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Please get checked for Lyme's Disease

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 12/8/2009 7:22 PM (GMT 0)
HI All, I would recommend getting tested for Lyme's Disease. Someone suggested that to me last year and I brushed it off and today, my second extensive test suggests (they said suggest b/c they want a clinical dx as well as medical) that I have the bacteria that is carried by ticks. Somewhere along my life I came in contact with a tick my doctor said. I'm now on a course of antibiotics (not the type that I have taken before) for 30 days at least. I also have  candida (yeast) infection in my body, the gut. So I have a couple things going on, but what I want to share is that Lyme's can mimick several disease, one being UC. The test is a Western Blot Test and there things called "bands" on the test, depending which show positive will determine if you have Lyme's or if you've had Lyme's and it's not active. I believe how it goes. I have been to 14 doctors in 5 years, spent over $30,000.00 in treatments, supplements and such. I'm hopeful that the specific antibiotics for Lyme's will help with my UC since I and my doctor believe the UC is from the Lyme's bacteria. I will keep you posted on my antibiotic journey.
Posted 12/9/2009 1:01 AM (GMT 0)
Interesting. For heaven's sake let us know if the Lyme's treatment helps your UC.
Posted 12/9/2009 1:06 AM (GMT 0)
Interesting. I had a tick bite years before I developed UC. Keep us updated!
Posted 12/9/2009 4:56 AM (GMT 0)
Regular blood work definitely does not check for Lyme Disease. I always wondered if my UC had something to do with Lyme Disease but I doubt it. Guess I should get checked to be sure.
Posted 12/9/2009 2:43 PM (GMT 0)
that is interesting- I live on Cape Cod, which has some of the highest Lyme disease rates in the country, & I've found ticks on myself at least once a year. Deer ticks, as well as dog ticks. We pull 'em off our animals constantly, even though we use Frontline. My GI has never suggested I get a Lyme panel done, nor has my PCP. I wonder if Lyme disease could present as UC via colonoscopy, or if it's just symptomatically similar? And no, a regular CBC doesn't even look for Lyme antibodies. It's similar to an HIV test, in that there are special testing procedures done, & certain things they look for.
Posted 12/9/2009 2:57 PM (GMT 0)
I am from Metrodetroit area, and I work at a country club where we host a wild game party, and during that wild game party many animals are brought into my work place, deer, hens, wild birds, .. we skin them at work and clean them, during that time 2 years ago we had ours I was clean from any bacteria or any colitis I may have had..about 3 months after this wild game party, I started feeling very ill, and just yesterday i was digonised with colitis, (the dr is assuming ulcerative) but ill get results in 5 days..could the deer hair, or wild turkeys feathers possibly carry ticks, i know some carry tuberculosis , and HEP A, B..but it just seems to make sense.
Posted 12/9/2009 3:15 PM (GMT 0)

CrazyColitis said...
Wait, wouldn't Lyme Disease show up AUTOMATICALLY in regular blood work??

I mean just saying, I just got diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and for the longest time, I am talking almost a year, before I swore I had Lyme Disease and to a much lesser degree Lupus. (Trying to play DR. and self-diagnosis myself). Eating almost a bottle of Tylonel a day, on my death bed. Go me.

But anyways, why would this test be something you have to "Special Request"? Like oh hey doc btw, test me for Lyme...

It's a very specific test. Won't show up on anything else.
Posted 12/9/2009 5:56 PM (GMT 0)
I thought the biopsies done during a colonoscopy confirm that a person has UC - how would any disease mimic UC in the colon?  We live in Hunterdon County in NJ and we also have a very high lyme count.
Posted 12/9/2009 6:33 PM (GMT 0)
I had UC since 1987 and had many periods of remission (lasting several years each) with no symptoms. My guess is I don't have Lyme as I would have had some symptoms during all those good years...right?
Posted 12/10/2009 5:13 AM (GMT 0)
I had a tick bite in a very sensitive area as a young kid while visiting family in Arkansas.

Posted 12/10/2009 5:52 AM (GMT 0)
I wonder if curing the Lyme Disease will cure the UC. I hope so.
Posted 12/10/2009 11:04 PM (GMT 0)
very curious about this now..... Guess I need to do some research on lyme disease and its effects. Have always assumed my UC was brought on by Cdiff...... now I wonder if the two are combined or simliar somehow. I'm not even really sure what lyme disease is except it comes from ticks. Anyone have any specifics?
Posted 12/11/2009 12:05 AM (GMT 0)
If you want to check the Lyme Disease forum here at HealingWell, I'm sure there is a wealth of information there, unclebubba.
Posted 12/11/2009 1:44 AM (GMT 0)
I honestly need to get a lyme test anyway. I used to work in mosquito control and in June I was pulling 10 ticks a week easily off of me. Though, most of them were lone star ticks, which don't really carry lyme.

unclebubba-Lyme is cause by a spiral shaped (spirochete) bacteria which is transferred by tick bites. Deer ticks are the most common carriers, you can find images online. I'm not sure what tick species are present in Ohio so I can't really tell you how likely it is any given tick on you is a deer tick. The trademark tell of lyme disease is a bullseye rash around the tick bite, though some cases are latent and only manifest later. These late cases often cause systemic reactions and symptoms rather than localized disease.
Posted 12/11/2009 3:54 AM (GMT 0)
My dog had two deer ticks recently. The only reason I found them is because his hair is short. I have a mane of hair, I would never find a tick on my own head and no one checks my head so... it's very possible that i've had a tick recently or a few years ago that carried lyme and I never knew. If I ever get insurance I will get checked.
Posted 12/11/2009 12:24 PM (GMT 0)
OK, I have been on the UC forum for a couple of years and I just tested positive for Lyme disease two weeks ago.
I am now a new member of the Lyme disease forum.

I got off of Prednisone and started having a pain in my left foot. I thought it was from getting off of Prednisone but I went to the Dr. to have it checked out.

We did a complete checkup with some bloodwork. After that the Dr. had me tested for Lyme. It came back positive. I started treatment earlier this week.

Apparently Lyme disease is very misunderstood and commonly misdiagnosed as something else. I've been doing some research since it's so often misdiagnosed it could be a lot more common than we think.
Posted 6/13/2017 8:32 PM (GMT 0)
For anyone that finds all of this relevant, you might also look into Neu5Gc, learn about that.
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