#babesia

That my immune compromised little cousin(and her family) and my elderly grandparents would NOT get sick because last week when I saw them I think I was sick and didn’t know it.

-- found in the eastern United States

-- important enzootic foci: -> Nantucket -> Martha's Vineyard -> Long Island -> Northern Midwest states -> Western US

-- also found in Europe

-- many European cases are seen in splenectomized patients

-- majority of US cases were immunocompetent (not immunocompromised)

-- incubation period after tick bite is 1 to 3 weeks

-- causes mild disease in healthy patients

-- major symptoms: -> fever -> hemolysis -> hemoglobinuria -> chills -> nausea -> fatigue

-- two species infect humans -> B. bovis -> B. microti

-- transmitted by Ixodes scapularis ticks

-- can be fatal

-- parasite limited by humoral responses

-- can undergo antigenic variation

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   One more little graphic on the subject of ticks - this is not every disease, but it’s a better than nothing.

1/1- Starting the new year with a follow up blood test 💉 on this baby of mine who got diagnosed with Babesiosis 15 days back. Wishing for the best ✌️ and a happy and bright new year ahead 🆕

Today after I came home from the store, my mom told me something really funny that she had heard a kid say about me.

When I'm in my full gear (noise cancelling headphones, sunglasses, and Vogmask) I elicit many strange looks and responses.

My mom told me the little boy said, "She's ready for something, but I don't know what."

Today I’d like to share with everyone my rare diseases, I have lymes disease, babesia, rocky mountain spotted fever, and bartonella all of which are tick borne illness. Lymes, bartonella, and babesia are all transmitted by deer ticks and rocky mountain stopped fever is transmitted by dog ticks. All of these diseases effect my immune system, increase my chance of heart problems, and causes fibromyalgia type pain, also lymes can really mess with your mental health. Also gluten and sugar can cause flare up since the lymes feeds off of it.

Testing for these diseases isn’t really refined and finding treatment can be difficult, since most doctors aren’t covered by insurance. Most of the blood test that are used for testing for these diseases can only identify a few of the many kinds of each disease and also my not work if time has past since you’ve been bitten. Most people are diagnosed by the scars caused by bartonella, they look like large stretch marks on the sides, or by how high their white blood cell count is, along with the physical symptoms.