Thanks for all the links, working my way through them, I doubt i’ll get a straight answer but I’ll at least be better informed…

Quackwatch? Seriously?

As for that link, although I’ve only skimmed through the authors were clearly starting their research from a position of disbelief. Of course it may well be that they are keen to push MUS (Medically Unexplained Symptoms) which has hit the UK alongside PPS (Persistent physical symptoms) whereby patients are given a psyche label and then forgotton about.

I will have a proper read though, it may take some time cos my fluffy little head can’t cope with too many words in one go.

May I ask you this though? Here we are on a mountain bike forum discussing Lyme disease. I’ve been riding for 20 years but 16 months ago I had to stop cos, to be blunt, I’m a bit of a mess. Don’t you think I’d be riding if I was physically capable of doing so?

I’m no scientist but according to my sister (an anaesthetist so not exactly the right field but still a medically qualified Dr) when she brought the boy into the docs he treated her like a quack. He didn’t know she was a Doc and she didn’t say until she had paid for the private diagnosis. It seems the science around this is still at work, and given that in the UK at least GPs don’t want to spend money unless they have to then many people will go untested and we may never know the true extent of the disease.

For those who haven’t seen this before, it’s a US doctors experience with LD. If you stick to the end there’s the warmest and most human story I’ve seen on the internet…

And, like c_g, if I don’t have LD then I’d like to know what’s messed me about so badly.

I’ve had both reactions with my boy – presented with classic bullseye rash, which luckily places like STW had educated me on.

Locum who saw him explained the test was likely to be negative, bu the follow up a couple of weeks later might be more conclusive – prescribed immediate course of oral antibiotics, and the flu like symptoms started to subside over the next few days.

Represented for the second test – seen by a partner – very dismissive, said it couldn’t have been Lyme, waste of money giving him the antibiotics.

Second test returns positive. Find this out from a direct call to my mobile from the senior partner, who wanted a complete run down on what had been done and gave me a good overview of what to expect next, what to watch for and asked I contact him personally if I had any doubts at all about symptoms over the next year.

To be honest, I think him being 9 helped a lot to get immediate action, as well as being with a rural surgery bang in the middle of Tick Central.

Quackwatch? Seriously?

It’s not worth wasting energy on, hence my laughing face thing. The other link is laughably old as well.

Represented for the second test – seen by a partner – very dismissive, said it couldn’t have been Lyme, waste of money giving him the antibiotics.

I think this is a big part of the problem, the diagnosis/treatment you will receive depends massively on who you happen to see when you go in. Add in the further uncertainties regarding whether people actually get a bullseye in the first place and then the uncertainty of test results, mix with an underresourced health service and …

2nd quarter infection rates

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/637401/hpr2817_zoos.pdf

Hot off the press re new Lyme test:

https://caudwelllyme.com/2017/08/21/a-new-lyme-disease-urine-test-now-available-in-europe/

And Matt Dawson caught LD in a London Park…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40973709

Thank you OP for all the work you’ve put into this.

PJM1974 – not just me as thanks must also go to those who’ve made contributions and provided links. Your comment is much appreciated though, thank you. 😀

Along the same lines. I recently contacted my local ‘Rights of Way’ team in Dorset to ask why they were performing unnecessary verge cutting and neglecting bridleways. When I raised the issue of Lyme’s disease and ticks from cycling through long overgrowth I was told. “There is no evidence that cycling through long vegetation increases the chances of picking a tick up”

I was rather surprised by that statement, but then again my Local RoW team here in Dorset are rubbish at taking cyclist into account.

“There is no evidence that cycling through long vegetation increases the chances of picking a tick up”

Classic weasel words. Literally true but meaningless – if nobody has done a study of cycling through different lengths of vegetation with the same number of ticks (and how would you ever set that up) then there will be no evidence. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a logic basis for believing it to be likely. Ticks climb to the top of the stem, wait for contact and hold on; they are much more likely to make contact with a cyclist if the vegetation is long enough and close to the track.

“There is no evidence that cycling through long vegetation increases the chances of picking a tick up”

“There is no evidence that it is raining” says man sat indoors in a windowless room with earplugs in.

FFS.

Ticks climb to the top of the stem, wait for contact and hold on; they are much more likely to make contact with a cyclist if the vegetation is long enough and close to the track.

Exactly what I thought. All the ticks I have picked up whilst mountain biking have been when passing through 2-2.5ft overgrowth. ie, growth that is long enough to brush your legs as you cycle through it.

The issue with RoW is that as the majority of them most likely do not cycle they don’t get it. The strategy officer for Dorset told me that it was basically my own fault as I don’t wear long trousers and long sleeves when cycling.

I wanted to ask her whether she had tried riding a bike in the summer fully clothed, but I’ll be honest and say that by that point I realised I was fighting a losing battle.

Just thought I’d update this with regard to the independent enquiry commissioned by the Government. CaudwellLyme have helpfully condensed which means that folk like me who struggle with huge chunks of text now stand a chance of comprehending.

https://caudwelllyme.com/2018/01/08/uk-governments-independent-reviews-into-lyme-disease/

CaudwellLyme have also commented on the research recommendations made in this enquiry and compares them with those made in the draft NICE Lyme guidelines:

Research Recommendations in the Government’s Independent Reviews compared to the Draft NICE Guidelines

CG, those links you posted as evidence a while back….

However, in these two trials, treatment with intravenous and oral antibiotics for 90 days did not improve symptoms more than placebo.

did you even read them? Don’t post stuff based on what you’ve read on some hippy forums and then preface your post by claiming ignorance as a defence.

4th quarter 2017 stats and the upward trend continues.  Pages 2,4 and 5 for easy reference.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/680710/hpr0518_zoos.pdf

Do you need another gizmo in your life?  This looks to be worth having.

A Swiss multi-function folding knife featuring a tick remover tool with magnifying glass.

The Swiss knife with tick tool

https://www.thebushcraftstore.co.uk/swiza-tt05-multi-function-folding-knife—built-in-tick-tool-42142-p.asp

Or one with fewer features for a tenner less:

https://www.thebushcraftstore.co.uk/swiza-tt03-multi-function-folding-knife—built-in-tick-tool-42134-p.asp

Shame it’s still 30 quid, the all in one aspect is nice but it’s a premium over a Victorinox. 🙁

Do people generally find them before they’ve had a feed? We’ve removed three from the dog last month but all were big enough to have been there 24 hrs or so. Not found anymore since we’ve been avoiding one particular field with deep grass.

So far, we’ve been okay.

Sometimes if we are on the ball with daily checks. We have missed them before and then they are spotted when they have fed and are much bigger. Either way you can catch lymes anyway. I had early symptoms lymes from a few little ‘uns and my son had early symptom lymes from a big well-fed fecker.  Local drs are good though and got us both onto antibiotics straight away. This was last year and they commented that folk were turning up everyday with lyme symptoms! Bonkers. We’re in the South Downs fwiw. We use Smidge on a regular basis now.

Years ago were hill sheep not rounded up and dipped once a year to control parasites? Is this still done? If not then sheep ticks may have therefore increased.

Tick removers to be handed out to residents and tourists in Scotland

More here:

Pocket-sized tick removers to be handed out to those at risk of Lyme disease

Interesting and a timely reminder with spring just around the corner.
Having just said that, winter only reduces ticks mobility, it doesn’t stop their activity altogether and I’ve seen a couple of ticks on animals in the last month.
I’ve been briefing for years to the ultra running and MTB community up here that this is a real threat to your sport; each year we identify a handful of likely cases and on a simple ‘likelihood’ basis have had no difficulty in securing A-B treatment from Scottish GPs.
So far, I’ve not heard of anyone who has gone on to develop chronic Lymes after receiving prompt first line treatment.
Acute Lyme is unpleasant and is usually quite readily treatable.
For anyone who doesn’t know, there are three signs:
A) presence of a tick bite,
B) characteristic rash at a bite area and
C) flu like symptoms appearing within a few days.
Any 2 from these 3 should see you running to your GP.

Chronic Lyme is simply horrible and best avoided at all costs.