WEBlue

This is similar to my friend. She never felt the bite or saw the tick but developed a rash that looked like a mild burn on her leg. The rash spread over a lot of her leg then gradually disappeared. That leg developed pain and arthritic symptoms a year later, & those got worse. Plus she had other symptoms.

Over the years she was tested for many things, like lupus, MS, rheumatic fever, malaria, etc. IIRC, she had fights with her insurance company due to changing doctors & it took her around 10 years to get the proper antibiotic treatment. She also did some weird Chinese herbal detoxes that I never understood.... Today she's more or less OK, pretty much back to normal.

Apparently it's still difficult in this country (USA) to get a diagnosis in some areas. Medical science cannot keep up with it and the other tick-borne diseases, which often co-infect with Lyme, & can change or intensify Lyme symptoms. The whole business of tick diseases is a complicated mess, really.

But I would definitely talk to your doc about it, and bring any resources you can to back up your words.

Here's a page on Lyme orgs. in Canada, which you may have already found....
The Lyme Disease Network Support Groups Listing

vtcarter6

It's a long shot but we're trying rose geranium oil as a repellent. Lots of info online about it. We'll see how it goes...

Nutmegger

I took part in the Lymerix trials. This is the story of the vaccine and why it was withdrawn: The Lyme vaccine: a cautionary tale

ottotheboar

Not seen any yet and the overall bug count is low, possibly the harsh winter we had killed a good number off.

WEBlue

Maybe that worked to kill off the other softer-bodied bugs, but I heard a tick expert on the radio say that even the worst cold/snow doesn't kill ticks, just makes them go dormant till the temperature warms up to 38 or something like that...once that happens they're off on the hunt for their next blood meal again.

Sounds to me like their physiognomy might help them take over the earth, along with the cockroaches and rats....

Speaking of bugs, starting late last month we've had a fair few crops of ladybirds/ladybugs hatching out from two of our windows. I kept telling them it was too cold outside to release them (snow still on the ground), so they bumbled around those windows for a couple of weeks, waiting. Once our snow finally disappeared I let them out the window, and yesterday I think I released the last one. There must have been a couple dozen in all! Hope they're all getting ready to eat the aphids off my vegetables later in the summer.

Nutmegger

Have you heard about the latest fun tick-borne virus, Powassan? Never a dull moment around here . . .

Powassan Virus | Powassan | CDC

WEBlue

Incredible--the tick news just gets worse & worse!! Maybe this is why some people get more ill with more serious symptoms some time after a tick bite. It's not just Lyme (or what they thought was Lyme, or one of the other known possibilities babesiosis, anaplasmosis, etc.) but was actually this new virus....

Does anyone else find the info on this Powassan virus very vague?

Quote:

Symptoms
Many people who become infected with POW virus do not develop any symptoms. POW virus can cause encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and meningitis (inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord). Symptoms can include fever, headache, vomiting, weakness, confusion, loss of coordination, speech difficulties, and seizures.

Diagnosis
[Presently] based on a combination of signs and symptoms and laboratory tests of blood or spinal fluid. These tests typically detect antibodies that the immune system makes against the viral infection.

Treatment
There is no specific medicine to cure or treat POW virus disease. Treatment for severe illnesses may include hospitalization, respiratory support, and intravenous fluids.

So does it cause respiratory trouble, or neurological trouble, or both? And yet sometimes no symptoms whatsoever?

Other sites I check seem to say similar confusing things about it. The first case was recorded in 2005; you'd think there would be some kind of body of knowledge by now, but...I guess not....

scrubbedexpat091

Sounds like because of the low number of diagnosed cases, they must have seen a variety of different reactions to the virus. Some viruses are tricky little buggers, might make one person deathly ill, will barely make another even sneeze.

I swear insects will be the downfall of life..


The moose here are having major tick issues, so bad they look like a giant walking tick factory.

The warmer winters each year are causing major issues with ticks and moose, some have some many ticks on them they die from the infestation.

I think the US regions are having the same issues.

Up this way climate change is quite noticeable, and looking at the fact that even 40 years ago where I live got several feet of snow every year and now we are lucky to get 1 day of snow, its kind of concerning.

Our forests are being wiped out by a beetle too, the winters are now too warm to kill the larvae off, so they are reproducing like mad.

scrubbedexpat091

Health Canada has decided to expand testing for the virus mentioned above.

Wish they could find a way to test for lyme....

WEBlue

Yes, relatives in Vermont say the same thing, that the moose numbers are rapidly declining due to ticks. Either the aenemia from having so many ticks draining them lowers their resistance to moose diseases, or perhaps it's some of these tick-borne diseases that are killing them off. That this is happening to such mighty, awesome animals is just terrible!

Yep that's here in New England too. I think it's the mountain pine beetle. But actually I've heard there are several tree-boring beetles that are expanding their ranges northward with climate change.

ottotheboar

One of the main problems we get is the Southern Pine Beetle. We lost some big pines to them a couple of years ago.
Last year however we saw no sign of them.

scrubbedexpat091

We have several odd winters in a row now, and this past winter we even had birds who should have gone south stay because its been so mild and they can find food, and of course the geese don't leave any more, nor do the ducks like they used to.

We have several glaciers around town, and photos from even 50 years ago are startling because of how much of them have melted. The large peak over looking town even 30 years ago used to have snow year round, now by end of July its usually bare.

And its becoming harder on the ski resorts, they can't even predict when they will get a winter that is desirable for skiing, some couldn't even open this year.

Tess4

I lived for many years in Austria, where lyme disease exists. We get vaccinated for it. Although there is much controversy of course, but just to say the vaccine does exist, its bog standard in Austria.

I use something that is without chemicals for my dogs, as opposed to the vaccine, which is also against heartworm etc. Its also good for humans, so if anyone wants the name I'd be happy to post it.

WEBlue

Have you used this non-chemical item on yourself? I'd be interested in knowing what it is....

Nutmegger

In the past I used various essential oils that were supposed to deter ticks -- they didn't. I hate chemicals, but after losing one dog to the lingering effects of Lyme (in pre vaccine days), I gave in and use the meds now.