[pct-l] Re: Lyme Disease

["Brian Horst" <bhorst@usa.net>]

Got some firsthand info on it, as I picked it up on my '97 AT thru-hike.

I noticed something that looked like a spider bite, and then eventually
turned into a bullseye about 2 days later.  Another hiker got it too, and
his bullseye just kept growing in diameter til he started treatment.  The
doc told me that the rash starts to show up after about 2 weeks, and that
maybe 50% actually get the rash symptom.  Flu-like symptoms are common, but
neither myself or the other guy had them.

I got a prescription for dioxycycline for 3 weeks.  Two annoying things I
found out about dioxycycline - it greatly increases your sensitivity to the
sun, and you need to take it on an empty stomach.  I got a good case of mild
sunburn even with liberal application of sunscreen (esp. being above
treeline in the Whites.  should've used sunblock).  The stuff also really
irritated my stomach, so that when I took it in the morning, I laid curled
up in an agonizing ball feeling like I was going to die for 15 minutes or
so, and felt pretty nauseous after taking it later in the day, though not as
badly as in the morning.  Better than the end results of full blown Lyme
disease though.

If you get a rash, it's easy to diagnose.  With just the flu like symptoms
it's a bit more difficult.  IMO, if you have the symptoms for a few days a
couple of weeks after passing thru a tick infested area, go a doc and let
them know that you've been hiking and ticks were a possibility.  They can do
a blood test, but I don't know that it's very accurate.  Either way,
dioxycycline is pretty cheap and it's side effects are way better than the
disabling and occasionally fatal effects of full blown Lyme disease.

B~~~~

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