://www.anapsid.org/lyme/howtoremoveticks.pdf

Get a match and light it, then quickly blow it out and put the hot end on the tick. This trick works every time. They hate the burn, and will come off you.

These are the intructions we use at our Pedi Call Center. I hope it helps!!

2. WOOD TICK REMOVAL:

- Use a tweezers and grasp the wood tick close to the skin (on its

head).

- Pull the wood tick straight upward without twisting or crushing it.

- Maintain a steady pressure until it releases its grip.

- If tweezers aren't available, use fingers, a loop of thread around the jaws,

or a needle between the jaws for traction.

- Note: covering the tick with petroleum jelly, nail polish or rubbing alcohol

doesn't work. Neither does touching the tick with a hot or cold object.

3. TINY DEER TICK REMOVAL: Need to be scraped off with a knife blade

or credit card edge.

4. TICK'S HEAD REMOVAL: If the wood tick's head breaks off in the skin,

remove it. Clean the skin. Then use a sterile needle to uncover the head

and lift it out or scrape it off. If a very small piece of the head remains, the

skin will eventually slough it off.

5. ANTIBIOTIC OINTMENT: Wash the wound and your hands with soap and

water after removal to prevent catching any tick disease. Apply antibiotic

ointment (OTC) to the bite once.

6. EXPECTED COURSE: Tick bites normally don't itch or hurt. That's why they

often go unnoticed.

14. TETorifice BOOSTER: If last tetorifice shot was given > 10 years ago, needs

a booster. Call PCP during regular office hours (within 3 days).

7. CALL BACK IF

- Caller can't remove the tick or the tick's head.

- Fever or rash occur in the next 2 weeks.

- Bite begins to look infected.

- Your child becomes worse

8. CARE ADVICE given per Tick Bites (Pediatric) guideline

Ether,

Please dont ever use a match or vasaline. The tick will panic and vomit its stomach contents into the victim. Any stomach contents containing parasites, viruses, or bacterium are now in the victim almost for sure.

Shed,

I would add to those guidelines:

Keep the tick. Place in baggy with cotton ball. Mark the date.

Mark your calander as to the date of the bite, and also mark the calander 10 weeks in the future.

Photograph ANY marks, rashes. About 50% of patients with Lyme get a rash. DO NOT give away your original. We have had patients photos "disappear" from their patient folders.

If you can get prophalactic treatment. Do it! I personally believe in it. I have seen way to many people try to play catch up.

*I was told that I had a spider bite. I did not get treatment for a year. By that time perm. nerve damage was the result.

The following are the most common tick diseases in the US:

Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme)--*Over 300 strains worldwide

Babesiosis

Colorado Tick Fever

Ehrlichiosis

Relapsing Fever

Rocky Mountain (I have seen this without a rash)

Tick Paralysis

Tularemia

Q Fever

Bartonell h. (Cat scratch)

Southern Tick Associated Rash Illness (Master's Disease)

West Nile

Possible Hept. C

Hi Bikegirl, I am the Director of the Lyme Disease Support Group of AL. I am also a nursing student.

Ticks carry a host of diseases. In fact, the majority of Lyme patients have 2+ tick born illnesses. I have Lyme and Babesiosis.

You can have the tick tested. I recommend either http://www.igenex.com or http://www.bbii.com

Lyme treatment is VERY controversal in the US (insurance companies many times refuse to pay). Do a search on Burrascano and it will tell you somewhat of the story. We actually have a network of Dr.'s who treat the illness "underground" in the US. That is why if you go to http://www.lymenet you will see Dr. D, or S, etc...but the Dr's name is not used. EVER.

I have seen way too many children in wheelchairs because a Dr. told them "we dont have Lyme in the South".

Also, (despite what you read) the ELISA/Western Blot were NEVER meant to diagnose Lyme. It is a clinical diagnosis.

If I can help in any way, please call 251-510-2136.

Kara Tyson

Mobile, AL

I am a home health infusion therapy nurse in north Florida. In the past year, we have admitted 7 patients who were diagnosed with Lyme, for IVAB therapy. Several of these folks are chronic and are requiring long-term antibiotic therapy. 3 of these 7 have made amazing progress! All of these patients have had to go outside of our area and most have gone out of state to find physicians who are Lyme literate. Unfortunately, many, many of our local medical professionals (and our largest HOM provider )do not believe that Lyme is in the south. Our agency is working hard to become Lyme literate and we have one local physician who is also learning all he can about Lyme. This doc is now managing most of our Lyme patients and he is regular communication with Jemsek Clinic. Our problem now is the Insurance company who has begun to deny authorization for treatment for our Lyme patients. We are so new to Lyme and would appreciate anything that would help us to advocate for our patients. Our first patient started on IVABs last July and is just now begining to recover from the devistating effects of Lyme to her CNS and cardiac systems and expects to actually go back to work in the summer. Another gentleman came to us 6 weeks ago. He could not walk without assistance, had difficulty speaking, generalized muscle weakness and flaccidity and loss of cognitive function (he was previously diagnosed with ALS). He was started on Ceftriaxone (Rochepin) therapy and in 6 weeks, he's no longer needing assistance for walking, is regaining muscle tone and strength (he works out every day now) and has had marked improvement. His HMO is denying any further coverage. Can anyone help us fight these HOM's? Desperate in Florida!!!!

I am a home health infusion therapy nurse in north Florida. In the past year, we have admitted 7 patients who were diagnosed with Lyme, for IVAB therapy. Several of these folks are chronic and are requiring long-term antibiotic therapy. 3 of these 7 have made amazing progress! All of these patients have had to go outside of our area and most have gone out of state to find physicians who are Lyme literate. Unfortunately, many, many of our local medical professionals (and our largest HOM provider )do not believe that Lyme is in the south. Our agency is working hard to become Lyme literate and we have one local physician who is also learning all he can about Lyme. This doc is now managing most of our Lyme patients and he is regular communication with Jemsek Clinic. Our problem now is the Insurance company who has begun to deny authorization for treatment for our Lyme patients. We are so new to Lyme and would appreciate anything that would help us to advocate for our patients. Our first patient started on IVABs last July and is just now begining to recover from the devistating effects of Lyme to her CNS and cardiac systems and expects to actually go back to work in the summer. Another gentleman came to us 6 weeks ago. He could not walk without assistance, had difficulty speaking, generalized muscle weakness and flaccidity and loss of cognitive function (he was previously diagnosed with ALS). He was started on Ceftriaxone (Rochepin) therapy and in 6 weeks, he's no longer needing assistance for walking, is regaining muscle tone and strength (he works out every day now) and has had marked improvement. His HMO is denying any further coverage. Can anyone help us fight these HOM's? Desperate in Florida!!!!

I've heard this time and time again. Something needs to be done about this crisis. What can we do to get the laws changed so that insurance companies cannot deny treatment of diagnosed lyme disease? Doing it state by state isn't going to be good enough because some states may never change the law. Can it be done federally to get it changed nation wide? Many lives are ruined or will be because of the lack of knowledge on lyme disease.