Great.
Now I’ll have to deal with yet ANOTHER influx of borderline personality-disordered anxiety-ridden patients who just KNOW they got bitten by a tick.
NO tick present. Brushed it off, but they KNOW they NEED a “broad-spectrum antibiotic” or their arms and legs will rot off.
Perspective, people, perspective.
UNLESS a tick ATTACHES, and FEEDS and sufficient time has passed for the tick to get a blood meal - variably from 48-72 hours, the likelihood of transmitting Lyme (B. burgdorferei), is zero to none. YOU get two doxycycline tablets as a consolation prescription, come back in several weeks for blood tests.
As for RMSF, HGE and all the others, sorry, I’ll be happy to run a CBC, ESR/CRP test and look for a rash, but damn if I’m going to carte blanche write an Rx for an antibiotic based upon someone’s FEARS and not hard clinical data.
Seems like - and I read through an article about this earlier - SOMEONE wasn’t thinking of RMSF and other rickettsial diseases despite the presentation.
[Not the world’s best doctor, but I work REALLY hard to keep up with the literature and board certification]
Mowing the grass last week, I ran over a nest of yellow jackets. They sure didn’t like the mower and sure did take it out on me...
Five nice welts on my legs and arms.
I had a family member become very ill for years courtesy of a doctor’s flippant attitude towards the proper treatment of Lyme Disease.
This is what the most prominent doctors specializing in Lyme Disease have to say. You are reckless and dangerous by simply regurgitating CDC.
http://www.ilads.org/lyme/ILADS_Guidelines.pdf
Thanks for info. I live in high tick area but I can instantly feel a tick crawling on me. I’m constantly flicking them off me when I go hiking in woods. I can’t imagine somebody having a tick on them for 48-72 hours without realizing it. Do some people have less sensitive skin than others?
Glad you weren’t the doctor when I presented.
10 days in the hospital, 3 spinal taps during, and 6 weeks on intravenous Antiobiotics.
It took 6 MONTHS of hell until I woke up one day feeling like a human being.
I know friends that have been ravaged after doctors did not take it seriously, and have to see neurologists regurlarly as a result.
Chopped wood in the woods on Sunday, headache started Monday, presented Wednesday.
Still can’t recall how I got to the doctor, but I remember him screaming to shut all the lights off and call an ambulance.
Do not take chances with Lyme disease. It is the gift that keeps on giving.