Lymes disease?

[Lovemusic33]

Hypochondriac here

Just over a month ago I was bitten by a couple ticks (not on the same day), one was removed by my gp and I was given antibiotics, people told me my gp was being silly and the chances of the tic carrying lymes is very slim so I decided not to take the antibiotics. Tic bite looked fine, no ring, no rash etc..

Fast forward a few weeks and I come down with what appears to be a bad cold/flu, not like me at all to be I’ll let alone during the summer. I’m on day 8 of said cold/flu and I just feel like sleeping all day, I go out for a couple hours and then I need to sleep, I’m struggling with my part time job (sleep before I go, sleep when I get home) and I wake up tired in the mornings. A few people have suggested I get tested for lymes but I don’t have all the symptoms, I have had cold symptoms (cough, runny nose) which are not linked to lymes but I have also had a achy neck (before I started feeling unwell) and a racing heart which I put down to stress.

Is it worth asking my gp for a blood test? I feel silly asking as I will have to tell him that I did not take the antibiotics he gave me and because he will probably think I’m being a hypochondriac.

thanks.
But why then is everyone piling in to say the OP should've taken them when initially prescribed?

Because people are properly up in arms about Lymes at the moment.

People are a bit odd about medical matters on MN. Very keen on medication for everything. Lots of MNers work in the NHS.

My kids and I would be on antibiotics all the time if that was the case!

A qualified doctor has said take them so take them. Stay off doctor Google and ignore posters on here saying otherwise. None of them are qualified, saying you know a g p doesn't make you one, and even if you were qualified no doctor would tell you what to do over the internet without seeing your specific notes

The incidence of Lymes varies according to where in the country you got bitten, and whether there is an infected deer population.

OP: stop discussing and obsessing about the not taking the abs THEN and see your GP NOW since you have symptoms. It may be that the dose / course of medication now is different to what it would have been when given as a precaution.

Just do it. Go to your GP. Start worrying about your actual health instead of what people think of you.

I was biter by a tic recently, I only know because I developed the bulls eye rash.... I went to the GP who refused to give me antibiotics because I wasn't showing any signs of feeling unwell 😕 I read the nice guidelines and it said in the case of the bulls eye rash you treat as Lymes disease now I'm worried that something bad is going to happen?

No officially you shouldn't take them automatically right after being bitten. I believe there is an incubation period anyway hence the rash/flu like symptoms appearing weeks later.

However the complication of the disease are such that personally I would rather fight nothing than not prevent that horrible illness.

It's amazing how every day you.have people asking for antibiotics for cold or sore throat symptoms which are unlikely to be bacterial and it is almost accepted but taking antibiotics for a horrible illness when it is the only treatment to eradicate it is thrown upon.

I was bitten by a tick 3 years ago and had a rash hours later. I did nothing about it but 12 months later started to develop symptoms associated to Lyme disease. I got tested thankfully negative and symptoms was pit down to something else that could be treated. Found out that a rash right afterwards was a reaction to the bite not an indication of infection. I am so massively grateful that it didn't turn out to be Lyme but I know that if I was bitten again I would be straight to the gp. I live in one of the two areas in the UK where Lyme is most prevalent too.

You'll be seeing a lot more of Lymes in the UK.

I like be in one of the worst areas in the world for it. Dh gets its at least twice a year, he had it 5 times one year.

It's fucking awful. Kids aren't allowed anyway near anything but short grass, fallen leaves etc. They have to be sprayed with tick spray before and during school.

I've been saying how it's going to get a lot worse in the UK too for years. I've also been saying that ticks are going to be one of the major new health disasters in some areas.

We have tick bourne diseases which are far worse. They used to be rare and are getting much more common. I can only imagine it's time before the UK starts seeing a rise in incidents too.

We've actually stopped our cats from going outside now, they were coming in with up to 20 ticks each per day on them. not envy.

Most people I know here have had Lymes. The ones who suffer the most are the ones who didn't take the medicine soon enough.

Lyme testing is so unreliable. They don't even bother to test at most doctors where I live.

There is a vaccine about to be released though.

I have been bitten a few times. I think it does depend how long the tic has been on you to when it can cause Lymes? I think it’s 36-48 hours when they actually start sucking on your blood?

I am in a high risk area, I walk a lot (through fields) and I picked this one up hiking up a large hill, the following week I picked up another in the same place. I have since bought tic spray but it’s awful stuff and makes me itch so much I can’t walk.

I’m feeling ok today, have managed a day without falling asleep (although I feel pretty tired) so I’m hoping it was just a flu thing, I’m still taking the tablets and so far I have no side effects other than getting sun burnt easily today.

You must finish the whole course of tablets. Even if you suddenly feel 100% better.

I have been bitten a few times. I think it does depend how long the tic has been on you to when it can cause Lymes?
My understanding is that about 2-5% of ticks will carry Lyme disease and although they can pass on the disease the moment they bite, the longer they are on someone, the more likely to pass it on.

So indeed, the chances of getting the illness remains low. The issue is the damage that the illness causes if not treated early.