#tickborne

I recently got an email from a family member who was looking for info and/or doctor recommendations for lyme disease, because of my son's battle with lyme.

Which made me take a deep, deep breath (I'm frustrated about a lot of things, today, and I don't want to unload on him) and write out a small essay about tickborne illnesses. IlnessES. PLURAL! My son didn't have lyme, he had babesia (also spelled babesiosis.)

I have posted here before, but it bears repeating. There are quite a few tickborne diseases. Anyone who has gotten a tick bite or is frequently outside and at risk for getting bitten should:

Read the CDC website to find what diseases may be in your area of the US (I don't personally have info for other areas of the world)

and check out the various symptoms of those diseases BEFORE even asking a Dr because

Many doctors don't even know this stuff, and you may very much need to do some research on your own before asking for a diagnosis.

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

  I’ve mentioned chronic tickborne illness a couple of times here, and I’m going to do it again. My son has been fighting babesia for as long as five years, and because it was not diagnosed or treated in a timely manner*, it has gone chronic and become much harder to treat. We found a specialist near Baltimore who is very aggressive in her treatment, and that is a welcome change. Just two weeks ago he was started on yet another type of antibiotic. However, this illness has virtually stolen his entire teens. Affected his education, sports, and social life. It’s been miserable for him. And it could have been addressed much, much better. So, if you’re an outdoors person who is at risk for being bitten by ticks, please, please know the signs of the various diseases NOT JUST LYME and know how to advocate for yourself if you get bitten and end up sick.

   I screenshotted this info from the cdc webpage, and I’m sure there is a lot more info available out there for the different regions of the US.

* thanks to pediatricians who did Not Listen To Me when I told them about his lengthy, recurring fevers.

Tick-borne illnesses have tripled in the last 14 years. Here’s how to avoid them over the holiday weekend.

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We have a growing tick problem, and I don’t just mean the physical engorgement of a blood-filled arthropod attached to your scalp. No, this swelling is of the numerical variety. Cases of tick-, mosquito-, and flea-borne diseases have tripled since 2004, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control(CDC), and the upward trend shows no signs of stopping. More than 60…

CFP: “Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) and travel” “Travel and Tick-borne Infection”

Call for Papers: "Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) and travel" "Travel and Tick-borne Infection" – Guest Editor: Pr. Philippe…

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