Lymes Disease

[Jonathan Cummings]

I was hunting for golf balls in the woods of my home club (Hagerstown, MD) this past Sunday.  Apparently, a deer tick hitched a ride.  I noticed him last night some 36 hours after he had been happily imbibing.  The infliction was quite inflamed so today I saw my doctor.  He took one look at the wound, took a blood sample (which he said was notoriously unreliable) and told me it is likely I have Lymes Disease and he prescibed treatment accordingly.

Not knowing much about it I quickly learned some details about Lymes Disease.  Caught early (like in my case) it is basically a non-issue.  Three weeks of anti-biotics and that's it.  Lymes comes from deer ticks, not "standard" ticks (one's you pick off you dog).  Deer ticks are very small compared to other ticks.  99% of all Lymes Disease cases in the US are reported in New England (Lyme, CT is where the name comes from) and the mid-Atlantic.  Lymes can be fatal but only if left untreated for months and months.

As a Boy Scout and life-long backpacker I have pulled a fair share of ticks off me and have never thought 2 seconds about it.  In this case, the quick inflamation was unusual and was clearly warning me to take notice.

Anyway, take notice of yourselves as you play parkland courses in New England and the mid-Atlantic.  You may adopt a handicap you don't want!

JC
 

[Tim Bert]

Deer ticks were a major contributor to a practice I adopted in CT almost 9 years ago. One that I still follow today for a variety of reasons - always wearing pants when I golf or hike.

[Kyle Harris]

Lyme Disease (no 's').

The antibiotics are the worst aspect of the treatment regimen, they'll make you moody and grouchy.

[Melvyn Morrow]

Kyle

That explains a lot, here I was thinking it may have something to do with your youth. Good news then – you are on the mend.

I know what these little Ticks are like, they can get under your skin and be a total pain in the arse.

Hope you shake the side affects soon

Melvyn

[Kyle Harris]

Kyle

That explains a lot, here I was thinking it may have something to do with your youth. Good news then – you are on the mend.

I know what these little Ticks are like, they can get under your skin and be a total pain in the arse.

Hope you shake the side affects soon

Melvyn

Moody and grouchy, not defensive and spiteful. 

[Melvyn Morrow]

Kyle

Think you made a small mistake ‘truthful and honest’ but certainly not defensive and spiteful.

I’ll excuse you because you are still suffering from the side affects.

[Kyle Harris]

Kyle

Think you made a small mistake ‘truthful and honest’ but certainly not defensive and spiteful.

I’ll excuse you because you are still suffering from the side affects.

I was, umm, speaking about myself.

[Tom_Doak]

Jonathan:

I had a friend visiting from Australia a month ago and tried to warn them about Lyme disease ... when you start explaining it to a novice you realize how scary it is.

I've known four or five people in the golf business who were infected, including two on construction sites.  Good thing you caught it early.

[cary lichtenstein]

I have a good friend who got Lymes Disease years ago and is a cripple now. Beware, this is serious stuff, and not something to joke about

[Kyle Harris]

I have a good friend who got Lymes Disease years ago and is a criple now. Beware, this is serious stuff, and not something to joke about

I still have days where I wake up feeling like I have the flu, but am otherwise healthy.

BTW, the Lyme test is the exact same as an AIDS test since both are immunodeficiency type diseases.

[Brad Swanson]

BTW, the Lyme test is the exact same as an AIDS test since both are immunodeficiency type diseases.

Kyle,
   Are you sure about this?  Lyme disease tests are based on detecting the presence of the bacteria carried by the tick that cause the disease.  This has absolutely nothing to do with the mechanism of AIDS, or routine AIDS diagnosis tests to my knowledge.

The upper Midwest is the #2 hotspot in the US next to New England for deer ticks.  We brushed several off of our dog after a camping trip a few months ago, but didn't get them all unfortunately.  She is currently on her 30 day precautionary course of antibiotics as we speak.

Here's the 2005 lyme disease incidence map from the CDC

[Wayne Freeman]

Lyme disease is certainly serious stuff.  I played golf once with a physician from Yale who had developed a vaccine, but from what I understand it either never came out or was ineffective.  I worry about the disease every time I go back east,  especially on Long Island.  The farther east you go, the higher the incidence.  Montauk probably has one of the highest incidences of Lyme in the country.  The guys I played with there several years ago tucked in their long pants in their socks and either had had it or knew lots of people who did.  There have been cases reported on the West Coast but it is not seen that often.  Lyme is often missed because the symptoms can be very vague and many times docs don't think to test for it.

[Kyle Harris]

BTW, the Lyme test is the exact same as an AIDS test since both are immunodeficiency type diseases.

Kyle,
   Are you sure about this?  Lyme disease tests are based on detecting the presence of the bacteria carried by the tick that cause the disease.  This has absolutely nothing to do with the mechanism of AIDS, or routine AIDS diagnosis tests to my knowledge.

The upper Midwest is the #2 hotspot in the US next to New England for deer ticks.  We brushed several off of our dog after a camping trip a few months ago, but didn't get them all unfortunately.  She is currently on her 30 day precautionary course of antibiotics as we speak.

Brad,

That's just what I was told two years ago. I think the similarity has to do with the mechanism of detection, certainly not with any other similarity in the diseases.

[Jonathan Cummings]

Kyle - right you are. Lyme not Lymes.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Enclosed is a Lyme Disease Symptom list.

Not all tick bites evidence themselves by the typical target or bull's eye signature.   Some bites are in hard to see areas, like the head or back.


SYMPTOM CHECK LIST

Tick infested area ____ 
Frequent outdoor activities___
Hiking____   
Fishing____ 
Camping____
Gardening____   
Hunting_____

Ticks noted on pets_
Other household members with Lyrne_____
Do you remember being bitten by a tick?____No__ Yes___ when____
Do you remember having the "bull's eye rash'? ____No___ Yes___
Any other rash?____No_____ Yes_____

Have you had any of the following? CIRCLE ALL YES ANSWERS

1.    Unexplained fevers, sweats, schills, or flushing
2.    Unexplained weight change-    ( loss or gain  - circle one)
3.    Fatigue, tiredness  poor stamina
4.    Unexplained hair loss
5.    Swollen glands:  list areas______________________________
6.    Sore throat
7.    Testicular pain/pelvic pain
8.    Unexplained  menstrual  irregularity
9.    Unexplained milk production;  breast pain
1O.  lrritable bladder or bladder dysfunction
11.  Sexual dysfunction or loss of libido
12.  Upset stomach or abdominal pain
13.  Change in bowel function-  (constipation - diarhea)
14.  Chest pain or rib soreness
15.  Shortness of breath, cough
16.  Heart palpitations - pulse skips, heart block
17.  Any history of a heart murmur or valve prolapse?
18.  Joint pain or swelling: list joints_____________
19.  Stiffness of the joints or back
2O.  Muscle pain or cramps
2l.   Twitching of the face or other muscles
?2.   Headache
23.   Neck creaks and cracks, neck stiffness, neck pain
24.   Tingling, numbness burning or stabbing sensations, shooting pains,
        skin hypersensitivity
25.   Facial paralysis (Bell's Palsy)
26.   Eyes/Vision: double, blurry, increased floaters, light sensitivity
27.   Ears/Hearing: buzzing, ringing, ear pain, sound sensitivity
2S.   lncreased motion sickness, vertigo, poor balance
29.   Lightheadedness, wooziness,  unavoidable need to sit or lie down
30.   Tremor
31.   Confusion, difficulty in thinking
32.   Difficulty with concentration,  reading
33.   Forgetfulness,  poor short term memory, poor attention, problem   
        absorbing new information
34.   Disorientation: getting lost, going to wrong places
35.   Difficulty with speech or writing; word or name block
36.   Mood swings, irritability, depression
37.   Disturbed sleep, too much, too little, fractionated, early awakening
38.   Exaggerated symptoms or worse hangover from alcohol

[Charlie Goerges]

Lyme disease should be taken seriously, and if you suspect you have it, say so to your doctor.

That said, I must urge a measured response. The disease is treatable. My dad has had it twice. Once he completed his antibiotics and rested up for a couple of weeks, he was 100%. Around here (central MN) it's so common as to be a fact of life. If you worry too much about it, you'll end up like my wife. She literally fears getting a tick on her (to say nothing of being bitten by one) more than nuclear war, being shot, losing a job, or public speaking.

The tick generally needs to be attached for at least 24 hours to transfer the disease. Just be sure to check yourself closely after going into the woods or long grass, and check your pets after letting them outside. Also, use bug spray with 25% deet and you probably won't get any on you in the first place.

[Ian Larson]

Five years ago I started work for Eric Bergstol in the construction of Hollow Brook Golf Club in northern Westchester County, NY. I was the first and only guy on the site for about three months hiking through the woods staking tees, greens, fairways and all the enviornmentally protected areas before we began construction. One morning I woke up to get ready for work and noticed a tick on my thigh in the shower. It had a little redness around it but not the bullseye. I pulled it off and the rash went away. I never did go to the doctor for it. This thread has me a little worried now and regret not going. After five years I havent noticed any symptoms. If I did have the disease would I have seen some by now? And obviously I should make an appointment.

[Bob_Huntley]

One of the most famous cases happened to Tim Simpson. He suffered mightility for many a year and it seems only recently has he been able to compete on the Champions Tour.

This is an insidious desease and quite painful.

Bob

[Charlie Goerges]

Ian, make an appointment if it will make you comfortable. But think back and if you took a shower every day and the tick wasn't there the previous day, then it wasn't latched on for at least 24 hours, and so likely couldn't have transmitted the disease.

to all, in my nearly 29 years of tromping through the Minnesota woods, I have never gotten Lyme disease. What's more, when taking normal walks (not counting playing paintball) through even heavy underbrush and tall grass, I have only gotten one tick on me when I've remembered to use insect repellent with 25% deet.

Don't let the fear of it stop you from having fun. Seriously, I can barely drag my wife out onto the lawn, much less on a walk in the woods.

[Wayne_Freedman]

I got bit the same way. Recognized the symptoms on the fleshy part of my leg. Received treatment within three days, and still suffered some joint aches for a while.

Don't mess with it.

[TEPaul]

Jonathan:

I've tested positive for Lyme disease eight times in about the last dozen years and have been through the anti-biotic thing. My doctor told me I'll probably never get rid of it. It's not good and the long term symptoms are pretty well known. I've lived on a farm for decades, do a lot of mowing and stuff and there have always been a ton of deer here.

If anyone wants to know why I'm so weird, don't blame me, blame Bambi.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Jonathan,

Lyme Tests don't test positive when taken soon after the bite.

Being tested shortly after the bite, and testing negative, doesn't mean that you don't have Lyme Disease.

PLEASE, do follow up testing at prescribed intervals.

Good luck

[Clyde Johnston]

Golf architect Frank Duane was crippled by an insect bite. Does anyone know if it was from a tick?

[John Keenan]

Living on the west coast  Lyme Disease is not all that common of a topic and frankly I know very little about it.

Is it only carried by ticks from deer?  Most of what I have read about it seems to indicate or imply that deer are involved.

[Will MacEwen]

I had a large buck bed down in my back yard last night.  Maybe that's not such a neat thing after all.