Lyme Disease - A Warning For Us All

[rj_jk]

I wanted to share a personal story with you which is relevant for us all.

Recently my wife has been diagnosed with Lyme disease. This has come after over 10 years of chronic illness and countless doctors. Over the years we have had everything from misdiagnosis to refusal to acknowledge there was an issue, telling her it was all in her head, as Aussie doctors aren't trained in identifying and treating Lyme.

We don't know exactly when she caught it but one of the main ways it can be contracted is through the bite of a tick. As a community that loves getting out and seeing Australia whether it be a day on the tracks or a longer trip away camping this is something we all need to be aware of.

There is a lot of contention about Lyme in Australia, which is why doctors don't know much about it. (The government haven't yet acknowledged Lyme is in Australia, although they do admit to a 'Lyme-like illness'.) This post is not intended to create any political debate. The reality is there are people in Australia who have this disease and worse still, there are a lot out there who are undiagnosed. There are enough dangers to the lifestyle we all enjoy so much we need to make sure we take steps to protect ourselves as much as possible.

What to do if you are bitten by a tick
If you are bitten by a tick, ask for preventative treatment from your doctor – a month long course of the antibiotics is recommended by Aussie Lyme expert Dr Nicola McFadzean. This will minimise the chance of long-term illness.

If you don't remember a bite, but have a 'bullseye' shaped rash, this is an indicator that you have indeed been bitten. In this scenario, Dr McFadzean recommends the treatment listed above for one month, and then in the second month.

Doctors can refer to the Lyme Disease Association of Australia (http://lymedisease.org.au/) for more information.

What can you do:
In order to protect yourself these steps should be followed when out in the bush:
- wear long pants and long sleeve shirts, preferably light coloured so you can see any any ticks on them
- Use a bug spray which has at least 20% DEET (we use Bushmans)
- Have a tick remover in the car ( we use a Tick Twister pro)
- Tumble dry your clothes when you get home (the heat kills ticks)

We are now into what will be a very long, very expensive and very intensive treatment plan including multiple different antibiotics and herbal supplements (over 30 tablets a day) expected to go from 6mths to a couple of years.

The 4wd community is so big and I hope that we can help raise the public awareness of this horrible disease. If this post helps get the word out there and saves anyone going through the same problems it is worth it.

If you'd like to know more about Lyme there is a heap of info available online. I'd recommend Lyme Disease Association of Australia (http://lymedisease.org.au/). Alternately please let me know and I will answer what I can.

[layback40]

Sad to hear of your wife's condition. Hope she gets through !!
I have a friend who lives in Lyme in the USA. I had no knowledge of it until I heard about it from them.
probably if you are looking for first hand information from other sufferers, a post on one of the forums in the USA would give you some good contacts.
Best wishes !!

[jeep112]

Find it utterly pathetic, that the government are refusing to acknowledge this disease.....
I mean how many of us just "rip out" the tick off our kids (and ourselves) and think nothing of it?
If the goverment admitted its existance in australia, i'm sure all the outdoor recreation fourums would be flooded with preventative "measures" in an instant!
Thus raising our awareness

[bruggz351]

Thanks for the warning rj jk.

Good luck to your wife mate..

cheers

[mudpig]

Good luck to you both RJ I hope the treatment is a success and good on you for passing on your story. I saw a story about this on either 60minutes or Sunday Night a couple of months ago. Terrible stuff.
About 12 months ago my wife and I had the kids out camping near Rathdowney Qld. We were in bed about an hour when my wife asked me to have a look at the back of her neck with the torch. Sure enough there was a bush tick having a bit of a feed. So I dug that little bastard out then checked the kids. Only found one more walking across the back of my daughters beanie while she was sleeping.
This is obviously something everyone needs to do when out bush. Check everyone over before bed. It's not worth the risk.

[rj_jk]

Cheers guys,

Having no solid diagnosis for so long has been such a battle but at least we know what we are fighting now.

It's surprising how big the Lyme community in Aus actually is (and it's getting bigger the more people become aware of it). We have been lucky to find a great Australian support groups online called Lyme Australia and Friends.

I posted this same message on another 4wd forum and didn't get anywhere near the positive messages I did on here.

Guess it just goes to prove that us jeepers are just a much nicer bunch

[craigperth]

Yeah id defiantly in Aus mate... Its even over here in WA, once again denied of course.

I work with animals and have contact weekly with Tick prone areas, however never thought to deeply of what to do if I got one... should never underestimate hey...