Lyme Disease Alert!

Hi all,

I've been away from blogging for last one month. I have been feeling unwell for a month, and after seeing a few doctors: I have Lyme Disease!

I always explore the places I introduce in this blog with heavy protection -- boots, long pants, long sleeve, and bug spray -- because I know there are lots of bugs and poisonous plants in the woods. A interviewer in the past warned me about Deer Ticks, so I knew the danger of it. 

I was off guard when I visited the Minuteman National Park in late May. It was a Sunday type, spur of the moment decision so my gear wasn't as sufficient as it should be.

I saw a brown bug sticking on my leg few days later. I thought it must be a deer tick so I decided to be cautious for next one month. I need to emphasize that no bulls eye rash developed on my skin!

Three weeks later, I began noticing a tenderness around an armpit area. I thought it was a hair removal fail; the tick didn't bite there. A few days later my temperature reached 100 f, which is very high for me. After the temperature broke I recognized a red rash around the armpit area.

First doctor I saw was a MESS. She quickly disregarded my concern because I DIDN'T HAVE A BULL'S EYE!! Over 20% of patients don't develop one! Instead, she diagnosed me with other kind of bacterial infection and prescribed a Cephem antibiotic, which is useless with Lyme Disease. I was completely unhappy with the visit. Ok she did a Lyme Disease test but it turned out to be negative, I believe, because they didn't call back for the result.

Even after taking all the antibiotics prescribed, the rash got worsen. I began noticing a rash on my back, too. I developed a sensitivity on an area of my skin. So I decided to see another doctor, which was about a week ago.

Oh boy, he listened to me! He administered a blood test again, telling me that it is not always accurate. Then he prescribed Tetracycline for 2 weeks. The rash began diminishing next day. It's working!

The doctor called me yesterday that I DO have Lyme Disease. I hope I can clear the bacteria, I'm anxious. The doctor is optimistic about my recovery because it was caught in the early stage.

Everyone! Watch out!!

PubMed Health: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002296/
Lyme Disease Map Project: https://sites.google.com/site/lymediseasemapproject/

It's a shame that I couldn't visit places last month, because I'll be moving to Western Massachusetts soon.