Tick…Tick...Tick…
Approximately four years ago, I thought I had picked up a little poison ivy on the back of my knee. I treated it with the usual topical ointment and my doctor verified that it was just that. However, when extreme feelings of fatigue, tingling in my hands and 'memory hesitations' became pronounced, it was apparent that I was dealing with more than just poison ivy. The facial paralysis that followed was correctly diagnosed as Bell’s Palsy. The rest of the symptoms were incorrectly diagnosed as Multiple Sclerosis.
After a MRI and a spinal tap, a neurologist correctly diagnosed me with Lyme Disease. She immediately prescribed a 28-day semi-permanent IV regime of super strong antibiotics. My home care nurse, Kathy Black, assured me that many of the problems I was experiencing - extreme fatigue, crying, memory lapses, lack of concentration, feeling out of control, inability to read or use a computer, low-grade fever, fear of driving my car, insomnia, depression, brain fog, clumsiness, emotional chaos, lack of appetite, nausea, sound sensitivity, high blood pressure, droopy left eyelid, twitching on both sides of my face and mouth, stuttering - were to be expected from the medications and Lyme disease. At my request, she gave me the name of an infectious disease specialist. The specialist said, "This is the worst case of Lyme Meningitis I have ever seen." (Meningitis in this context means inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal column.)
How did I go from being a one-vitamin-a-day person to this in less than three weeks?
Tick…tick…tick… here come the Deer Ticks…
The deer tick is a tiny little tick that can be no bigger than the period at the end of this sentence. Deer ticks are not the same as the bigger ticks that you see, for example, on your pets.
I spend lots of time outside in my yard. I did not have a bull's-eye around any bite. Like me, between 40 to 60 percent of infected humans never notice a rash. And, if they do, less than 50 percent have the telltale bull's eye ring. The National Center for Disease Control says that only about one-tenth to one-twentieth of those contracting Lyme are actually correctly diagnosed and reported.
Last year, Calvert County’s number of reported and verified Lyme disease victims increased by 5%. In Anne Arundel County that number decreased by 4%. However, overall the state of Maryland increased by 17.6%. (See attached statistics from Maryland Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene for other counties.) Maryland is noted as a high risk Lyme area by the Centers for Disease Control.
Deer ticks are the primary carrier for Lyme, but research is being done on the possibility that other ticks, birds, squirrels, pets and other small animals might carry the bacteria or transport infected deer ticks Pets can bring ticks into the house. Deer ticks can be very difficult to detect. Dog ticks are much larger and easier to see than deer ticks. (Deer ticks in their nymph stage are the size of the period at the end of this sentence.) Most people do not feel the deer tick bite. Deer tick season in Maryland is from April to November.
If you find a deer tick DON’T panic – not all deer ticks carry Lyme and it is believed that they need to be attached at least 24 hours to infect you. Remove the tick from your skin right away. Use tweezers to grip the tick as close to the skin as you can and pull it out. Cover your fingers with gloves or a tissue if you don't have tweezers. Clean the bite with alcohol. Circle the area with a pen and watch for any change in appearance. Mark your calendar on the date you found the tick. If a rash or other symptoms develop within three to 32 days, call your doctor immediately.
The first symptoms of Lyme disease may be a flu-like condition, with fever, chills, headache, stiff-neck, aches and fatigue and sometimes even tooth pain. Weeks or months after the bite (even a bite you don't remember) you may develop pain in various joints or muscles, neurological problems, heart irregularities, problems with vision or hearing, headaches, low-grade fever or other symptoms. Lyme symptoms can mimic Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, attention deficit disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, lupus or multiple sclerosis and be misdiagnosed as one of these illnesses.
The blood test for Lyme disease is not consistently reliable. Serological tests may miss up to 60 percent of positive cases of Lyme and are especially unreliable if done less than 2 weeks after the bite. Even then you may test negative though you actually have the disease. There are also a high percentage of false positive results. Lyme disease must be identified and treated by a physician knowledgeable about the disease. Often that person is a specialist. There is no test to determine how long you have had Lyme. Also, there is no test to determine, after treatment, that the Lyme is gone. You will test positive for the rest of your life.
Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics. If left untreated, it may lead to more serious illnesses of the heart, joints and nervous system. Pregnant women can miscarry. There is controversy in the medical community as to whether advanced Lyme is curable. Many people suffer post-treatment relapses of Lyme symptoms for the rest of their lives. The National Institutes of Health is currently doing studies on this syndrome.
The best precaution is avoidance. When you venture outside, apply an insect repellent containing DEET (n,n-diethyl-m-toluamide) to exposed skin and clothes. When you or people in your care come indoors, check for the tiny ticks.
After four years, I continue to take daily medication to help with the repercussions of Lyme disease. I, at times of stress or fatigue, continue to run a low-grade temperature. During extreme stress I have endured a mini-stroke. My short-term memory is getting better and as long as I take the medications, my neck doesn’t ache/crack too much.
I have had 31 doctors' office visits, one urgent care visit and one emergency room visit. I have had two spinal taps, one EKG, two MRI brain scans and more than 75 lab tests. I have also taken more than 35 different drugs of varying strengths. All this did not come from poison ivy! Please be careful out there…tick…tick…tick.
Lyme Disease Foundation:
www.lyme.org
American Lyme Disease Foundation:
www.aldf.com
National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
www.cdc.gov
Please feel free to contact me at:
Cheryl Emery:
CherylEmery@comcast.net
Cheryl Emery
9082 Mary Ann Dr.
Calvert County
Owings, Md. 20736
301-855-7704
May 9, 2003
Maryland Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene - 2002 Lyme Disease Statistics
County
2000
2001
2002
Total
Allegany
1
1
2
4
Anne Arundel
84
69
66
219
Baltimore County
28
22
20
70
Calvert
27
38
40
105
Caroline
21
20
7
48
Carroll
30
27
73
130
Cecil
42
31
35
108
3
Charles
27
23
25
75
Dorchester
4
1
5
10
Frederick
26
10
63
99
Garrett
0
2
0
2
Harford
42
59
81
182
Howard
64
68
39
171
Kent
34
7
15
56
Montgomery
80
69
68
217
Prince George's
50
39
40
129
Queen Anne's
35
28
43
106
St. Mary's
9
8
10
27
Somerset
8
11
8
27
Talbot
37
18
19
74
Washington
10
14
23
47
Wicomico
5
9
21
35
Worcester
10
13
22
45
Baltimore City
14
21
13
48
Total
688
608
738
2034
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