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  • From: Lisa Kae Van Meter Perry <lisakvperry AT gmail.com>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] New Topic -- Lyme Disease
  • Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:53:44 -0500

On Fri, Nov 18, 2011 at 2:42 PM, Lynda <lurine AT com-pair.net> wrote:

> So, lots of folks on this list are east of the Mississippi and are living
> out on lots of acres. I have heard that Lyme Disease is rampant in some
> eastern states.
>
> So, Tuesday I got bit by a lovely deer tick and, was told I was lucky.
> Lucky??? Here I am being diagnosed with Lyme Disease and being given horse
> sized pills and I'm "lucky"?
>
> Lynda (and everyone!), I was dx w/ Lyme's disease the Tuesday after
Memorial
weekend, but I knew I had it. This is my experience:

I was bit two weeks earlier (mid-May) and had a low-grade fever with what
felt
like flu symptoms but lacked upper respiratory problems. So I knew it wasn't
the flu. Did research online and ruled it out to either Lyme's or Chronic
Fatigue
and figured it wasn't CF. Treated myself. Three days later it went away.
I thought, "Well, that was weird," then went on with my life. I didn't go
to the Dr.
because I got and felt better. I thought it was the strangest flu I've had.

Saturday morning of Memorial weekend I woke up with the same low-grade
fever and flu-like symptoms, but it seemed worse. Sunday a.m. I was
definitely
worse. My Monday I couldn't wait to see a doctor and get meds. I am normally
is not overly fond of doctors but will go when I must. By Tuesday it ached
to
even breathe and I barely slept through Monday night. My husband had to help
me get out of bed and to get dressed. I'm 49. My fever bounced between 99.6
and 102 the whole time and I spent the entire holiday weekend in bed.

I never had a bulls-eye ring. Only 40% of people with Lyme's do. I had a
reddish
rash about the size of a nickle on the upper back of one leg and a swollen
gland
in my pelvic region (mid-May). Over Memorial weekend, the swollen glands
shifted
to by my throat.

I was prescribed doxycycline for 21 days. I felt better by Day 2 and felt
like myself
by Day 3. Meanwhile, I did some serious research. Lyme's Disease is growign
leaps and bounds in Eastern states--to the point that the Gov. of Virginia
is
heading a task force to study it and they were advising that each person dx
w/
Lyme's receive 30 days of antibiotics.

Now, I'm also not usually fond of antibiotics. We take garlic, Vit. C,
astragalus,
medicinal olive leaf, get extra sleep, that sort of thing when we're
feeling punky.
We don't take anti-bios and we don't go to the Dr. But for Lyme's I made an
exception and learned that anti-bios have a purpose.

I learned three things that astounded me: 1) You can get Lyme's disease
again after
you've had it. You do not develop an immunity, 2) many cases of Chronic
Fatigue are
now thought to have been Lyme's disease that did not get diagnosed and the
person
has lived with it as it comes and goes, and 3) Lyme's will attack the part
of your
body that is the weakest or is not healthy--which is why Lyme's has core
symptoms
(low grade fever, flu-like symptoms, swollen glands, maybe the bulls-eye),
but also
has other far ranging symptoms that vary with the individual. One person in
our
community had a heart problem develop w/in 48 hours after he was dx w/
Lyme's.

Not ever tick carries Lyme's. I've been bitten once since May. All of my
family were bit
this past summer into fall. I was the only one to get Lyme's. I'm pretty
healthy as that
goes. I eat a diet that is home-grown, local/organic and store-bought. I
eat crappy food
only 10-15% of the time. I exercise and sleep fairly well. I'm not
overweight by any
stretch (one of those who have always been on the thin side). Still, I got
Lyme's disease.

We marked on the calendar when we were bit and monitored how we felt and
counted
the days.

I'm sorry this was long but wanted share my experience with all of you,
perhaps it
was helpful in one way or another.

Good luck!

Lisa
sw VA




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