Interestingly there’s been a noticeable increase in Lyme Disease diagnoses on the UK thyroid forum. Some symptoms do overlap.

There’s been a noticeable increase in LYmes Disease diagnoses throughout the UK so the same is likely to be true for any subset of the population.

Almost weekly occurrence on club rides this time of year (West Highland Way/ Mugdock) Had suspected Lymes 2 yrs ago, strong antibiotics but who knows… Last summer family holiday in Oban took 14 of them out of my 8 yr old son after he played rounders in the long grass 👿

Tick Twister tool is good tho.

scotroutes – these were people who were hypothyroid and their health did not improve with thyroid meds.

Interestingly there’s been a noticeable increase in Lyme Disease diagnoses on the UK thyroid forum. Some symptoms do overlap.

I posted last year (link) on the rise of Lyme Disease and how it is believed that there could be up to 10x more cases each year than are actually diagnosed. I’ve a friend who has had Lyme Disease since childhood – she’s in he 40s now – and it is cystic in her. This means that the bacteria transforms into cysts when it is threatened and becomes immune to antibiotics and the human immune system. Once the threat has passed, it returns to its normal state and begins to spread through her system again. The range of symptoms – and therefore misdiagnosed ailments – she has had over the years is incredible.

Thanks for the link Three_Fish and it must be tough for your friend. It seems that UK people are being diagnosed via an (expensive) American test.

I’ve never liked ticks of course but it’s always been the odd one and a quick removal while biking in Exmoor. Hate the buggers but never worried about disease.

Picked one up in the Taw valley a few years back and the local docs decided to give me Doxycycline (sp?) as a precaution as there was a rash. Never used it as the rash disappeared and felt ok, but I have arthritis anyway so would possibly be difficult to tell.

With a move on the cards to tick central (deer in the garden, got two ticks attached as soon as entered ) reading this (and the older linked) thread is making me paranoid and wondering if it’s a wise move? Mrs MR has poor health and we have a dog that has historically cost a fortune at the vets. Is there anyway to find if a particular area has Lymes or is it safer to assume any tick can carry it? I know a prior resident who had 40 in one day. Gah….

It seems that UK people are being diagnosed via an (expensive) American test.

She’s actually Irish, so it’s complicated by the lack of national health system. She has spent a lot of money chasing both diagnosis and treatment. The (German) mother of another friend went through a couple of years of treatment and therapy for arthritis in her hands, wrists and elbows, all to absolutely no avail, before she came across similar stories in her own research on the web, where people were recovering from ‘arthritis’ after antibiotic treatment for Lyme. She asked he doctor for the test, it came back positive and she had was put on strong antibiotics for a few months. Athough she suffered for a while from bacterial imbalance, her arthritic symptoms have gone and she gradually regained her health.

It really makes me wonder about how many people are not diagnosed, and indeed who are misdiagnosed and treated for other ailments, or who just spend years ‘living with’ unknown problems. The list of known Lyme symptoms is staggering (here) and of course many can occur from a whole host of other not-so-serious causes. It’s really no surprise, especially given the expensive testing you mentioned, that it stays under the radar.

EDIT I was writing that while you posted Malvern RIder, it’s sheer coincidence that I mentioned the person with the arthritic symptoms.

Is there anyway to find if a particular area has Lymes or is it safer to assume any tick can carry it?

Not all tics carry the bacteria that cause Lyme, and some areas will undoubtedly have more hosts than others. The general rule is to keep the tic that bites you and take it for testing through your GP if you develop a rash.

mrblobby – Member
…Getting more common I think. Year on year I seem to be picking more off my dog.

Used to have that problem with our dog in Oz even when we kept her away from the bush.

Eventually discovered loads of them lurking in various spots around the house* – like under cupboards, beds, and basically anywhere we could reach or clean. So maybe your dog is breeding his own ticks… 🙂

*However, there were also things like red-back spiders and worse. Pretty routine Oz household wildlife. 🙂

I picked one up the other day whilst out riding in North Dorset. I find that as long as you remove them whilst they are small they are easy to get off.

I use a magnifying glass and a pair of needle nose tweezers. They key to safe removal is to not crush the body and to get underneath the body when you pull it out.

Can I just say ARRRGGGGHHHH!

The general rule is to keep the tic that bites you and take it for testing through your GP if you develop a rash.

(Foresees beer cooler chock-full of dated sample tubes)