# I found a tick in my husbands belly button-Long rant



## glorified_rice (Jun 5, 2005)

Yes, that's right, in his belly button. He sometime works outside a lot and walks in remote areas with tall grasses, etc... so he had me check his body over really well when he came home from work last Thursday. Well, I stupidly failed to look in his belly button







and so did he. Well, yesterday (an entire week later) he sat on the couch next to me and I happened to just look over at the exact right angle and I said "You have something really gross in your belly button" and he jumped up and looked and sure enough. It turns out that his belly button is the perfect little garage for a tick. So, anyway, It was so firmly attached that I didn't feel comfortable removing it, so I sent him to the clinic where they removed it and promptly wrote him an RX for an 21 day antibiotic







:. DH asked the Dr. why he would need one, given the fact that he isn't showing any signs of being sick and Lyme disease is extremely rare in our area. (I know that there are other tick-borne diseases too) The Dr. responded... "well, one of the basic tenets of medicine is to first do no harm







:ah, ok... so I guess giving a 21 day antibiotic that is most likely unnecessary is doing no harm. Hmmm. Then, as he was on his way out, the Dr. asked that age-old question. "Are you up to date on your teatnus booster?" That was just too much. He ended up getting into a big discussion with her about how tetanus is contracted, etc... she even mentioned the rusty nail







fallacy. She finally conceded that he probably didn't have anything to worry about as far as tetanus and the tick. The nurse then chimed in and said that in over 30 years of being a nurse, she had seen only one case of tetanus and it was in a very elderly man. So, yeah, needless to say, no fill on that antibiotic. I wonder why we steer clear of the clinic as much as we possibly can.


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## KMK_Mama (Jan 29, 2006)

Ewwww, I'm sorry.

I just talked to my SIL the other day and her friends little girl had just been diagnosed with Lyme Disease. It sounds very scary, especially for a 2 year old!

I would definately hold onto the RX though just in case.


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## glorified_rice (Jun 5, 2005)

Yes, I'm definitely holding on to that prescription.


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## momto l&a (Jul 31, 2002)

Your poor dh

I would use sodium ascorbate long before I would use an antibiotic let alone a 21 day one


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## newcastlemama (Jun 7, 2005)

I have Lyme disease but I don't think I ever would have felt the effects of it if I had not gotten so stressed and depleated. The healthier I get the less I feel like I have it. My naturopath thinks that it is okay to take abx at the first sign, but they are pretty much worthless after that.

I would at least high dose the sodium ascorbate and some immune boosting if you don't want to do the abx. (I could see going either way with them in your case). Watch for the rash too.


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## Rhiannon Feimorgan (Aug 26, 2005)

I undertand compleatly the reluctance to use antibiotics without clear need. My mother has been battleing lyme for many years now. We live in an area that wasn't supposed to have lyme berring ticks. She never showed any symtoms. No fever, no rash nothing. She had a very har time getting a diagnosis for what was happening to he once symtoms did start to show up (almost a year later and past the point where antibiotics would have irradicated the lyme baccili) She was told she had fibromialga or that it was all just a part of getting older or it was stress because she wasn't getting along with her husband or whatever.

Please, lyme is more widespread than many people realise. It can be cured so quickly with antibiotics if you catch it quick. Once it takes hold though it's a debilitating cronic disease.


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## glorified_rice (Jun 5, 2005)

Do you think he should use the antibiotic? I'm just worried that it could do more harm than good if it's not needed. Our chiropractor suggested taking some colloidal silver too. Anyone have any experience with that. I'm really worried now.







: I sure don't want him to have to deal with a chronic illness. Those of you who have gone through this, or know someone who has... what would you do?


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## glorified_rice (Jun 5, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *momto l&a* 
Your poor dh

I would use sodium ascorbate long before I would use an antibiotic let alone a 21 day one









What form and dosage would you suggest? Are you talking an emergen-c type of product, or something different?


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## newcastlemama (Jun 7, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *glorified_rice* 
Do you think he should use the antibiotic? I'm just worried that it could do more harm than good if it's not needed. Our chiropractor suggested taking some colloidal silver too. Anyone have any experience with that. I'm really worried now.







: I sure son't want him to have to deal with a chronic illness. Those of you who have gone through this, or know someone who has... what would you do?

From what I have read abx will be very effective (like 98%) in dealing with Lyme when it is first caught. Does your husband have any onset symptoms? I do not like abx, but if I was bit by a tick and had a rash or anything I would do the abx and LOAD on probiotics (fermented dairy like kefir and yogurt, vegetables, capsules).

My dr thinks I had it months to years (because of my symptoms and some blood test numbers) without having any symptoms because I was so healthy. When I got really stressed and depleated I started having arthritis, fatigue, and body aches. A blood test confirmed and I live in a high tick area and I do a lot of outdoors activities. I will have it forever but I do not worry about it because as my body gets stronger, I keep getting better.

My naturopath pretty much said this-- in the early stages take the abx because it is easier to fix their downsides then try and figure out and fix what can happen later. She also said that there are many people walking around with Lyme without knowing it because their immune systems are fully functioning and it is not dangerous unless you get compromised. So Lyme can be bad, but seems to depend on what else is going on in your body.

I hope that helps,
Jen







s


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## arwenevenstar (Mar 25, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KMK_Mama* 







Ewwww, I'm sorry.

I just talked to my SIL the other day and her friends little girl had just been diagnosed with Lyme Disease. It sounds very scary, especially for a 2 year old!

I would definately hold onto the RX though just in case.

My 2 year old has just been diagnosed and yes we did the AB's for 21 days and I am thankful we have done them reading all the debilitating illnesses that people can get if it isn't treated early. We also loaded her on Kefir and probiotics and plenty of deep green veggies and fish.


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## fishface (Jan 6, 2007)

Quote:

Do you think he should use the antibiotic? I'm just worried that it could do more harm than good if it's not needed.
But what if it IS needed and it's quite awhile til you realize he has Lyme disease? (if in fact he does) Bad news bears.


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## 2busy2clean (Feb 3, 2005)

The herb astragalus is a lyme disease preventative - it revs up the right immune response so the body can fight off the bacteria quickly. My dh is taking 1000 mg/day for this reason.


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## glorified_rice (Jun 5, 2005)

Thank you all for your advice. 2busy2clean, thank you for that tip, I will look into that. I was just doing some research on the CDC website and the new guidelines caution against prescribing the 21-day course of Doxycycline unless four specific criteria are met. I am afraid that I am not 100% sure about what kind of tick it was, so I am hoping to call over to the clinic and ask that DR. if she is sure that it was indeed the kind of tick that they are referring to which is I.Scapularis. I kind of doubt that it is because the statistics show very few cases of Lyme disease in our state and the information also says that that kind of tick is rare in our area. The guidelines also suggest to be on the lookout for any signs and symptoms of illness, as treatment for early-onset Lyme is extremely effective. Thanks again for your responses, they were very helpful.


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## fortunecookie (Mar 20, 2007)

Just because there aren't many reported cases of Lymes in your area doesn't mean it isn't around. Insurance companies don't like to pay for teatment for Lymes because it can be very expensive for those with long term damage. For those reasons docs don't always report the cases to the appropriate people because they don't want other problems with the ins. companies not paying. My family doctor told my mom that Lymes and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome were not real diseases and were all in the head. I had a rash that they now know as the juvinile(sp) version. He didn't even write that down in my records! We had to go to my dermatologist for treatment. When I wanted my records years ago from the derm doc he said "Who are you? Sorry I don't remember. And, we don't keep records for more than 7 years." I guess this was his way of dealing with the insurance companies. I was surprised because my mom is a nurse and they know each other proffesionally.







:


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## kcs (Jul 7, 2007)

I am going to be seeing a specialist in a few weeks for what is most likely a longstanding chronic case of lyme. I have been sick for many years, and I wouldn't wish this upon my worst enemy - severe brain fog and cognitive problems, joint problems and much more. I am very anti-antibiotics, but for this I will definitely make an exception, and if this mess could have been avoided with a short course of antibiotics at the beginning had I known, well, basically, I would definitely make an exception on my antibiotic stance for a tick bite - the consequences can be too debilitating. Just my two cents.

OT: is there a lyme buddy group here by any chance? I would be interested in joining if so, thx!
-karen


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