Lymes disease. Maybe

Annoyingly vague symptoms after several tick bites two Tuesdays ago near Crieff. Found the ticks on Thursday (they were very tiny) and extracted carefully, one still alive and crawling, the other intact but dead (worryingly, they pretty much all come out alive!).

The bite from the dead one spread a little, the bite from the live one stayed red, raised and itchy but more typical of bites I’ve had before.

The annoyingly vague symptoms have been mild fevers and chills (not shivering, just feeling cold despite wearing a jumper and 20C indoors). A little bit of ‘GI distress…. Fatigue has been hard to gauge, legs can feel heroic on the bike one minute, then empty the next, suspect that’s just my fitness right now though! Sleeping a lot more than normal for me though and struggling in the morning which is also unusual.

Anyway, GP decided on balance it was worth a course of antibiotics, I didn’t want to argue although am still wondering if it was really Lymes or just a mild dose of something else!

Anyone else had it?

Sounds exactly like it, to me.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/lyme-disease/

Some people also get flu-like symptoms a few days or weeks after they were bitten by an infected tick, such as:

a high temperature, or feeling hot and shivery
headache
muscle and joint pain
tiredness and loss of energy

Been there done that myself a few years back. GP put me straight on the meds (yuk!), all sorted within a week or whatever it takes, no lasting effects. You’ve done the right thing 100%.

Yep. I had the same as you a few years ago.

This year the missus got it properly. You know those RAF roundels painted on the side of spitfires…. It was pretty much exactly like than on her leg.  Swelled up something rotten and then peeled

3 weeks antibiotics.

Yep mine was pretty gross – it was during Covid, rang the GP and said ‘I think I have the rash’, expecting to be fobbed off, woe is me, doom and gloom, my future is ruined etc….It was really nasty looking, hot, scratchy, oozing, growing bigger by the hour…

GP said to send him a photo. Sent photo. Rang back in about 30 secs “Er yes, thats pretty much a student-medical-textbook grade Erythema Migrans… Your prescription will be at Boots in half an hour”

Certainly compared to anecdotal stuff you read about historical diagnosis, GPs seem to take it pretty seriously these days.

GPs seem to take it pretty seriously these days.

Cases of chronic Lymes disease are probably expensive for the NHS!

Of course the issue you now have is that you feel shit and can’t decide whether it’s Lyme Disease or the antibiotics ?

Oh – and staying out of strong sunlight during this wonderful summer weather we’re experiencing.

I have been prescribed on the most vague bullseye inaginable and no tick present.

Me a nurse and a doctor all stared at my muffn top for thirty second, all agreed it was pretty pathetic and unusual between christmas and new year, but worth the AntiBs. Peebles surgery so pretty clued up on ticks and other rural medicine.

Ok thanks folks, am reassured that I’m not being a complete hypochondriac at least!

Of course the issue you now have is that you feel shit and can’t decide whether it’s Lyme Disease or the antibiotics ?

Ha, yeah, although 6 days in and the antibiotics have been pretty gentle on me so far…

Yes, same for son and I a few years ago.  Both from tick bites about 2 weeks apart. Local (south downs park) drs don’t hesitate and we were both on antibiotics. Son felt better within a month. I took 6 weeks or so and then had a additional blood test as I was taking so long. That was fine and I felt better anyway after a bit. This is a pretty similar occurrance to a lot of locals I know. The really small kids tend to get ticks in their hairline though, so harder to find.

Mostly use insect repellent now on exposed skin if riding or walking. Sometimes I forget and then will pick up a tick or 2, even under trousers.

Tick bite, three weeks antibiotics and felt fine after. Then years later I was hospitalised with a badly swollen foot. They pulled out a lot of gungy stuff from the joint to identify the bacteria and there weren’t any, which caused confussion  – they even accused me of having taken un prescribed anti-biotics. They tested for Lyme disease and gave me intravenous anti-biotics then prescribed some more and did blood tests for months after. No problems since.

Not tick/lyme related, but had a big reaction to a horsefly bite while away in Wales last month.

Bitten on the Saturday – saw the fly on my hand so knew it wasn’t a tick – no problems Sunday,  by Monday afternoon my hand had swollen enough that I removed my wedding ring and watch.

Rang Welshpool MIU at 4.30, said I wasn’t sure if it was a reaction or infected,  was invited down for 5.30, got checked, left at 5.45 with a weeks antibiotics which took 2-3 days to kick in.

Nurse who saw me said it had been a bad year for all bites and they were encouraging anyone with any concerns to be seen.

The NHS is bloody good.

Mate of mine was the same @MoreCashThanDash

We stopped to eat on the old Marin Trail in Gwydir, he felt a bite. Nothing else even back at base. Got home….. 48h later in hospital on antibiotics

Of course the issue you now have is that you feel shit and can’t decide whether it’s Lyme Disease or the antibiotics ?

Ug, yes, now I know what you mean, 2 weeks in and I feel worse than before I started taking the antibiotics…

GPs seem to take it pretty seriously these days.

First person I met with Lymes disease was a GP who failed to spot his own symptoms because he was adamant you couldn’t get it in Scotland. 🙂

2 weeks in and I feel worse than before I started taking the antibiotics…

Chickens. Hatching. Counting.

In my experience the shittyness will soon pass and then you’re just left with trying to rebuild fitness (which takes a lot longer than it does to lose it – especially as you age)

You did the right thing seeking treatment.  I had a tick bite a couple of years ago which I didn’t notice.  Riding the bike through scrub in the south of France.  A couple of days later it blew up in the classic lymes bulls eye on my leg.  Went to a doctor in France and he was straight on it, ah mr you have a souvenir of your holiday…maladie du lymes.  21 days of amoxicillin at 1000mg 3 x day.  while on the treatment I started getting sore feet and then later arthritis in my ankles, wrists and elbows.  This was bad at first but has got milder, but never gone away.  Apparently there used to be a vaccine for lymes and it would be great if that was bought back.  I was lucky in getting the classic symptom and having a doc that knew what it was, but often the case that doesn’t happen

LYMErix, the vaccine, was withdrawn for various reasons, including side-effects, poor efficacy and the need for repeat doses. There are two new vaccines currently undergoing trials so perhaps we’ll see these available in the next year or two.

Oh and it’s Lyme disease, not Lymes (sorry, just grates).

Got the rash after a bite – vague but put on the antibiotics. Fatigue episode could have been the medication or….

Finally got a reactive bite last year after 20 years of being in a high risk category (mountain biking forester)
They were quite ready to prescribe the antibiotics and sent a blood sample off, whilst I wasn’t working in an area they have mapped for deer, I know they are present where I work.

It’s a bit worrying thinking of the long term effects, but everyone was pretty clued up on it. Had a pretty panicked call from company health and safety bod about it.

New employer provides tick trousers and wash in repellent.

How have people’s experiences been recovering from Lyme?

I’m still feeling a fair bit of fatigue, which I don’t mind but am worried I’m overdoing the exercise, maybe pushing a wee bit too far if I’ve been feeling good etc. etc.

Still feeling randomly feverish at times (v.mild). I don’t understand the physiology but had assumed the body would be done ‘fighting off’ the infection after antibiotics…

Having said that NHS online suggests it’s normal so I guess nothing to worry about.

Yes, all that and it took 6 weeks to feel normal again. Don’t push it until you are recovered.

I gave it time, eased off when needed and gradually raised by exercise expectations. That has been more of a general approach since before the bite as realised that I was prolonging illnesses by not fully recovering.

So in the long run, no change so far. There are many other reasons for not being as fit as I want to be right now ?

Hmm… definitely need to pace the next couple of rides at least then!

Recent rides have been short road spins but I’ve caught a few strong tailwinds which has encouraged some silliness.