Ladies and Gentlemen, listen up.This is a serious post and you all need to read it.

[logbutcher]

Get Well Av

Glad you're back on the mend Av. Lyme is deadly serious.
Most of us here spend our time outdoors in fields, woodlands, swamps. Your tale is well done and cautionary for all of us.

Some points:
The Deer (Lyme) T.tick is tiny--the size of a speck of pepper. For Av and I who do not shave our legs--yet :yoyo: --you'll barely know when it's on you. Hair is actually much larger than a Deer Tick. So unless you're a swimmer, Tour de France racer, or just strange, check yourself out after work. That includes ALL nooks and crannies (ticks love those warm places--mirrors or a significant other may help. This is not a joke. Do it.
Normal ticks such as the ticks behind the ears of your dog are easy to spot, larger to the naked eye, and removed simply.

A close friend who is the local minister spent a miserable 3 years running around to clueless doctors ( as has been said here) before finding one who diagnosed the Lyme stage correctly. He got the Deer Tick working his woodlot just behind his home.

Be careful out there. Thanks Av.....and welcome back to life.

 

[England14]

Thanks AV for all your posts. I always look for post from you. As soon as you finish that book I want an autographed copy, just let me know how much I need to send you for it. Hope you get back to normal soon.

 

[outdoorlivin247]

Well, I have determind that most of the Doctors in my area know less about Lyme than I do...

I have several calls and emails in with different people with no more answers than before...Hopefully I can find a LLMD to get some real answers in the next week...Would be nice to check one more thing off my list or get on a road to recovery...:msp_sad:

 

[blades]

The reall difficulty is the tests are not 100 % like a lot of medical things. Part of the "Black Arts"

 

[bayard]

300 tick bites

from 1985 to this year, i get bit 10 to 25 times a year.had the rash in 92.my 3 year old just stoped her amoxicillin.we saw the rash in time.we must be very very VIGILANT.k

 

[Patrick62]

get well soon

Av, that was one heck of a write up. There has to be nothing as serious as facing ones own demise. I think I can understand the perspective of "what's the point?" "gonna be dead anyway" and the "who would care?"

well Av, I would care. Along with thousands of others. Never, ever give up. View attachment 193504

One other thing... never underestimate the body's ability to heal. Sometimes it needs a little help. Pray a little (can't hurt) and keep your positive attitude! The power of mind... :msp_wink:

 

[mikefunaro]

If you can, just stash some doxycycline from another prescription and keep it on hand. Maybe you have some lying around from something else. There is new evidence to show that if you just take one or two pills right when you find the tick, you're good. Better than a 28 day course later which will make you sick to the stomach by the end.

 

[avalancher]

Well, I have determind that most of the Doctors in my area know less about Lyme than I do...

I have several calls and emails in with different people with no more answers than before...Hopefully I can find a LLMD to get some real answers in the next week...Would be nice to check one more thing off my list or get on a road to recovery...:msp_sad:

I'm sorry you are having trouble finding a doc that can help you out, but I have found that in some cases the best doctor you can find is yourself. I am not advocating you go in the business and hang out a shingle,but when it comes to your own care it pays to do as much research as you can on your own, and when you go see a doc go armed with some knowledge.

After all, doctors learn from two different ways.For one, they learn it in a book or lecture in medical school, and they forget tons by the time they get in practice. The other way of coarse is from experience.It never hurts to read up on the subject yourself, and if you fit the profile then demand treatment for lyme disease.After all, that is all the doctor is going by.Blood tests for Lyme disease are highly susceptible to false readings, and you basically have a 40 percent chance of having lyme disease and testing negative.
All in all, it doesnt hurt much at all to start the antibiotics and see how you feel. While its never a good idea to be on antibiotics if you dont need them, its far worse not to take them and need them in this case. Here is the questionnaire that my doc gave me to fill out.

Have you had any of the following?

1. Tick Bite (deer tick or dog tick?) Y N
2. Rash at bite site Y N
3. Rashes at other sites Y N
4. Joint/muscle pain in feet Y N
5. Swelling in toes, balls of feet Y N
6. Ankle pain Y N
7. Burning in feet Y N
8. Shin splints Y N
9. Unexplained fevers, sweats, chills Y N
10. Unexplained weight change (loss or gain) Y N
11. Fatigue, tiredness Y N
12. Unexplained hair loss Y N
13. Swollen glands Y N
14. Sore throat Y N
15. Testicular pain / pelvic pain Y N
16. Unexplained menstrual irregularity Y N
17. Unexplained milk production (lactation) Y N
18. Irritable bladder or bladder dysfunction Y N
19. Sexual dysfunction or loss of libido Y N
20. Upset stomach Y N
21. Change in bowel function (constipation, diarrhea) Y N
22. Chest pain or rib soreness Y N
23. Shortness of breath, cough Y N
24. Heart palpitations, pulse skips, heart block Y N
25. Joint pain or swelling Y N
26. Stiffness of the joints, neck or back Y N
27. Muscle pain or cramps Y N
28. Twitching of the face or other muscles Y N
29. Headache Y N
30. Neck creaks and cracks, neck stiffness Y N
31. Tingling, numbness, burning or stabbing sensations Y N
32. Facial paralysis (Bell's Palsy) Y N
33. Eyes/vision: double, blurry, pain, increased floaters Y N
34. Ears/hearing: buzzing, ringing, ear pain Y N
35. Dizziness, poor balance, increased motion sickness Y N
36. Lightheadedness, wooziness, difficulty walking Y N
37. Tremor Y N
38. Confusion, difficulty in thinking Y N
39. Difficulty with concentration or reading Y N
40. Forgetfulness, poor short term memory Y N
41. Disorientation: getting lost, going to wrong places Y N
42. Difficulty with speech Y N
43. Mood swings, irritability, depression Y N
44. Disturbed sleep: too much, too little, early awakening Y N
45. Exaggerated symptoms or worse hangover from alcohol Y N
46. Any history of heart murmur or valve prolapse? Y N

The things that really caught my attention at first was the rapid heart rate and the weight gain.I have gained 30 pounds in four months.I cut my food intake drastically, and nothing helped. Then the hard time concentrating, forgetfullness. I would walk out to my shop and by the time I got out there I forgot what I went out there for. Then my wife commented one night on how irritable I was becoming.

The thing that really shook me up?I actually got up one morning, ate breakfast, and climbed into the truck and drove into town.And forgot to change out of my night clothes of shorts and a t shirt. I knew I had a problem then.

outdoorlivin, get you some help before its too late. Be firm with the docs no matter what the blood tests say if you look over that list and say, "holy crap, thats me!" I am like most of you guys in the "I aint going to no doctor,I will be fine" area, but this one literally scared the crap out of me. In those last days before I got help, I would pick a fight with anyone over just about anything.Every muscle and joint hurt, I would forget where I was going half the time, and concentrating on anything was an impossible task. I changed the oil on my truck one day and for some god forsaken reason stuck the oil plug in my pocket.Looked all over for the dang thing, gave up, and went into town for a new one.Bought a plug for the wrong vehicle, got home, discovered my error, and went back to town to exchange it. Once I got there I couldnt remember which store I had gotten it from. Found the receipt, exchanged it, and went home. Later that night i wondered what that strange bolt was in my pocket when I cleaned out pants. It took me three days of staring at that friggin bolt on the dresser to realize what it was.

Look over that list.If you fit the profile for any ten of the symptoms, print it out and take it along to your doc. Dont take no for an answer, and dont let yourself get as bad as I did before you get some help.
outdoorlivin if you need any help, or anyone else for that matter, or just want to talk about it, shoot me a PM and I will send you my phone number.Life is to short to go down from a bug like this and everyone of you have a life that is too precious to give up.

I have been on my meds for a little over ten days now, and I can feel the difference already. Mind is clearing up, my attitude is changing for the better, and the energy is flowing back.Muscle aches are gone, heart quite racing, and I can actually type without a million errors or backspaces.I actually spent some time last night doing a little writing for the first time in three months, and it was very therapeutic.

Thanks again for all the attention you all have drawn to this issue, and for all the kind words. I dont know what I would do without all you great guys and gals.

Ed

 

[fordracer]

Av,i know im a newbie,and dont know you,but i just wanted to say that im sorry for what you have been through,and i cant imagine what it would be like,i hope you heal to 100%,i have to go in the woods sat. and cut 4 10 inch maples and 2 8 inch poplars,and i will be spraying myself down with off before going in,im so glad that i read this thread before saturday,may god bless you and heal you up completely.

 

[mitch95100]

Well thank you very much avalancher... because of you I am now being treated for Lyme disease.

I read your post a couple of hours ago, which made me think about this round itchy rash I've had on the underside of my arm for the last two/three weeks or so... a rash different than any other I can ever remember having (it's not like poison ivy and such). That got me thinking about how I've been feeling tired and a bit off lately, a little nausea, etc... nothing I couldn't attribute to this horrible heat and humidity, but still...

Well, your post scared me a little (guess I'm a wuss) and I called the clinic. They had me come right in, looked at the rash, asked me how I was feeling, etc. Anyway, I was told the rash is a classic example of the Lyme Disease rash with what appears to be a infected insect bite right in the center of it. Told me it was way too early for any blood test reliability so they weren't gonna' waste time and money on it, just started me on the antibiotics.

So, ya' know what? Your post ain't even a day old and it may have prevented someone (me) from getting real sick... 'Course we'll never know for sure, but the Doc did think there's real good chance it's Lyme Disease. According to him, the confirmed cases of Lyme Disease in Iowa is three times higher this year compared to last year.

In all seriousness... Thank You for the warning... I always figure I'm bullet-proof until someone gives me a bit of a scare.

Thanks a lot whitespider. I always knew their was ticks with lyme in iowa but never gave it a thought that it is in NE Iowa Now im scared ####less i still got over 60 years to live!!!!

 

[avalancher]

Av,i know im a newbie,and dont know you,but i just wanted to say that im sorry for what you have been through,and i cant imagine what it would be like,i hope you heal to 100%,i have to go in the woods sat. and cut 4 10 inch maples and 2 8 inch poplars,and i will be spraying myself down with off before going in,im so glad that i read this thread before saturday,may god bless you and heal you up completely.

Thanks for your kind words fordracer, they are highly appreciated. Keep in mind a few things, lyme disease from a tick bite is rare.Generally speaking, most ticks dont carry the disease. Your chances of getting infected is not real good, but it pays to be cautious and if you get bit keep an eye on yourself. I guess that is why I brought this subject up to begin with, I have always operated under the principle that I am bulletproof and highly unlikely to ever encounter anything as uncomfortable as lyme disease.Like everyone else, I get an occasional tick on me, and have merely in the past just pulled it off, smashed it on something, and went on my merry way and never gave any thought to what could happen afterwards.
Now I know better, and even though I still refuse to soak myself down with bug spray every time I go in the woods, I still take precautions like looking myself over carefully afterwards, and have even gone as far as have the wife look over my backside and head after a lengthy day in the woods. There is little doubt in my mind that the infection came from the ticks that managed to stay lodged in my head for an extended period of time.

I just got back from my doctor this morning, and while my EKG does not look good right now, he feels that I stand a pretty good chance of making an almost 100 percent recovery. My heart rate is slow like it has always been all my life, but there is a number of irregularities that will need to be addressed in the future if my body can not repair the damage on its own. My age counts against me, even though I am not an old man yet at the age of 44, my ability to repair is far less than if I was 24.Something else to keep in mind fellas. If you are over the age of 30, the chances of permanent damage from Lyme disease goes up dramatically with each passing year if the disease is allowed to progress without medical intervention.

I asked the doc what kind of measurements a guy can take to prevent an exposure, and sad to say there is no way I am able to follow his advise without serious changes in the way I dress. Things like long sleeve shirts and a stocking cap do not sit well with me, my standard uniform of the day for every season is a sleeveless shirt and a ball cap in the winter. I would be miserable with sleeves, in fact the only shirt I own with sleeves is my Sunday shirt, and I shuck that off the second i get home. But I guess it may be a small price to pay to avoid getting this again. Gonna have to do some thinking about all that before I don sleeves.

I did find and order some bug repellent lotion called Proclear, it is formulated for the outdoor kinda guy that sweats a lot (like me) and if it works good and doesnt sting the eyes I will continue to use it.

Stay safe out there guys.

Ed

 

[HDBiker2000]

Thanks Avalancher for putting up this thread.

About 2 years ago, I was admitted in the hospital for 3 days becausing I was passing out. Make a long story short, they found I was very low on blood. I needed to have a blood transfusion - 8 units to be exact. Anyways after my last units of blood, I felt like crap. Achy muscles & joints, headaches, tiredness, and even later diagnosed with sleep apnea. I was back to the doctor several times because I just didn't feel good. He thought it was because of all the blood I had gotten that my body needed to adjust.

Cutting firewood for a few hours in one day, it would take me 3 or 4 days to recover from it. 2 months had gone by since my hospital release and I came down with a sinus infection. This is not uncommon for me and I have antibiotics on hand for that. After taking the antibiotics for a day, all my muscle & joint aches basically went away. My wife thought it was all in my head because antibiotics just don't work that way. After many hours of researching the internet, I figured out I had lymes disease. I figured I might have gotten it the blood transfusion. I call my doctor and he contacted the blood center where my blood came from. They stated they do not test for Lymes Disease so a blood doner having Lymes Disease could have very easily transmitted the disease to me. Blood is only tested for HIV and hepatitis.

Please keep this in mind if you donate blood or need to receive blood.

Thanks
Gary

 

[fordracer]

I also forgot to metion to you Av,a gal friend of mine bought me this battery operated off fan that you clip on your shirt pocket or your pants,it comes with refills also,she bought it for me so when im out at my building sharpening the saws and other things,that the mosquitos wouldnt eat me up,well i was a little hesitant at first but i tried it sharpening some drill bits for 2 hours with nothing on but shorts and shoes,and low and behold,i never got hit the first time,so i will also be using this while in the woods,and i hear you about the age and taking longer to heal up,45 yrs. old here,we got to take care of ourselves.take care brother.

 

[jerrycmorrow]

so, that answers the "where the hell you been" question i've been having for the last couple of months. also, answers the "whatever happened to av's "what is this? contest". beyond that, and much more importantly, i'm extremely glad to hear you've been properly diagnosed and are being treated. really appreciate you opening up and posting the ordeal so others can benefit from your experience. your swift recovery is definitely in my prayer. God bless you av. now, get up, wash your face, and git to work.:msp_biggrin:

 

[avalancher]

so, that answers the "where the hell you been" question i've been having for the last couple of months. also, answers the "whatever happened to av's "what is this? contest". beyond that, and much more importantly, i'm extremely glad to hear you've been properly diagnosed and are being treated. really appreciate you opening up and posting the ordeal so others can benefit from your experience. your swift recovery is definitely in my prayer. God bless you av. now, get up, wash your face, and git to work.:msp_biggrin:

I have been around, but just not with a lot of enthusiasm. I have always had my morning routine of logging on here on AS while I suck down my breakfast, and occasionally making a few comments during the day on my phone or laptop.But lately its been just a chore just to get to work and get anything done that when it came to break time I was more than glad just to sit there.

As far as the "what is this contest", I have been holding off on it until the traffic picks back up here in the fall, its more fun when you got a bunch of guesses chiming in on it. The same with the helmet raffle, I figured towards the end of this month we will get that thing rolling again. Just not enough regular guys hanging on around here, and everyone is pretty busy in the summer.Figured it was far more likely for the helmet to get stuck in a closet and forgotten in the summer. Stay tuned, the fun will start soon.......

Been thinking about hitting up Darin for permission to use the AS logo and print up some hats or something and hand em out at cost. I found one place that will print them up nice for about four bucks a hat, maybe some coffee mugs and t shirts too if anyone thinks that is a good idea.

Looking forward to fall time when the whole gang shows up more often.......

 

[TreePointer]

I figured towards the end of this month we will get that thing rolling again. Just not enough regular guys hanging on around here....

I've been thinking the same thing--most folks around here now are highly irregular.

Been thinking about hitting up Darin for permission to use the AS logo and print up some hats or something and hand em out at cost. I found one place that will print them up nice for about four bucks a hat, maybe some coffee mugs and t shirts too if anyone thinks that is a good idea.

Looking forward to fall time when the whole gang shows up more often.......

That's a great idea. At a minimum, I'd get one of each for myself and then some for my firewood buds.

 

[super3]

I use this stuff.

Natural Mosquito Repellent Spray Non Toxic Mosquito Repellent For Babies

No deet, no nasty chemicals.

You have to re apply several times if you are out all day but you won't come home with ticks either.

 

[Beefie]

I have been around, but just not with a lot of enthusiasm. I have always had my morning routine of logging on here on AS while I suck down my breakfast, and occasionally making a few comments during the day on my phone or laptop.But lately its been just a chore just to get to work and get anything done that when it came to break time I was more than glad just to sit there.

As far as the "what is this contest", I have been holding off on it until the traffic picks back up here in the fall, its more fun when you got a bunch of guesses chiming in on it. The same with the helmet raffle, I figured towards the end of this month we will get that thing rolling again. Just not enough regular guys hanging on around here, and everyone is pretty busy in the summer.Figured it was far more likely for the helmet to get stuck in a closet and forgotten in the summer. Stay tuned, the fun will start soon.......

Been thinking about hitting up Darin for permission to use the AS logo and print up some hats or something and hand em out at cost. I found one place that will print them up nice for about four bucks a hat, maybe some coffee mugs and t shirts too if anyone thinks that is a good idea.

Looking forward to fall time when the whole gang shows up more often.......

I hear ya AV , been to dang hot of a summer to think about wood cutting, I have been bad on not checing out A.S. for weeks on end. The weather has changed and it was 54 degrees last night. Time to start wood cutting again. I think The Farmer took of the wheat soo I can get at my wood trailer again, it has been stuck on the back side of a corn field, long story.

Keep taking your meds we need you to wright that book. I am planning on buying 2 copies for myself.

I like your idea on shirts,hats and mugs, my only request and it would be tuff would be for products to be american made, lord no's any type of small buiss is struggling in these obama times.

Beefie

 

[KMB]

Wow. Just finished reading and skimming through this thread. Been busy with other stuff and not checking AS like I used to.

Thanks Av for starting this thread (and all your past threads). I have taken note. Glad to hear that you're on the mend and it seems like the good Lord has got your attention . I'll be talking to Him on your behalf. Prayer is a powerful tool and it does change things. Take care and again...thank ya!

Kevin

 

[cre73]

TTT for an important thread.