Posted 7/22/2011 2:38 PM (GMT 0)
I just wanted to share my lyme story / vent.
I was bitten by a nymph deer tick 1yr ago. I was in the woods in CT where lyme's is very prevalent, 8-12 hours later in the shower I found the tick on me it was not embedded and I easily scraped it off w/ my fingernail but there was a small red mark where the tick bit me. I saved the tick, went to my local doctor and showed him the area of the bite. I was told not to worry:
#1. The tick needs to be on you for 24-36 hours for transmission to take place
#2. The tick was not engorged
#3. There was no bulls eye
#4. I had no rash/fever/stiffness or other symptoms to indicate that I was infected
I monitored my health for the next couple months, felt great, tons of energy, absolutely no indicators of any type of sickness.
** Then about 10 months after bite, I started getting a sharp stabbing pain under my knee cap, thought nothing of it and dealt w/ the pain. Then I was sleeping over a friends house, got up in the morning w/ a stiff neck, thought nothing of it. Ok now at the exact 12 month mark from my initial bite my symptoms are:
-Horrible stiff neck on left side that comes and and rarely goes (from under shoulder blade to behind ear)
-Pain in knee that comes and goes (sharp and stabbing)
-Brain fog (like im hungover)
-Dizziness when waking up in the morning
-Problems w/ vision (weird but sometimes hard to focus, like when your overly tired)
-Tingling sensation in thighs
-Body humming (like when your sick)
-Extreme irritability
-Impaired cognitive function (like I have a hard time with my thought process)
-Very bad short term memory
*** I am not a hypochondriac, all of these symptoms have just appeared w/ in the last month and I'm not exaggerating w/ any of them. I am kicking myself for not taking treatment for initial bite. UGH!!! But I have no tel tale signs!!!!! No fever, No rash, No aches, No swelling of joints, Tons of energy. I feel like im going crazy, but Im confident that I was infected I'm just so mad I didnt catch it early!