Tick/Lyme disease

[lloydjam]

HI, 4 weeks ago i got bitten by a tick (i didn't realise at the time that it was a tick); i developed the classic "bullseye" which I believe this means it was infected with the bacteria that causes Lymes disease. The bite has just about gone now but my question is should I get tested for this ? I don't feel any more tired/unwell than i do normally, but was thinking of the future as I think symptoms can come on at any time? any advice would be gratefully received. thank you

Yes, make an appointment with your GP as soon as possible. Lymes is nasty or so I'm told and my GP was v keen for me to have a blood test to confirm.

All the best..JB

Yes. Go see your GP asap.

Yes you need antibiotics

Thank you very much - ill call the GP !

Yes yes yes. You will need a minimum of 2 weeks of Doxycycline

The bullseye is a diagnosis of Lyme disease so no need to be tested. However a massive need for medication. I was bitten last May and am still on medication over a year later as got treatment 2 months after the bite. Doxy 200mg twice a day for 6 weeks is recommended in the US. Unfortunately the UK is not up to standard with this yet. Doxy is an antimalarial and can be bought from travel clinics.

Get antibiotics asap. No need to wait after a bullseye. The longer you wait tge more chance of lasting health oroblems.

Gosh !! thanks everyone - am a bit worried now. Doctor calling me tomorrow !!

What curcur said, get the doxycycline now - you might still be early enough to cure it. I had a bullseye 14 years ago and didn't get any symptoms straight away but am now pretty much bedbound. Get your GP to have a look at it so that it's in your file (not that that will do you a lot of good with the current NHS guidelines but things might change in the future), but get the doxy from a travel clinic (e.g. Superdrug's website) because the NHS will not give you enough.

Important not to let the GP fob you off. NHS guidelines is that doxy is prescribed on a bullseye rash ..you don't need to be tested if you have the bullseye rash. Some doctors aren't aware of this. At this stage, every day counts. There are thousands in the UK suffering due to not being given the correct Meds early enough. Look at the US ILADS recommendations and make your own judgements on your dosage. Good luck!

The GP will probably only offer 2-4 weeks of antibiotic treatment. It is preferable that you have 6 weeks for a bulls eye rash. The life cycle of this bacteria is between 3and 30 days.

Late Lyme is difficult to treat, it took five years of a combination of antibiotics to get me well.

Best of luck to you.