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Bit by a tick months ago... am I at risk for Lyme?

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Posted 1/23/2012 4:28 AM (GMT 0)
Hey guys. I'll start this off by saying I'm a hypochondriac, and little things I notice related to my health often make me think I'm close to death.

Basically, in maybe... August 2011, I did a photo shoot in a woodsy area with a model. We finished at about 5:00PM and I know that the tick wasn't on me at that time. I'm guessing that it somehow got on my gear, and when I was sleeping that night (went to bed at maybe 11:00PM), crawled onto me in the middle of the night. And it chose a, well, sensitive area to nestle itself. I'll go no further.

Anyway, I wake up at about 6AM and feel throbbing pain. So I see the little thing, and not knowing what it is, I rip it off and then realize it was a tick. I read about Lyme disease at the time but didn't feel I was at risk, since it was on me for maybe a max of 7hrs.

Anyways, fast forward to September. I start having a chronic sore throat and heart palpitations. Several months pass and basically now I'm clear of everything but the heart palpitations. These occur usually when I first stand up.

Basically, I'm wondering if there is ANY way that the tick caused Lyme disease in me. It was on me 7hrs at most, I'm almost 100% sure. I had no bullseye rash, and no other symptoms really. The chronic sore throat was odd, and I've noticed more allergy-like symptoms than ever before. Should I be worried? Thanks!
Posted 1/23/2012 3:34 PM (GMT 0)
Lyme disease is getting lots of press but there are many other infections that you can contract from a tick bite... I also know that the 24 hour thing is a myth.. I was bitten by a tick and the next morning I had already devloped the bullseye rash. The tick was attached for less then 12 hours. But the 1st time I was infected I developed no bullseye rash, many people don't.
Posted 1/23/2012 9:16 PM (GMT 0)
Hey guys, I'm a bit confused about all this. My local "Lyme Specialist" is a so-called Naturopath. I have read a lot on the subject and my symptoms seem different. I had no rashes that I can recall. I also basically had zero symptoms that are typical for "stage 1 local Lyme". It skipped straight to heart palps, a tiny bit of knee soreness when cycling only (and not every time), and getting sick more often. Do the symptoms I have justify going to a specialist? I don't have insurance and the firs visit alone is $350. Not only are my symptoms slight, but I also only had the thing on me for a short amount of time and SoCal isn't exactly a super high risk area.

Thoughts? Thanks for your help!
Posted 1/24/2012 4:36 AM (GMT 0)
My wife was bit about 6 months ago.. She had no rash and was tested shortly after.. Test was negative.. A couple months ago she had heart palpitations and now she has joint pain and fatigue all the time.. She is going to my llmd next week.. Until I ended up in the hospital my only symptoms were bad headaches.. This disease does not follow the same course in everyone. And as I stated above it is entirely possible to have a different tick borne illness other then lyme.
Posted 1/24/2012 12:58 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Streetwaves,

Welcome to the forum.

I guess you are going to have to weigh up what your peace of mind is worth!

This is a tricky illness in that it presents in so many different ways. And the "wait and see" tactic can lead to a world of trouble because the disease is harder to treat the longer it goes untreated.

Best thing to do is to educate yourself on the disease. Have a look at our "New to Lyme?" thread at the top of the forum. It is a good place to start.

You will need to consider whether you will feel better spending the $350 and know that you are okay or biding your time and see if you need to do that.
Posted 1/24/2012 8:36 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Streetwaves!
Welcome to our site! One thing to remember, being a hypochondriac doesn't stop you from getting ill! You will have to control and evaluate yourself like never before, as these are very complex infections. They frequently fool even knowledgeable docs!

In my lowly opinion, you do need to be seen by a knowledgeable doc! Even the CDC recommends a clinical diagnosis - based on symptoms.

As for Southern California not being in a high risk area - think again! Here is a link I would highly recommend that you follow to see a map of So. Cal. and the risk of Lyme Disease. All but two counties have found and documented ticks that carry Lyme disease, and 42 out of the 58 counties have ticks that are infected with Lyme disease. The risk is there!!

Your Naturopath can also help you heal from these infections. Why not ask him/her about getting treatment through them?

The length of time it takes to get infected from a tick has not been evaluated properly as of yet. I too have been reinfected after a tick was only attached for a matter of a couple of hours. The tick injects it's digestive juices into the skin - the skin is frequently the first organ to be infected. Although not all show the bulls eye rash, any rash during those first few day after a bite is suspect - but even then you could have a strain of Lyme that doesn't produce a rash - like many of us have.

The other possibility is that this isn't your first infection. If you had contracted this disease earlier in your life -either from a tick or other biting insect- you may only just now be showing symptoms because of the latest tick that attached, and the stress that that brought into your body.

If you do have Lyme, putting off treatment will only ensure that things will get worse, with possible damage to other parts of the body. I am not trying to scare you or to convince you that you do have one of these infections, but the consequences of not treating the infections early are pretty ugly. I've been infected most of my life (over 40 years), so I've watched my body & cognitive function deteriorate even though the regular MD's could figure out a thing! Not a pretty picture.

At any rate, you most likely aren't close to death, but this is incredibly important to have checked out. This is a time - in my opinion- where it's better to be safe than to wait and be sorry that you didn't get checked!
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