Are there any test that can be had to see if one has this disease?

I'm being told by our doctor there is not and that I have to wait till symptoms show to do anything.

One of my kids had a tick. My question to doc was:. How long do I have to wait to have test done.

Ask the doc to give the Doxycillin to your child. If the disease is not deeply imbedded in the system it is easier to control and kill. DO it ASAP.

There is the western blot test and boreials (spelling?) They are the 2 most common tests done but do give a false negative.

I got bit by a deer tick last year and had a bright red, half inch spot from it. I went to Urgent Care and they proscribed Doxycline as a preventative. It's better to be safe than to risk getting Lyme disease.

Keith

I'll give you my take on it and I have not read up on it in the last couple years. I'm going by memory and that itself is iffy, so take it with a grain of salt.There is a couple test they use and they detect your bodies antibodies. So if you get bit and get the test quickly your body may not have built up the antibodies and even then the test are only as good as the guy reading it. Hear say is that the spirochetes can not be sucked up in a blood test, however I read where one guy put a band around the end of his finger trapping the spirochetes and then draw the blood , and he saw the spirochetes under an electron microscope.

My take is that if you are infected the longer you wait to start on antibiotics is not good. The bacteria has like a three week cycle and it goes into a lipid state by surrounding its self with fat which antibiotics can't penetrate. As time goes by it gets in your bones and tissues. Thats why doxycycline works because it goes deep into the bone, that's why it will affect kids teeth. Amoxicillin will work when used quickly, it won't penetrate the bones etc.

I only know what I gathered myself from all over and if I think of anything else I will add later. I had something bad 12 or more years ago from ticks, still not sure if it was actually lyme or one of the hundred infections. My lyme test turned out neg. I ran out out money and patients, I went on my own. If any one sees any errors on my take on this please correct me.

One other thing is if you have enough infection and you take antibiotics you will likely experience a herx, which is your body trying to get rid of the dead stuff. You need to keep your bowels cleaned out so you don't recycle the kill off. The dead stuff makes ammonia in your blood if I remember correctly . Benadryl helped me alot with that, plus slept alot, lol.

If your Doc won't prescribe Doxy as an easy, cheap preventative, GET A DIFFERENT DOCTOR. My VA doc said "the test is $100 and is 60% accurate, the Doxy is $8, this is a no brainer!"

What #11 said

10 years ago this month I got Lyme. Still have it

30 days of doxycycline right now is what should be done

I was treated wrong, as I was told I just had an infection and was put on a five day Z-pack

The westernblot test was not able to detect it after that

I had a special test done that was started with a major inamoint of antibiotics injected in to me, it made me so sick I thought I was dying (called a herxey effect)

Then had to save urine samples for 3 days and ship overnight to a lab in California. Then then look for dead sporadica in the urine. They found it

I’m a “lifer” now but have finally found relief using Banderol

DO NOT MESS AROUND WITH LYME

Sorry MT, I remember what ya went thru, I spray down each and every time I go into the woods. A close friend of mine had it too. His wife thought he was loosing his mind. He was lucky the doctor didn't hesitate with treatment, 2x... My doctor told me if you get bit, get your butt in here NOW!! Red ring or not..

Mmm, first hot day of the year, made me think of gin and tonic.

Last July I was feeling lousy, like I had something from a tick. Went to Urgent Care. My regular Doc, who knows about tick-borne illnesses, was not there. They did $1600 worth of tests on me, then the Doc who was there told me that given my symptoms, she was putting me on Doxy. Thanks.

My regular Doc has given me a prescription for Doxy, with the instructions that if I start feeling lousy I should get on it right away.

Moosetrot

Yeah

Thank you all! She has a red spot but is feeling fine.

I'll call the doc again

Just heard that lymes can be transmitted by other insects other than ticks. One lady got stung by a wasp and got the red bullseye like you would from an infected tick. Now she's a lifer too.

Wrong drink; it has to be a Whiskey sour with limes

you might get a little more feedback if you correct the spelling in the thread title.


sorry I have no first hand advice to give.

And in the proper form; Health Issues

I know, I know

Spelling isn't my gig.

Got the answer info I wanted I think.

What's the red spot? Does it look like any bug could have done it or is it a larger circle that looks like her body is reacting to it? If it has a ring around it she 100% has lymes. If it just red from being a bug bit then she may not have it. Also, what did the tick look like? Had its abdomen started to fill yet? Ticks can't transfer the disease until they have been attached for twelve to twenty four hours.

Wrong answer.