Just got though the first 3 days of Lyme disease...

[92gli]

... and let me tell you, I have a new respect for those little f'ers. Anything the size of a speck of dirt that can reduce a man to a 170lb pile of sweaty blubbering pathetic mess shouldn't be messed with.

I always try to check myself pretty well after a ride but I must have missed one after one of my rides last weekend. The headache started at about 2 oclock monday afternoon. I woke up in bed at 3am tuesday morning thinking I was naked at the north pole. My wife took my temperture but it was only a few 10ths above normal. Tuesday and yesterday are a blur thanks to the extreme headache.

We went to the local doc. tuesday morning and she told me to start the antibiotics asap and that I would feel better after the 2nd dose. This all sounded great until i took my first dose on an empty stomach after drinking half a quart of orange juice. Shortly thereafter I started puking and knocked myself out trying to run up the steps to get to the toilet. This prompted my wife to rush me to the hospital thinking I had menengitis. 10 hours, 1 spinal tap, and 3 bags of IV fluid later it was confirmed that I don't have menengitis - I'm just an idiot. I've now had 3 doses of my antibiotics and i feel much better. Only 5 weeks 6 days left. Woot. Maybe I'll ride this weekend...

The crazy thing is, I made it 20 years mountain biking in one of the areas of the country with the highest numbers of lyme cases (southeast PA) before this happened.

[bikephan]

I panic for the first week everytime I find a tick on me. Lived in Pa for 16 years so I hear you on that, then I moved out west and sure enough, those buggers have their disease there. I remember a neighborhood kid getting lyme disease and that has freeked me out since.
Just pulled on from my calf and I stare at every 10mins it seems, waiting to see if it bullseye etc

[static_mass]

Originally Posted by 92gli

southeast PA

Oh, wonderful. That's not my backyard or anything

I hope you feel better. Out of curiosity, is it something that your body builds resistance to after you've had it once?

[92gli]

Originally Posted by static_mass

Out of curiosity, is it something that your body builds resistance to after you've had it once?

I don't know. I haven't checked into that yet.

This experience really opened my eyes to how mis-understood lyme disease is among people who aren't outdoors types. Most of my extended family think that I have something thats going to cut many years off my life and have me dying from my brain turning to soup. Which, I guess could happen if you never got treated...

[92gli]

The missing bullseye started showing up on my right arm yesterday, 5 days after i started feeling sick. Weird

[Ripzalot]

i just found my first tick ever on my arm about 3 days later. and just my luck i was in lyme disease territory.

what are the first symptoms and how long does it take to set in? what's this bullseye business?

[92gli]

I started feeling a headache and neck soreness about 30 hours after finishing my last ride. Later that night I had cold sweats worse than I've ever had.

The bullseye denotes the bite location - a red dot surrounded by a halo of yellowish bruising. Mine is less than an inch wide.

[92gli]

Originally Posted by Ripzalot

i just found my first tick ever on my arm about 3 days later.

How big was it ? The bigger they are the less likely they carry lyme. The really dangerous ones are so small they look like a speck of dirt on you. If yours was big enough to easily pick off yourself with your fingers you're probably ok.

[Biohazard74]

Scarey sh1t !

[highdelll]

Lyme disease is carried by the Deer Tick or Black-Legged Tick
here's an ID


here's the range/ or lime disease risk map

[Biohazard74]

I know. I did research on them after going to Deland Florida once and renting a hotel and taking my dog for a walk in the woods behind the place. When I noticed hundreds of those buggers on the side of my dog and on my leg. I had read about them before this incident and I was freaking out to say the least and was very paranoid for about a week until I finally went to the Dr and took that doubt out of my head.

[wyatt79m]

I know this is a really old thread, but I was recently diagnosed with Lyme disease. I'm wondering how 92gli and anyone else have recovered? I feel like I'm never gonna be strong enough to ride again and wanted to know what the long term effects have been ? Thanks for any info...

[Eckstream1]

Originally Posted by wyatt79m

I know this is a really old thread, but I was recently diagnosed with Lyme disease. I'm wondering how 92gli and anyone else have recovered? I feel like I'm never gonna be strong enough to ride again and wanted to know what the long term effects have been ? Thanks for any info...

I have a buddy that wasn't treated for 3 weeks after being exposed... He ended up in and out of the hospital for the better part of a year. He was so bad off the put a Pic Line in so they can get medicine directly to his blood stream.

It was a long battle for him but he's back to normal now...

This was also in SE Pa... He cut himself while gutting a deer. No ticks were harmed

[wyatt79m]

Originally Posted by Eckstream1

I have a buddy that wasn't treated for 3 weeks after being exposed... He ended up in and out of the hospital for the better part of a year. He was so bad off the put a Pic Line in so they can get medicine directly to his blood stream.

It was a long battle for him but he's back to normal now...

This was also in SE Pa... He cut himself while gutting a deer. No ticks were harmed

Wow, that sounds bad, I hope I don't have to deal with this for a year !

[92gli]

Posting an update by request of wyatt79m.

A little over a year later and I seem to be fine. After completing the antibiotics last summer I wasn't feeling very strong for a few months. As we got into the winter i was able to ramp up the miles on the trainer a good bit. Got into the spring season with better strength than I've ever had.

I met a local doc a little while ago who is also an avid cyclist. He got lyme a few years ago as well. He is of the opinion that athletic people tend to be hit harder by the initial lyme symptoms (fever, muscle pain, etc). This usually leads them to a quick diagnosis and treatment. That was definately the case for me. I'm no ironman but I knew something was very wrong.

He says the people he sees that have bad long term effects seem to be less active people who don't get quick treatment. Don't know how much research there is on this but my case seems to support it.

[wyatt79m]

Thanks for the update, glad to hear your doing well.

[92gli]

New risk area map released today by Yale. I'm in the hot zone for sure.

Still doing fine. No lingering side effects as far as I can tell. Logged more miles than ever in 2011.

[Hard Rain]

Originally Posted by wyatt79m

I know this is a really old thread, but I was recently diagnosed with Lyme disease. I'm wondering how 92gli and anyone else have recovered? I feel like I'm never gonna be strong enough to ride again and wanted to know what the long term effects have been ? Thanks for any info...

American Lyme Disease Foundation

[1Slippy]

am i wrong but i thought once you get lime disease you have it for life?

[92gli]

Originally Posted by 1Slippy

am i wrong but i thought once you get lime disease you have it for life?

They say you do, but I was treated right away and I haven't had any fatigue or other problems since. After my whole dehydration/hospital stay the worst part was the antibiotics doing a number on my stomach. Can't remember what they were.